Digital Accessibility and the Regrets of a Former Developer

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If accessibility is essential for some and useful for all, then why is it regarded as a feature instead of a requirement? Why do we have the perception that accessibility is so difficult to design and develop for? And how does compliance actually fail people with disabilities? To answer those questions, let’s reframe the conversation. Instead of focusing on compliance, let’s look at the personal and cultural changes we can make that will influence our work. With that, we'll come to an understanding of where we fail the people who may need us most. When thinking about my history as a developer, I regret much of my attitude and inexperience. I’ll share real-life anecdotes of working with engineering teams from the perspective of a developer-turned-accessibility specialist. We’ll look at the ways that we miss opportunities to be more inclusive designers and ways that we put up barriers between us and the people we want to reach–but also how we can clear the path. Because when it comes to accessibility, everyone has a role and a social responsibility.