Sexy, Cheap, and Easy? Well, it caught your eye didn’t it!?! “WHAT ON EARTH IS HE TALKING ABOUT?” Carry on reading and you’ll find out 😁
I know this may disappoint some folks but this isn’t a steamy story, or a risque reminiscence. I’m not trying to write the next 50 Shades of #a9a9a9. It actually comes out of a comment that someone received when they said that they wanted to work in doing more with Accessibility in tech. It’s also base on what I’ve heard from people when discussing implementing accessible solutions.
“No-one wants to do it. It’s just not sexy”
“It’s too expensive”
“We don’t have the time to implement it”
It’s sad as it’s a comment born out of simply not understanding Accessibility and the impact that it can have.
Before I go any further, I’d like you to watch the video for the Xbox Adaptive Controller…
I’m not crying, you’re crying – or that blasted Ninja Onion Cutter is running around again.
Who would deliberately exclude others?
How many people out there want to build solutions that specifically excludes segments of society from using them? Or who wants to make it so difficult for them that they end up giving up their dream job? All because of the hurdles they face every day? Hopefully, none of you reading this.
The Xbox advert shows just how much impact adding accessibility can have. OK that solution isn’t cheap, but in terms of a “sexy project” to work on it would definitely have made me feel as though I was making a difference in this world.
I can’t understand why working with Accessibility in any way would be any less exciting than writing a Power Platform solution for local government or a corporate chasing their next $bn. In fact, the complete opposite seems to apply if you ask me!
If you give me the chance to work on projects that impact a person in a positive way, then count me in! When I’m working on projects that do something positive it gives me drive and motivation way beyond the norm.
When we look at what goes on in the Power Platform, it isn’t difficult or expensive to make things accessible. Will it be 100% accessible in every area? No, of course it won’t. It’s a learning curve that even those who use accessibility tools every day slip up on every now and then. But surely making SOME changes that improve things is better than making none?
Simple changes, big impact
Simple things like using the Accessibility Checker in Microsoft Office (images below) to ensure your slides and documents are as accessible as possible. Or picking colour schemes that work for different people. Let’s not forget adding Alt Text to images on websites and in documents. 
When building Power Platform solutions, just using better variable names and implementing theme switchers for High-Contrast modes can be huge.
These changes don’t require much extra effort or cost but can transform a persons working experience in a massive way.
As we adapt our working ways to include a few small tweaks, we can suddenly open up our content and solutions to those who have been excluded in the past. Surely that’s what we should be striving for.
When it comes to making the business case, there’s the sad fact that one company doing it sets them apart from the rest.
If we champion and include Accessibility By Design then we can transform our projects. They become ones that are inclusive and welcoming to more and more people.
Sexy, cheap, and easy? Certainly not Dull, Expensive, and Impossible.
More to come… but don’t miss Scottish Summit!
I’ll have more to say on this one, so keep an eye on my other blog posts here. There is also a whole track about Accessibility at the Scottish Summit Virtual event on the 27th February. Covering everything from developer stories, to Power Platform tricks, to personal experiences. Grab your free ticket at the Scottish Summit website to see just how we can make a difference.
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