Accessibility Education
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Accessibility Education
Philosophy
Stop being the answer, share the answer key.
The goal isn't to be the accessibility expert everyone depends on — it's to build a team (or organization) where accessibility thinking is distributed. Train engineers so they can catch and fix issues themselves.
For Engineers
Key concepts engineers need:
- Semantic HTML — most accessibility comes from correct HTML
- ARIA — when and how to use it (ARIA first rule: don't use ARIA if native HTML works)
- Keyboard navigation — tab order, focus management, keyboard events
- Screen reader behavior — how AT reads your DOM
- Color and contrast — not just for compliance, for readability
- Motion and animation —
prefers-reduced-motion - Forms — labels, errors, required fields
Approach: pair accessibility with performance. Accessible sites tend to be better sites overall. Semantic HTML is both accessible and performant.
For Designers
- Accessible color palettes from the start (not retrofitted)
- Focus indicators as design elements (not afterthoughts)
- Content hierarchy (headings, landmarks) as design structure
- Alt text strategy for image-heavy designs
- Form design (clear labels, error states, required indicators)
For Stakeholders / Leadership
Lead with:
- Business case (legal risk, market expansion)
- Quick wins (what's fixable fast with high impact)
- Progress metrics (audit scores, issue counts over time)
- Stories (real user impact, not statistics alone)
Neurodivergent-Specific Design
Notes from Dana (neurodiverse design) and research on autistic adults' assistive tech needs:
- Predictability and consistency (no surprise navigation changes)
- Low cognitive load (shorter sentences, clear hierarchy, no jargon)
- Sensory considerations (animation, flashing, high contrast options)
- Explicit affordances (don't rely on implied functionality)
- Accommodation tools (clear processes for requesting adjustments)