Sam Proulx

" Being fluent in multiple data languages and understanding behavioral and attitudinal data will be essential. "

" The disability time tax means that everything takes longer, so removing friction and reducing cognitive load is critical for accessibility. "

" Sometimes accessibility isn’t perfect, but consistency lets me shop on Amazon in my sleep because of muscle memory. "

" Testing with real users humanizes the problems and reveals simple fixes like changing one label or color. "

" Consistency is so important that sometimes even consistency in failure works if it means I only have to learn the workaround once. "

" If you falsely think you are having the same experience as a native user, you become afraid of accessibility and say it's impossible. "

" There isn’t necessarily a conflict between security and accessibility; it’s a matter of thoughtful design. "

" If you want to understand the actual experience, you need a native assistive technology user involved. "

" Accessibility used to be considered an inspiring hack, something available only to the lucky few. "

" Simpler interfaces on mobile are an accessibility win for users with ADHD or cognitive challenges. "

" Including people with disabilities from day one builds a strong accessible foundation. "

" Artificial intelligence promises new independence for people with disabilities but raises questions of bias and privacy. "

" If your company has customers with disabilities but no way to collect their feedback, you’re missing critical insights. "

" On mobile, there's only one screen reader per platform—no confusion across multiple software versions. "

" I don’t remember a time when there wasn’t a computer in the house talking at me. "

" Mobile accessibility features are built in and ready to go without needing to install or configure anything extra. "

" Accessible design is not about shackles or lowest-common-denominator; it’s about building great, flexible experiences for everyone. "

" There isn’t a time I can remember where there wasn’t a computer talking to me. "

" Mobile has some of the most mature built-in assistive technology that just comes installed. "

" Diverse teams build diverse products. "

" It is very difficult for somebody who has never used assistive technology to have the same experience as someone who uses it daily for everything. "

" Screen readers let us jump from one heading to another, replicating the experience of skimming a page visually. "

" Aim to work with at least one person on each platform your product supports, because assistive tech varies. "

" Consistency between control labels and prototype instructions matters a lot, because mismatches can cause big problems for alternative navigation. "

" Landmarks are like physical landmarks but for web pages, marking content roles for screen reader users. "

" The standard SUS question about needing a technical person to use the system is frustrating because many assistive tech users are very technical themselves. "

" Testing with the tab key is important, but it has nothing to do with a screen reader user’s actual experience. "

" Accessibility is a spectrum; if frequent tasks require assistance, the product is inaccessible for me. "