An experience report of thinking accessibility is for others and suddenly living that life where accessibility became a need due to a health condition.
A bad fall broke a couple of ligaments in Pradeep’s knee, leaving him in a wheelchair for the next couple of months. Until then, he had viewed people who used wheelchairs as part of a “special” group, separate from the “seemingly normal.” However, once he was in a wheelchair and had to navigate daily life, he realized how inaccessible and broken the world around him truly was.
As a tester in the past, Pradeep had reported accessibility issues in the software he worked on, believing he was doing it for a different group of people. But after finding himself in that group, he understood that anyone could become part of it at any time in the future.
While traveling in a wheelchair—both on flights and locally—he observed firsthand how systems were designed for accessibility, as well as how often they failed. This experience made him recognize that testing for accessibility is not for a special group but our future self.
This shift in perspective completely changed his view on accessibility and led to this talk. Through this talk, Pradeep aims to share a list of design failures and highlight what testers, product owners, engineers, CXOs, and other team members can learn from these experiences.
This talk is the one you will enjoy (because there are fun elements to it) and learn from (because there are profoundness packed into it).