Our ideas of heroes comes from movies and TV. Superman, Batman, if you're a DC fan, or Iron man and Thor if you're a Marvel fan. We think of heroes as those who swoop in to save the day when you're in a jam. No one thinks of those who work quietly behind the scenes to prevent jams before they happen. There are no movies about them.
There should be.
There should be praises for the unsung accessibility champions who work behind the scenes to make the web more inclusive. Those who design websites that everyone can use. Those who create buildings with ramps and elevators. Those who spend their lives developing assistive technologies that help people with disabilities. Those advocates who fight for the rights of people with disabilities.
When you prevent barriers and difficulties before they occur, you're an accessibility hero making life easier and fairer for millions of people every day.
Your work isn't dramatic or spectacular, but it's as much as important as saving the day.
We admire firefighters who rescue people from burning buildings. Rightly so. But what about those who design and build buildings to prevent fires?
It doesn't make for an interesting Hollywood blockbuster. But then, neither does real life!