Getting support for accessibility efforts isn’t easy.
Things To Keep In Mind
🚫 You can’t build empathy with facts, charts or legal concerns.
🚫 People often dismiss concerns that they can’t relate to.
🚫 People often don’t know how accessibility applies to them.
🚫 People often assume that accessibility is dull and boring.
🚫 Business often neglects it as an irrelevant edge case.
✅ Nothing is more impactful than seeing users struggle.
✅ Bring users with disabilities for testing to show accessibility.
✅ Ask for small commitments first, then progress from there.
✅ Accessibility isn’t expensive nor tedious if done early.
✅ But it can be very expensive when retrofitted or done late.
🚫 Don’t mistake polite nodding for agreement or commitment.
✅ Anticipate objections about costs, competition, and slowdowns.
✅ Make a business case for lower costs and increased revenue.
✅ Create a roadmap with actions, timelines, roles, and goals.
✅ Set up regular accessibility testing (e.g. every 6–8 months).
“But Accessibility Is An Edge Case!”
❌ ”But accessibility is an edge case. Given the state of finances right now, unfortunately we really can’t invest in it right now.”
🙅🏼♀️ “I respectfully disagree. 1 in 6 people around the world experience disabilities. In fact, our competitors [X, Y, Z] have launched accessibility efforts ([references]), and we seem to be lagging behind. Plus, it doesn’t have to be expensive. But it will be very expensive once we retrofit much later.”
“But We Don’t Have Disabled Users!”
❌ “Why should we prioritize accessibility? Looking at our data, we don’t really have any disabled users at all. Seems like a waste of time and resources.”
🙅🏼♀️ “Well, if a product is inaccessible, disabled users can’t and won’t be using it. But if we do make our product more accessible, we open the door for prospect users for years to come. Even small improvements can have a high impact. It doesn’t have to be expensive nor time-consuming.”
“Screen Readers Won’t Work With Our Complex System!”
❌ Our application is very complex and used by expert users. Would it even work at all with screen readers?”
🙅🏼♀️ “It’s not about designing only for screen readers. Accessibility can be permanent, but it can also be temporary and situational — e.g. when you hold a baby in your arms, or if you had an accident. Actually it’s universally useful and beneficial for everyone.”
Accessibility is important for everyone, and it’s important to be relatable.
