I used to work in a kitchen. I was first a line cook and then a breakfast chef. As a line cook, I would work a different station every day. One day I was doing the salads, another I was in charge of the grill. One day I would cook food by following the recipe. And on some days, it was just the boring tasks involved in prepping for service, including chopping vegetables, setting up plates for the chef and sous-chef or restocking.
Nowhere in my job description did it say anything related to managing allergens. I also wasn't the one who wrote the menu or set up the kitchen stations and assigned duties that day.
But I was still very much responsible for the customers' safety and experience.
In corporate culture, people often strive to be "blameless." Cover your own ass is the primary directive, right next to it's not my job.
Just like in the kitchen, when it comes to accessibility, you're never blameless. You might think you're off the hook if accessibility isn't explicitly listed in your job description.
You're wrong.
Your job is to create products that work for all users. That's it. If what you create isn't accessible, you haven't done your job, regardless of what your formal responsibilities might say.
If you're involved in product development, you are responsible.
The more blameless you think you are, the worse you are at your job.
I'd rather be always the one to blame for:
- reminding everyone about form labels
- rejecting a PR because it doesn't use semantic HTML
- insisting on proper colour contrast, even if it means adjusting the brand colours
- delaying a release to ensure screen reader compatibility
- pushing back on tight deadlines to allow time for accessibility testing
- stressing the team to think about keyboard navigation in every feature
- consistently bringing up the topic of accessibility in sprint planning meetings
I'll take the blame. It's not without benefits.