I got asked this:
How do you get the accessibility stuff done in time before you ship?
Here's the secret.
I don't.
I'm very much a realist. I know I won't get everything done. If you've come to me at the last hour when you've already finished the user interface, you pushed the code and you were about to cut a release, it's already kind of late for accessibility. So I only try to get done as much as we have time to get done in time to make the release. Or at least not push it by so much that they say, nevermind, maybe next time.
And the only way to do this that I know of is by prioritising the issues with the most impact on users.
It's amazing how much you can get done when you're ruthless with your priorities because you have a deadline. And also how efficient you can work in accessibility when you've already accepted that not everything needs to happen right away.
It's almost like cheating.
I get to do what I love and what I know the people who'll use this need. And the others gets to breathe without unnecessary conflicts between us and without a useless, pedantic lecture on why accessibility is important and why they're wrong they haven't shifted left.
It won't be perfect. But we'll at least ship it and it will be better than before. I know this is far from ideal. But damn it, it's real. And I'll take real over ideal every time.
And next time, maybe we start a little earlier with the "accessibility stuff."
That's it. That's my whole plan.