See it fix it

Lots of people I've worked with invoked the ultimate argument for dealing with anything they didn't feel was important for whatever reason.

"We'll fix it in the next version."

And it's no secret that many don't think accessibility is something important. So it gets postponed for next version, next sprint, next release, next deploy. Anything just not now.

Because now there's no budget, no people and no resources. There's no time. And you need time to fix inaccessible code.

Here's the thing.

You'll never get a breather to fix your inaccessible website.

I wish you did, but you don't.

So here's my advice to take those baby steps. It's my see-it-fix-it approach.

• Non-descriptive link text? Update to meaningful text.
• Missing alt text? Add a concise, descriptive alt attribute to images.
• Keyboard trap? Fix focus order or add focus management.
• No form labels? Add proper <label> elements to all form fields.
• Colour contrast off? Adjust to meet guidelines of at least 4.5 to 1.
• Video missing captions? Add captions or transcripts.
• No skip link? Add one for keyboard users.
• Ambiguous button text? Update button text to be clear and specific.
• Poor focus styles? Ensure visible and consistent focus indicators.
• Headings out of order? Fix heading structure to flow logically.
• No live region? Add ARIA live regions for dynamic content updates.
• Accessible names missing on icons? Add aria-label or visually hidden text to convey their purpose.

You don't need either permission or a dedicated sprint to do these things. They're just part of the job.

Your job.