What about it? This doesn’t need accessibility.

The amount of ego doesn’t surprise me when the conversation of accessible code arises. Code, in any stage, from alpha all the way to production needs to be, should be, and can be made accessible. But a subset of the developer community, a rather large subset seems to think otherwise.

Thinking that there is no such thing as a disabled developer is on par with thinking we are the only living organism in the entire universe. That level of ego makes part of the reason why the Web and digital world is inaccessible. Those people would rather go to the grave thinking they are right, rather than be wrong.

We don’t talk about it much these days.

“This product uses AI and it will ship production-ready code!” but when challenged, they (the developer subset with egoism at the forefront) come out of the woodwork to attack people and argue with people that are pointing out the fact that is in fact a falsity.

That’s just one example of why without education and research, the Web is doomed to be inaccessible even more than it already is.

If those who egos aren’t checked at the door had their way, they’d ship their own computers and call it a day because, “It works on my machine!”. Hey Blaine, we’re not shipping YOUR machine.

If there were less ego from those that would rather die on the cross they make for themselves then maybe, just perhaps there would be a little more accessibility in the digital world. Yet, here we are and here I am writing what I can imagine will ignite some kind of firestorm in some ecosystem of keyboard wunderkind who can’t see beyond their own screens.

“Oh, I agree there needs to be accessibility but…” You ended the hate with the key word in that sentence. “But”. A “but” is an underlying statement to prove to yourselves you are correct. The reassurance that you are right and the other side of the argument is wrong no matter what the facts are or what the data is.

So when an accessibility professional says, “Hey, I just wanted to bring to your attention there are issues here. Accessibility concerns you want to address before making a a statement such as…” Stop going into a defensive posture and on the attack immediately.

That’s not an attack, it is someone telling you there are issues that need to be fixed to make your product, your brand, your app, your site, accessible to people with disabilities.

You created something more likely to make you money. That’s how tech works isn’t it? Then why would you shut out a subset of the population for whatever reasons because you didn’t want to make it accessible? Do a search for “disposable income of disabled persons”. You’d be surprised.

And to devs that wonder why it matters so. Think of these times when and if you ever become disabled because it could happen at any time to any of us.