Including accessibility into the definition of done will create accountability and all but eliminate issues in the future.
Authentic conversations so far...
This is an archive of the email messages I sent to my daily mailing list since March 12th, 2024. Enjoy!
The BS Meeting Signs: Too many people
May 28th, 2025
Too many people in a meeting kill any productive discussions. Here are three ways to deal with them.
Compliant vs inclusive
May 27th, 2025
Meeting the web content accessibility guidelines doesn't guarantee your product is usable or inclusive.
Empathy
May 26th, 2025
Empathy is essential if you want to create an accessible and inclusive product.
Access Denied #47: A better prompt
May 25th, 2025
In Issue 47 of Access Denied, Gary thinks accessibility issues introduced with AI can be fixed with just a better prompt.
Stepping back from frustration
May 24th, 2025
Accessibility work can be mentally exhausting when others don't listen.
Real talk: Too legacy to be accessible
May 23rd, 2025
Legacy code is just an excuse to not make a product accessible.
The Product Owner's guide to accessibility debt: Build team accountability by setting measurable goals
May 22nd, 2025
Building team accountability for tackling web accessibility debt requires setting measurable goals.
The BS Meeting Signs: Start and end late
May 21st, 2025
BS meetings that start and end late disrupt everyone's day, but especially impact those with accessibility needs.
Why we complain
May 20th, 2025
Why do we complain about web accessibility and how can we provide solutions to bring change.
Dealing with weeds
May 19th, 2025
Prioritise accessibility into your process to have fewer urgent issues afterwards by dealing with the important bits up front.
Access Denied #46: Accessibility prompt
May 18th, 2025
In Issue 46 of Access Denied, Gary thinks adding "make it accessible" to the AI prompt is enough.
Feeling like a novice again
May 17th, 2025
After all these years, I'm still learning about web accessibility and that feels pretty damn special.
Real talk: AI accessibility gives you false confidence
May 16th, 2025
AI won't fix your inaccessible product and it's not worth trying.
The Product Owner's guide to accessibility debt: Build team accountability by assigning clear roles
May 15th, 2025
The first step to build team accountability is to assign clear roles so that every accessibility requirement has an owner.
The BS Meeting Signs: No agenda
May 14th, 2025
The lack of an agenda or a vague agenda is the firs sign of a BS meeting.
Future consequences
May 13th, 2025
Making invisible consequences visible can transform product design and how you make choices in accessibility.
How to help the developers
May 12th, 2025
Help developers ship accessible websites by giving them reliable tools, match those to their skills and help them prioritise effectively.
Access Denied #45: Making art
May 11th, 2025
In Issue 45 of Access Denied, Gary thinks semantic HTML is outdated and useless if you want to make art.
A labour of love
May 10th, 2025
Accessibility work is not without its challenges, but there is magic in creating solutions that genuinely improve lives.
Real talk: Div soup, who's hungry?
May 9th, 2025
If all your markup is comprised of divs, you should stop calling yourself a web developer.
Why is team accountability important for chipping away at accessibility debt and four ways to build it into your process.
Dissecting the web accessibility meeting tale
May 7th, 2025
What are the most common issues with meetings about web accessibility?
An inconvenient truth
May 6th, 2025
Instead of perfect accessibility, aim for continuous improvement. Perfect accessibility doesn't exist.
An accessibility sprint isn't always the answer
May 5th, 2025
An accessibility sprint can and will deliver short-term improvements, but without ongoing attention, new issues will creep in.
Access Denied #44: Accessibility placeholders
May 4th, 2025
In Issue 44 of Access Denied, Gary thinks using placeholders for form labels is a great user experience.
Swimming against the current
May 3rd, 2025
Instead of debating accessibility with so-called experts and other stubborn stakeholders, try to work with them to get things done.
Real talk: WCAG is open to interpretation
May 2nd, 2025
WCAG isn't a choose-your-own-adventure book. Read it and stop pretending it’s "ambiguous" because you don't like the rules.
Wrap up for making smart trade-offs when considering accessibility debt.
A web accessibility meeting tale
Apr 30th, 2025
Soul-crushing inefficiency as a web product team pretends to care about accessibility while accomplishing absolutely nothing.
Ready to subscribe?
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.