Building a Culture of Accessible Software

Learn how to effectively influence your organization to make accessibility a priority.

Accessible products are a must for software companies but not every company is ready to commit the effort required. Many testers understand the need and are positioned to but often struggle to get “b

The testing community is full of diverse and empathetic individuals that care deeply about the users they provide solutions to. Accessible software has moved past an implied “nice to have” and now needs to be an intentional effort to achieve meaningful impact. Testers are well positioned to lead their teams and their organization on accessibility. In this talk I will break down different stakeholder types and match them with the most effective and persuasive argument for them to care about accessibility. Strategies will include appeals to values, statistics, and real-life cases. I will draw upon my own personal experience that includes both successful and unsuccessful attempts to influence my organization. We will also discuss how to handle common misconceptions and negation of the importance of intentional accessibility efforts. My goal is for every attendee to walk out of the talk ready and capable of speaking up in their organization about accessibility to be an influential leader that helps build a more inclusive world.