The following are several tweets written by my Wife (@Imloti). I’ve just copied them in order and pasted the text.
So many people fall into this trap of, “If it doesn’t work exactly how I expect it to/I can’t figure out how it works in the first 5 seconds, it isn’t accessible.” Remember a few things, and overall your frustration level will go down and you’ll be able to discuss #A11y better 1/
First, accessibility isn’t about you specifically. Different people have different needs. What’s accessible for the deaf may not be accessible for the blind, what’s accessible for someone total may not be accessible for someone VI, & your needs may be different from mine. 2/
Second, try something for awhile. Experiment a little. And remember that just because you can’t figure it out yet doesn’t mean it isn’t accessible. It just means you don’t have all the tools in your toolbox that you need. 3/
Not knowing how to use a feature of your adaptive tech (mouse cursors or whatever they’re called these days being an example) doesn’t mean that something that requires it isn’t accessible. It just means you don’t have knowledge all the necessary tools. 4/
I’ve seen people go on and on about how this thing or that thing isn’t accessible while my husband @blindbites, who is much better with screen reader stuff than I am, does the exact same task with no trouble at all. It’s not just the tools you have, it’s how you use them. 5/
When in doubt, find someone else who uses the same tech you do. Even if usability is a factor (they’re different! – more on that in a minute), someone else may have come up with a solution that makes it a lot easier, or even doable. We’re here for each other. Reach out! 6/
Usability and accessibility are different things. Usability can be a problem for someone who has no accessibility needs. Something that’s technically accessible can have usability problems. This is an issue for even people who are experts & designers. 7/
Designing for usability includes accessibility. You can make something completely accessible that’s a pain to use, or you can make something usable that is just accessible by default because you designed for use already. There was a few years back, a shift toward this starting 8/
To wrap it all up, remember that not everyone has the same ability & the same knowledge. My accessibility needs are very different from many others. My skills and adeptness at using my chosen accessibility adaptations are also different from others. Don’t jump to conclusions! 9/9
blindbites 