What this session is
A leadership-focused accessibility talk. Not a standards lecture. It’s about the operational signals that tell you whether accessibility will ship—or be deferred.
The five warning signs
1) Accessibility is “someone’s job,” not a shared requirement
Ownership is unclear → work arrives late → fixes become expensive.
2) Teams can’t describe what “good” looks like
If people can’t recognize a failure, it will repeat.
3) The definition of done ignores accessibility
If it’s not in the exit criteria, it’s optional—no matter what we say.
4) Testing is late-stage and tool-only
Automated checks are useful—until they’re used as a substitute for behavior.
5) Accessibility shows up as “scope creep”
If it wasn’t planned, it will be resisted—even when it’s required.
What leaders can do immediately
- Make accessibility a non-functional requirement with visible acceptance criteria.
- Move checks earlier: design reviews, component patterns, and “known-good” examples.
- Require proof in demos: keyboard, labels, focus, and contrast—small tests that prevent large failures.
- Use estimation honestly: treat accessibility as real work, not “nice-to-have.”
Format options
60-minute talk
Signals + interventions + a practical leader checklist.
90-minute workshop
Audience audits a sample workflow and fixes it in real time.
Why I can teach this
- Accessibility training and leadership: making standards actionable for real teams.
- Enterprise delivery leadership: governance, risk, prioritization, and execution under pressure.
- Bridge role: translating between executives, product, engineering, and QA.