For those who work with me, one thing is clear: Nobody will ever accuse me of being overly positive, optimistic, and forgiving. Some of my Twitter followers even remember me from back when I was in my 20s – a period when anger & negativity were my trademarks. That’s run its course now, for sure, and of that I’m proud. Still, I remain highly skeptical. Despite this, there’s one place I refuse to let negativity take me: claiming people are evil because their websites or software are inaccessible.
Inaccessible sites are not created out of malice
In some cases, training engagements I have with clients take place after either a skills assessment or an audit of the client’s site(s). In all of these cases it is clear to me there is one thing at the root of why websites and software are inaccessible: Ignorance. Nothing more, nothing less. Designers, developers, content creators, project managers, requirements analysts, and executives are all simply ignorant of what accessibility is and why it is important. The data from scores of skills assessments and from my conversations with attendees at training are a constant reminder of this truth.
It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles Sun Tzu, Art of War
The true enemy of accessibility is this ignorance. We should all seek to overcome this ignorance by embracing those who do not know better. Befriend them and teach them what is right. Teach them how to do a better job instead of assuming they’re evil, bad people for not making things accessibly.