Event Recap: Diversability Unplugged: Disability & Digital Accessibility

By Katherine Lewis, Content Manager at Diversability, and Marie Dagenais-Lewis, Operations Manager at Diversability 

In celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, this month's panel discussion, sponsored by Fable, amplified the need for digital access for all. "Diversability Unplugged: Disability & Digital Accessibility" brought together a few digital accessibility professionals from different spheres of the industry ranging from Big Tech to self motivated consultants. Our powerhouse panel included Dona Sarkar (she/her) the Director of Tech at Microsoft; Mark McGuire (he/him) a digital accessibility consultant; Sheri Byrne-Haber (she/her) Senior Staff at Accessibility Architect, and Samuel Proulx (he/him) an Accessibility Evangelist at Fable. Diversability’s Operations Manager Marie Deganais-Lewis kicked off the evening by welcoming attendees and  sharing more about Diversability’s work. 

“Accessibility should be a holistic approach.”- Mark  McGuire

Discussion Overview

The conversation began with each panelist introducing themselves and their relationship to digital accessibility. 

Through the introductions, we learned we were in the presence of powerful changemakers. We started off with Dona Sarkar, who blazes trails as the Director of Tech for Microsoft Accessibility, looking after over 4,000 products. Sheri Byrne-Haber shared she was monumental to STEM badges in Girl Scouts as she was the first to receive a badge in computer science, designing the original badge requirements. Mark McGuire gave us a peek into his journey creating a career off his disabled experience as an accessibility consultant. We learned from Samuel Proulx that his career started off with going to University for Journalism before ultimately becoming the Accessibility Evangelist for Fable, where he works to ensure disabled representation is front and center in everything related to accessibility. A common theme of the night echoed the sentiment “Nothing About Us Without Us”, stressing disabled people should be involved in every level of the process from concept to completion. Having a variety of lived experiences on the panel made for a powerful discussion!

After the panelists introduced themselves, the discussion began to dive deeper into digital accessibility first touching on personal definitions of digital accessibility. They noted that while awareness about it is growing, there’s still a large disparity in what people think it is, how it relates to their organization, and what they can do to improve it.

“Digital Accessibility is making sure that everyone, no matter their situation or physical/cognitive abilities, has not just access to digital products and services but is fully included in the digital and online experience.”-- Samuel Proulx

Dona expounded upon Samuel’s statement that digital accessibility is also creating tech that enables people to live more free lives and have better employment opportunities. She stressed that a crucial element of digital accessibility is hiring disabled employees in all levels of the industry. Making jobs in the tech industry more accessible to the disabled would not only ensure representation in the design process, but would give higher paying jobs that lead towards more independence. 

The conversation transitioned to important rules to keep in mind when it comes to digital accessibility. Mark started off with a great point to keep in mind—nothing is 100% accessible, and the challenge is trying to create code that can allow everyone to decide for themselves their own needs. Mark stated one of the most important things to keep in mind is the power of choice–ensuring you give someone the power to choose to access content in the way they want.

“The first rule to keep in mind is the freedom of choice.”—Mark McGuire

Sheri included that in regards to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), she believed the ones pertaining to Keyboard Access and Color are the most important ones. Samuel brought the conversation beyond just the practical approach to highlight the need to consider accessibility in the design process, and not just let it fall on the developers. We all have a responsibility to create an accessible experience whether its content, software, or any other product. 

“Accessibility is a journey, a process, and a culture.” —Samuel Proulx

An important point Samuel brought up is the fact that accessibility is always evolving. What was considered accessible in 2010 may not be today due to the changes in design languages over the years. He challenged attendees to stop thinking of accessibility as a shackle and start to view it as a driver of innovation. His point transitioned us perfectly into the next question—why digital accessibility seems to always be the afterthought.  Building on her earlier statements, Dona stressed the problem lies in the hiring process; of course it’s an afterthought when disabled people aren’t employed in jobs where they are part of development.

“The more I hire people with disabilities onto my team, the better mh team gets, and the more smarter we get, the more innovative we get and the more diverse and interesting we are.” —Dona Sarkar

Sheri took Dona’s answer a little further by saying how the problem also lies in the education system. 

“We have a couple of states [in the U.S.] that have an 80% drop out rate for people who are on special education plans…we have a pipeline problem to the hiring process because we’ve created an environment where people with disabilities fail.”—Sheri Byrne-Haber 

The conversation touched on accessibility overlays with Sheri comparing them to the likes of “snake oil”. Panelists stressed how overlays do the opposite of empowering user choice. Samuel shared that there really is no magic solution when it comes to creating accessibility; instead of relying on an overlay, start the journey towards understanding the culture of accessibility. His words echoed the sentiment “progress over perfection”.

One of the most empowering moments of the night came when Mark shared his process into getting certified to become a digital accessibility consultant. When you share your story, it becomes a guiding light for others to follow. 

If you couldn’t catch the event live, you can catch the recording on your own time linked below!