Shifting left on accessibility

Thoughtworks Technology Podcast

Thoughtworks

Careers, Business, 907234, Technology

4.7 • 53 Ratings

🗓️ 29 December 2022

⏱️ 31 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The issue of accessibility in relation to technology and software has gained increased attention in recent years. While few would disagree that it's important, it nevertheless remains something that is all too often overlooked or viewed as a luxury when it comes to actually building products. This is unfortunate: taking accessibility seriously throughout the process of development and design will not only help foster a more equitable industry, it will also lead to better products for everyone.

In this episode of the Technology Podcast, Scott Shaw and Prem Chandrasekaran are joined by Kate Linton and Katie Peterson to discuss the importance of shifting accessibility left — making it a first-order concern that's part of the earliest stage of the product development lifecycle. They explore why many companies are failing on accessibility, how it can be done properly and the wider benefits of such a shift.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, everybody and welcome to the ThoughtWorks Technology Podcast.
0:12.0	My name is Scott Shaw.
0:15.0	In this episode, we're going to be talking about shifting accessibility left for more equitable technology.
0:21.7	And we have a couple of experts in the field with us here.
0:27.2	I also, our co-host is Prem Chandasekran.
0:31.5	Do you want to introduce yourself, Prem?
0:35.5	Thank you, Scott.
0:36.7	I'm a long-term thought worker and regular co-host of this podcast.
0:40.6	Glad to be here. And our guests for this episode are going to be Kate Lytton.
0:47.8	Yes, thanks, Scott. It's great to be here. So I lead our design practice here at ThoughtWorks and I'm based in Sydney, Australia.
0:59.2	And Katie Peterson. Uh, Katie, do you want to introduce yourself?
1:04.3	Thanks, Scott. I'm Katie Peterson. I'm a software developer based in Sydney, Australia, and I'm also an accessibility advocate.
1:12.6	Thanks.
1:14.6	Let's start out by just talking about what we're trying to accomplish with accessibility.
1:21.6	I think we can look at it a lot of different ways, and I know I've heard Kate and Katie talk about it and I think you have some
1:29.3	interesting observations about it. Is accessibility about bringing people with disabilities up to even
1:37.3	with the with everybody else? Is it a matter of removing barriers or is it something more than that?
1:49.0	It's absolutely all of those things, Scott. When I think about accessibility, I often think about it in terms of inclusive design.
1:57.0	So as a product designer, I believe I do have a responsibility to ensure that everyone
2:06.2	can use the digital product or service that I'm designing. And as part of that, I need to ensure
2:15.6	that I'm incorporating accessibility into that product. So, yes, certainly
2:22.8	removing barriers for people with disabilities as part of it. But I also like to think that
	...

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