The not-so-simple world of accessibility: Part 2

Enter part 2

Welcome back to the second part of our exploration into the world of accessibility. In this post, we dive deeper into the other side of being an accessibility specialist: being a leader, understanding process, and fueling everything with purpose-driven passion.

A personal story – When leadership wasn’t optional

I remember being the only accessibility advocate in the room during a product review. The designs were polished, the timelines were tight, and the team was focused on launch. No one had considered accessibility.

I didn’t have a leadership title, but in that moment, I had to lead. I started asking questions, pushing for alt text, flagging missing labels, and explaining why contrast ratios weren’t just a preference—they were a requirement. It wasn’t easy, but it was necessary.

That experience taught me something critical: accessibility leadership doesn’t wait for a job title. You lead by showing up, speaking up, and helping your team see what they were missing.

Elevate the vibe – What it really means to lead in accessibility

Leadership is action, not a title

Real accessibility leaders set the tone. Whether you’re a designer, developer, researcher, or QA, you can lead by doing the work, raising the standard, and showing others what good looks like.

Advocate for inclusive design workshops

Bring your team together to talk about accessibility early and often. Run workshops on how to build inclusive interfaces, how color choices impact usability, or how to write meaningful alt text. Keep it practical, honest, and action-focused.

Influence company policies

Push for accessibility to be part of timelines, definitions of done, and quality gates. Advocate for accessibility testing in every release and ensure it’s treated as a core requirement, not a nice-to-have.

Collaborate with UX teams from day one

Accessibility should never be retrofitted. Work alongside UX teams at the concept stage. Recommend tools that help with accessible design, and bring in real people with disabilities for feedback.

Stay active in the community

Present at meetups. Join accessibility forums. Learn from others and share your own insights. Accessibility evolves fast—stay connected to stay sharp.

Implement continuous training

Technology changes. So do guidelines. Make learning a habit. Encourage your team to stay up to date through short sessions, hands-on testing, and feedback-driven learning.

Lead by example

Create content that’s accessible. Run accessibility tests before asking others to. Show the team what it looks like to prioritize inclusion at every step.

Partner beyond your team

Connect with advocacy groups, disability organizations, and inclusive tech companies. Broader partnerships can lead to better insights and more collaborative progress.

Think ahead to emerging tech

Accessibility doesn’t stop at websites and apps. Think about AR, VR, AI, and voice. The earlier we push for accessibility in new technologies, the more inclusive those innovations will be.

Self-reflection – Are you leading or waiting for permission?

Ask yourself:

Am I speaking up when I notice accessibility gaps?

Have I organized (or asked for) team workshops or trainings?

Am I pushing for accessibility in roadmaps and requirements?

Do I test with real people or just rely on tools?

If you’re waiting for someone else to lead, it might be time to step forward.

Vibe in action – Understanding processes and driving change

Know your team’s process

You can’t embed accessibility if you don’t understand how your team works. Learn how design decisions are made, how code is shipped, and how testing is conducted. Then find the pressure points where accessibility can make a difference.

Make accessibility part of the system

Bake it into templates. Include it in tickets. Add it to the design system. The more embedded accessibility becomes, the less friction there is.

Collaborate across roles

Work with product managers, content strategists, QA testers, and researchers. Every role has a piece of the puzzle. Bring people together to create shared accountability.

Learn from people with disabilities

Involve disabled people in your process. Test with them. Hire them. Compensate them. Their lived experiences are not optional.

Vibing out

Being an accessibility leader means making accessibility everyone’s responsibility—by modeling the work, embedding it into process, and inspiring others to care.

It takes guts. It takes persistence. And above all, it takes passion.

Because accessibility isn’t just a technical challenge—it’s a people problem. And if we’re going to fix it, we need more people who are willing to lead from wherever they are.

Part 3 is up next. Let’s keep vibing.