Yesterday, I gave you a quick three-question yes or no quiz to tell if you're bullshitting yourself. It went like this:
- Do you have anyone assigned to work on the low priority issues when the time comes?
- Have you reserved budget or capacity for this work?
- If someone quit tomorrow, would this work still happen?
If you answered no to any of these, you're not prioritising anything, least of all accessibility.
I think it's best we admit to ourselves when we're not going to do it. It seems only fair to everyone involved.
Here's how that could look like:
- Say the thing out loud: "We're not fixing this"
- Document why you're not fixing it and who made that call
- Figure out what, if anything, would have to change for you to change your mind
Next, be prepared to take some responsibility and accept the consequences instead of pretending they don't exist.
The consequences aren't abstract. Off the top of my head and depending on the industry and market you're operating in, I'm thinking potential lawsuits, regulatory fines and settlement costs that could've funded the fixes ten times over.
You also accept you're now actively excluding some people that your competitors will happily serve instead. And now your team knows when leadership is all talk. Good people leave, the ones who stay get cynical and quality eventually drops.
If you're really going to deprioritise accessibility, prepare for these consequences.
At the very least, have an honest conversation about your risk exposure. Probably, no, definitely brief customer support on how to handle accessibility complaints when they come in.
And please, stop putting it in slide decks if you're not going to do it. It's just dishonest and discouraging for teams that really are trying.