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Month: July 2019

How to make people give two f***s about Web accessibility

That’s the life long mission, isn’t it? Plainly put and without dancing around the topic, how is it that people don’t already care? By people, I speak of those of us that work in the Web industry. If you work in this field and you haven’t heard anything about Web accessibility, it’s probably because you live under a rock. But then again, maybe it’s because the education of Web related subjects is still in its infancy. Maybe it’s because of the open and versatile nature of the Web, in that anyone can potentially, with the right tools and motivation, learn by themselves how to build a website and put it online. Regardless of the reason some people haven’t heard of Web accessibility, I hope you know how important it is, because it isn’t going anywhere. Mainly because the world wide web, or a form of it, is here to stay. It’s an integral part of our lives. Everything we do, or almost everything, in the “developed world” has some connection to the Web. Also, the world’s population is only getting older because we’re all living longer, and although medicine is making it possible to live longer, we all gradually lose some, if not all, of our abilities. If these two things don’t compel people to learn about Web accessibility and become a Web accessibility initiate, I don’t know what will. 

The basis of the world wide web was, in a nutshell, for people to interact with each other freely and without obstacles. This freedom is only true if the information on your website is fully accessible, in all the meanings of that word. Take away that freedom, and the information becomes exclusive. In a world of globalization and intertwined relationships, restricting access to public content just doesn’t make any fucking sense. So for the love of whatever it is that makes you wake up in the morning, give at least two fucks about Web accessibility. From one human to another, giving a fuck about the integrity of what you put out there in the world matters. Yes, even on the Web. 

To those of you who want a way to convince others to give two fucks, I don’t really have anything else to add that hasn’t been written already. All I can tell you is to not give up. Keep at it. Talk about it to anyone who will listen. Be kind. Be open. Listen. Listening is important. We can’t just preach. So in that spirit, tell me why you just don’t give two fucks. Maybe we can have an intelligent discussion about it.

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