True accessibility is a partnership between technology vendors and their customers. Based on my experience, some technology vendors are not owning their role in making sure people with disabilities are included in the digital world.
Category Archives: Articles
Math is hard. People with disabilities matter
When I first started advocating for web accessibility in design and development projects I was drawn to the argument that accessibility wasn’t about people with disabilities, but rather about people, and that designing to meet the needs of people with disabilities would improve things for everyone.
Technology Accessibility Quality Measures
What can we learn from healthcare quality initiatives that will help us make progress in improving the quality of the technology we rely on for our health and well-being, focusing specifically on measures related to accessibility for people with disabilities?
Brainstorming Rules
Much-needed tools for meaningful discussions, from the Design Thinking for Educators Toolkit, by Riverdale Country School and IDEO.
Radio buttons define us. Let’s make better tech
Northampton, Mass is the most gender-diverse community I have ever lived in. It is also a small city with a big and diverse live music scene. The surrounding Pioneer Valley has been home to bands and musicians like Arlo Guthrie, Dinosaur Jr, and Erin McKeown.
Design for when there is no “later”
My mother and I are trying set up the Photo app to automatically import photos from her phone. Since my father died in June, she has been using her phone much more, including the camera.
Organizations, accessibility, and change
In the past years I’ve often found myself in the role of change agent — someone responsible for advancing new ways of doing things. It’s the most challenging role I’ve ever held, and I’ve reflected quite a bit on what works and what doesn’t.
Year in Review: A Web for Everyone and Accessible UX
It’s been a year since I made the leap from higher education to a job in accessibility at The Paciello Group, or TPG as we are more commonly known. Here in my anniversary post I reflect on some of the good stuff that’s happened this past year.
A day job in web accessibility
I started learning about web accessibility in the early 2000s when I was asked to speak on the topic at a conference. Since that time I have had opportunities to develop my knowledge and expertise, but always as an adjunct to my day job.
The Future of Web Accessibility: A Multi-Voice Choir
Back in May of 2011 I wrote an article about a new book project, Universal Design for Web Accessibility. Since then my co-author, Whitney Quesenbery, and I have been plugging away, stealing writing time in between moves, job changes, elections, violent weather, and the many other disruptions that come with living a full life.