What is accessibility debt and five common causes you need to watch out for.
Authentic conversations so far...
This is an archive of the email messages I sent to my daily mailing list since March 12th, 2024. Enjoy!
Effective Accessibility Workshops: Ice breakers
Feb 12th, 2025
What are some good ice breakers for a team running an accessibility workshop?
One without the other
Feb 11th, 2025
You can't have a fully accessible website without investing any time in design, semantic markup and testing with users with disabilities.
Working with clowns, continued
Feb 10th, 2025
You can recognise clowns by how they position their products to serve everyone but users with disabilities.
Access Denied #32: Niche markets
Feb 9th, 2025
In Issue 32 of Access Denied, Gary thinks the WCAG doesn't apply to the niche market they serve.
Working with clowns
Feb 8th, 2025
Sometimes it's best to let people who don't believe in accessibility to their own devices.
Three proven ways to fix accessibility issues
Feb 7th, 2025
The 80:20 rule or the Pareto Principle, the Sherlock Holmes method and the 5 whys are the simplest methods for tackling web accessibility.
The Product Owner's guide to accessibility debt
Feb 6th, 2025
Start explore accessibility debt from the point of view of a product owner.
The people you invite is the most important factor in the success of the effective accessibility workshop.
How to build a flywheel that helps you integrate accessibility into your workflow.
To get buy-in for accessibility, uncover what drives your team and connect it to accessibility.
Access Denied #31: Intuitive design
Feb 2nd, 2025
In Issue 31 of Access Denied, Gary blames the users for not trying hard enough to figure out the product design.
Your users aren't stupid
Feb 1st, 2025
Just because they do things differently, it doesn't mean your users are stupid.
Where to focus your attention
Jan 31st, 2025
Wherever you focus your attention, that's where your energy will follow.
Reader question: How can you measure emotions
Jan 30th, 2025
How can you measure the emotional stress for users who come across an inaccessible product?
The role of a good facilitator in an effective accessibility workshop.
Shortcuts are misleading you
Jan 28th, 2025
Shortcuts in web accessibility are never the right way. It usually means someone gets left behind.
Ignorance is a choice
Jan 27th, 2025
In accessibility, the line between ignorance and not knowing is razor-thin.
Access Denied #30: Metrics don't lie
Jan 26th, 2025
In Issue 30 of Access Denied, Gary thinks that 100% in lab results is more important than what the real users say about accessibility.
Don't hide behind the fine print
Jan 25th, 2025
When you know your product doesn't meet the accessibility requirements, don't hide behind the fine print and just fix it.
Where to focus
Jan 24th, 2025
Focus on doing the right things and the accessibility conformance will take care of itself.
Six common pitfalls to avoid when deciding what accessibility KPIs to track.
Effective Accessibility Workshops: How to maintain focus
Jan 22nd, 2025
Four techniques to keep an effective accessibility workshop running on track and everyone on point.
Blurred lines
Jan 21st, 2025
Checking for accessibility isn't the same as creating accessible experiences.
Maps don't move cars
Jan 20th, 2025
Stop talking about theoretical improvements and start testing with actual users who depend on accessible design.
Access Denied #29: Make the link smaller
Jan 19th, 2025
In Issue 29, Gary thinks hiding accessibility issues means solving them.
Reserve judgement
Jan 18th, 2025
What to ask when running a retrospective after a complex project that didn't go exactly as planned.
Discomfort is okay
Jan 17th, 2025
Accessibility and disability are touchy subjects. We need to push through the discomfort if we are to make the web accessible.
Common pitfalls when setting accessibility KPIs
Jan 16th, 2025
Common pitfalls to avoid when deciding what accessibility KPIs to track.
Tactics to keep everyone's attention and energy up during long workshops about web accessibility.
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I send out short emails like these every day to help you gain a fresh perspective on accessibility and understand it without the jargon, so you can build more robust products that everyone can use, including people with disabilities.