Is Accessibility Hard?

Published on by David A. Kennedy

Well, no. And yes. Let me explain.

Every now and then, I see something like this from someone in the web community:

But I’m just gonna be honest here… for most developers, coding for #a11y (especially screen readers) is might as well be voodoo

I get it. I still remember the first time I turned on a screen reader. What a foreign experience! I felt so lost. But remember, when users visit a site that isn’t as accessible as they need it to be, that’s how they feel too. I’m not trying to guilt you into accessibility, but show you that we can all have similar experiences that fuel empathy.

The entire Web can feel like voodoo at times. A blur of fast-paced, “what should I learn next?” – “oh no, I feel so left behind” – “I don’t know this all that well” pile of voodoo. Accessibility is no different than learning anything else. Like responsive design, Sass, React or whatever comes next. You can learn accessibility. That’s the “no” part of my answer to “Is accessibility hard?”

So what’s the “yes” part? Accessibility is hard because you have to take that first step. You have to be willing to try. Feel lost. Make mistakes. And of course, like anything else, the deeper you go – the more complex it all becomes. But then you remember, you know a little voodoo, and you’ve got this.


Tagged Accessibility