Disability Dialogue with Bill: Resolving Accessibility Barriers in Isolation: Achieve with Kindness

Are you older and have found using some technologies such as web pages, web applications, standalone applications on your mobile device or computer difficult to use if not impossible? Are you disabled and use assistive technology on your mobile device or computer and find using these same technologies not possible? Do they not react the way you believe they should compared to similar technologies you have successfully used? Are you disabled or have short- or long-term challenges and do not use assistive technology and find using these same technologies difficult?

Although you may have never heard of usability or accessibility, these issues you are experiencing could be related to accessibility or usability.

If the designers and developers leverage the accessibility recommendations documented in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) 2. and other guidelines/recommendations the accessibility issues you may have experienced could have been avoided.

If the technology owners are not aware of the positive Business Case for Digital Accessibility (Web Accessibility Initiative) WAI/W3C) they may find this resource beneficial to influence accessibility.

Have you experienced and reported accessibility obstacles and felt like you were working to resolve the issues in isolation? If you have felt or feel this way, I encourage you to never give up hope to not only to help yourself, but to assist the many other people who are experiencing the same barriers as you are. One or more of the many points below and others you find elsewhere may assist you at being successful at working on resolving accessibility issues with kindness.

When contacting the product managers, designers and developers with kindness keep in mind, they may not have intentionally excluded any person. If you do find a person who has not heard of accessibility and does not understand it, explain how if they would have leveraged the documented techniques and requirements that are available some of the barriers encountered could have been avoided.
After providing valuable accessibility education some developers may enjoy making the necessary modifications to incorporate accessibility and inclusion.
Subsequently after receiving accessibility education some may also recognize the benefits of including accessibility in the upfront design and development plans to save time and money over retrofitting for accessibility after the technology has been released to customers and users start reporting the barriers preventing them from using the technology.
During the process of resolving accessibility issues some owners may offer alternatives that may work to accomplish the task the person was attempting to do when they experienced the issue. Although these suggestions may not be an efficient or effective solution and will take much longer for the end user to accomplish the task compared to if the technology was accessible.
Some may discourage you from doing what you need to accomplish to enhance your personal life or to advance your professional career instead of modifying the technology to incorporate accessibility.
When someone discourages you from fully utilizing technology this may make you feel like you’re not worthy of participating in certain technology activities that other people who do not run into accessibility challenges are able to do anytime they feel like it without waiting for external assistance instead of implementing the needed accessibility technology enhancements.
You may hear that it costs too much money to modify the technology after you submit your issue. Therefore, the owner may elect to sacrifice the ability for all people to use the technology over costs to retrofit the technology for accessibility. If you find you need to wait some time before they possibly address your issue keep in touch with the owner you took valuable time to locate and develop a positive relationship with as they incorporate accessibility in their next release.
It is best to keep in touch from time to time with the person you reported the issue to since if you do not check in the enhancement request may drop off the enhancement list due to other priorities.
When talking with some developers or others you may hear them say a person with a disability will never use my technology. You might also hear some developer say this hardware is locked up in a closet and only one person has access to it and that person does not have a disability therefore it does not need to be accessible. You may gently remind the developer it is possible that person who has access to the hardware may no longer be available and you may have another extremely qualified candidate to take over that job function who has a disability. Therefore, you would have been better prepared by making the hardware accessible to be ready for such personnel flexibility. Also, all the software to manage the hardware should be accessible since people anywhere in the world are able to access hardware over the Internet or Intranet using the latest technology.
Some developers or others may tell you this technology is only for managers, scientists or other professions. You may need to gently remind them that many people with disabilities hold a large variety of positions and are highly successful in their professions.
Subsequently after you communicate an issue you may hear back from the owner that this technology is not theirs and they procured it from an outside vendor. If you have a relationship with the person you contacted, they may be in a better position to influence accessibility enhancements on your behalf if this occurs.
Although bullying or shaming people into making technology accessible may seem like a good short-term solution it is never ever a positive long-term solution for forming mutual exclusive valuable partnerships. At some point you may require their assistance again and if you did not treat them with respect and kindness in the past, they will be less likely to engage with you the next time you need them.
Be patient and listen as you educate the designers and developers regarding accessibility. Treat them with kindness, compassion and respect as you teach them about the technical aspects as well as the value of accessible technology to increase their customer base and customer satisfaction.
I encourage you to not feel discouraged. Pursue ahead to help the product managers, designers and developers understand how they can improve their technology so it works for all people equally and not just certain people. Also remember it does take time to resolve accessibility issues once they are reported therefore be patient and understanding.
Although at times you may feel frustrated and discouraged at your progress towards increasing accessibility, think about the countless others you are not aware of who do not have accessibility skills to resolve the issues themselves that you are helping to be more productive.
Never stop partnering with others to increase accessibility with a kind and understanding attitude.
At times during the process of resolving an accessibility issue you may feel discouraged, sad and tempted to give up. However, it is best to pursue ahead otherwise progress will not be made.
If you submit an accessibility enhancement request and do not get a response or updates on progress do not be completely discouraged and feel as if you are resolving accessibility barriers in isolation. Although this is an example of poor customer service, it is possible the people you reported the issue to are making progress “in silence” without responding to you with an update.

Do you have any suggestions for people who are working on resolving accessibility issues in what seems like isolation? Do you have any tips for product managers, designers and developers to encourage them to work on accessibility in the design phase instead of waiting for users to become excluded from using the technology they develop? Do you have any tips to assist those who are new to accessibility so they feel more comfortable at providing accurate and actionable suggestions to developers in order to help them resolve any accessibility issue they report?

Also do you have any suggestions on how to help the user so they do not feel discouraged and frustrated when working on accessibility issues on what seems like their own?

We all look forward to hearing your valuable thoughts and comments to help increase accessibility thus enabling inclusion.

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

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