Or: Inclusion Isn’t a Phase. It’s the Point.
The web was meant to be open. But open doesn’t just mean “available.” It means welcoming.
It means that when someone shows up – on a phone, with a screen reader, using voice commands or magnification – they’re not just tolerated. They’re expected.
The door was never locked. But it was often too small, too high, or too hidden to get through. And most people didn’t even notice – because they were already inside.
Accessibility isn’t about making space. It’s about realizing the space was always meant to include everyone.
Access is a mindset, not a milestone
You don’t finish accessibility. There’s no confetti cannon. No gold star that says “compliant forever.”
Because people change. Technology changes. Content changes.
So accessibility is something you practice, like hospitality. You don’t just mean well. You prepare. You anticipate. You adapt.
The goal isn’t perfection. It’s progress that never stops.
Small decisions, big impact
It’s easy to forget how much power lives in the details:
- A visible focus state that helps someone stay oriented
- A link that says what it actually does
- A label that lets a screen reader user complete a form without guessing
These things aren’t glamorous. But they matter. They tell people, “You belong here.”
Accessibility is attention. And attention is care.
No one should disappear
Keyboard users know this one too well. You tab through a page. And then – nothing. The focus is lost. The element is hidden. The modal can’t be closed. You’re stuck. Or worse, you’re gone.
If someone can’t use your site, you won’t always hear about it. Because they won’t stay long enough to complain.
Exclusion is often silent. But that doesn’t make it harmless.
Every time someone vanishes from your service because of a barrier you didn’t see, something’s lost. Trust. Opportunity. Connection.
And you may never even know.
Why it’s worth it
Accessibility isn’t just ethical. It’s strategic. It’s innovative. It’s human.
It’s where good design and good intent meet – and create something better.
It’s what brought us:
- The curb cut
- The remote control
- Text messaging
- The alt attribute
- The screen reader
- Closed captions that help everyone on a noisy train
Inclusion isn’t just the right thing. It’s the best thing we’ve ever made.
Leave the door open
You never know who’s going to walk through that digital door. Someone new. Someone returning. Someone who’s never been able to get in before.
And the work you’ve done – the questions you’ve asked, the habits you’ve built, the barriers you’ve taken down – that’s what makes the welcome real.
Leave the door open. Make it easy to find. And make sure everyone knows they’re welcome.
Because that’s what the web was always meant to be.
Wide open. And full of people who belong.
CALLOUT BOX: 🪨 One Hauled Rock at a Time
Here’s a parable I come back to often:
A man walks onto a building site and sees three people working.
He asks the first, “What are you doing?”
They reply, “I’m hauling rocks.”
He looks around and says, “Yep. You are definitely hauling rocks.”
That didn’t tell him much, so he asks the second person.
“I’m building a wall,” they say.
Better.
Then he asks the third, and they smile and say:
“I’m building a cathedral.”
The thing is… when you look at them, they’re all actually hauling rocks that day.
So when it feels like you’re a broken record who only talks about focus states,
When the work feels Sisyphean,
When you’re just so tired of explaining alt text again –
Remember: you are changing the world, one hauled rock at a time.