Accessibility, a joint effort

Over the past months, I’ve spent a significant amount of my time at work focusing on accessibility. It’s a topic that’s not just technical or theoretical, it’s deeply practical and transformative when embraced fully. Based on my experiences, I wanted to share insights into what accessibility truly means and why it requires collaboration between developers and clients.

Accessibility isn’t just a technical checkbox; it’s a shared responsibility that extends beyond developers and requires active participation from clients as well. Often, clients expect their supplier or developer to handle everything, but the reality is that we need a collaboration. In my experience working with organizations, I’ve seen this expectation many times, but true accessibility starts much earlier, right at the source.

Why developers can't do it all

Ofcourse, developers play a crucial role in creating an accessible foundation. From writing semantic HTML to implementing ARIA roles and ensuring compatibility with assistive technologies, their work is essential. However, even the most perfectly coded website can fail accessibility standards if clients and content creators don’t uphold their side of the equation. Accessibility isn’t just about the code, it’s also about the content.

Accessibility starts at the source

In many organizations, content is created by various departments long before it reaches the online world. This is often where accessibility starts to face its first challenges. If the source content isn’t created with accessibility in mind, it’s almost impossible to make it fully compliant later. For example:

• Marketing teams: Should ensure that campaign visuals include descriptive alt text and that videos have captions.
• HR Departments: Need to create accessible job descriptions and ensure internal documents, like PDFs, are properly tagged and structured.
• Product Teams: Must consider accessibility when designing product descriptions or specifications.

By embedding accessibility practices into the workflows of these departments, organizations can prevent many issues before they arise.

Clients hold the key to accessible content

Clients, particularly those who manage and update content, are just as responsible for maintaining accessibility. Here are some examples of how their contributions make a difference:

• Headings and structure: Properly structured headings create clarity and help users navigate content efficiently. Without this structure, skipping between sections becomes difficult and time-consuming, even on a well-coded website.
• Alt text: Adding descriptive alt text for images ensures that users relying on screen readers aren’t left in the dark.
• Documents and media: Uploaded PDFs, videos, and other media often need extra steps, like adding captions or tags, to ensure they’re accessible.

In conclusion: accessibility isn’t a one-time project—it’s a continuous process. Clients need to stay informed and engaged to ensure their content remains accessible.

Moving beyond digital accessibility

Accessibility isn’t just about websites and applications. It’s a mindset that should be the core of an organization’s culture. This means thinking about inclusion at every level, from strategic planning to daily operations. In my experience, organizations that truly embrace accessibility as part of their identity see the biggest impact. Here are some examples of this mindset:

• Physical spaces: Offices and events should be inclusive, with features like ramps and clear signage.
• Customer support: Channels like phone, email, and chat should accommodate users with different needs.
• Internal processes: From hiring practices to team meetings, accessibility should be a guiding principle.
• Training materials: Any documents, videos, or tools used internally must meet accessibility standards.

When accessibility is treated as a core value, it becomes a natural part of decision making rather than an afterthought. This approach not only ensures compliance but also embraces innovation and inclusivity. Once this mindset is fully embraced, maintaining accessibility becomes significantly cheaper and easier. Accessibility evolves into a seamless, ongoing process that aligns with the organization’s operations and goals.