Every day accessibility awareness
Accessibility isn’t something I think about once a year
This year I haven’t had much time or mental energy to write a full article or prepare a talk in time for Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). Accessibility isn’t something I think about once a year, it’s my job, and it’s what matters to me. I want to help make the web a more accessible place for everyone, applying and advocating for inclusive design principles whenever and wherever I can.
For me pretty much every day is about accessibility awareness
- Most days I see accessibility barriers everywhere, be it at work or elsewhere
- Most days I try to advocate for better accessibility at work, here on my website, in conversation with family, friends and colleagues or on social media
- Most weeks I run internal workshops on refreshing accessibility skills for my colleagues at work
- Most months I attend to events like Champions of Accessibility Network, a11y Together and other accessibility related events to hear from people with lived experiences of disability
- Most weeks I read a book or online articles about accessibility
- Most years I try to submit talk proposals on accessibility to conferences; accepted or not, I use the process to improve my knowledge and share my understanding in a blog post
I know there’s always more to learn, and more I can do to deepen my knowledge and empathy in understanding disabilities.
Volunteering for Ability Net
Recently I started volunteering with Ability Net as a Tech Volunteer. It's one small step to trying to be better at accessibility awareness and improving my empathy skills.
I had my first assignment earlier this month to visit a 99-year-old man and help diagnose some performance issues with their two personal computer. In the end, although software tweaks alone couldn’t resolve the performance issues, I was able to identify that both machines were being held back by very outdated hardware. I advised him and his son to get back in touch with AbilityNet for support in obtaining a donated computer. This would be far more up to date and capable of handling everyday tasks like video calls and modern web browsing.
The signup process for becoming a Tech Volunteer required a vetting check and an short interview with my local coordinator. I'd recommend signing up as a volunteer for anyone with at least some technical knowledge and awareness of using assistive technology like screen readers.
I look forward to more assignments and helping in a variety of ways, including users of assistive technology. Such work broadens my experience and deepens my awareness of how often people are held back by poorly designed websites and apps. Bloated or under‑optimised digital services create real barriers for anyone using older devices or those who can’t afford to upgrade to the latest technology.