One thing I’ve learned as an Accessibility Specialist is that the work isn’t just about standards, criteria, and audits. A surprising amount of the job sits in the space between people – in conversations where time is short, pressures are high, and accessibility issues can surface without warning.
In Local Government we often feel like we’re balancing more priorities than hours in the day. So when an accessibility concern arises about a product or system someone relies on, it’s natural for the first reactions to be concern, uncertainty, and even defensiveness. Accessibility isn’t just a technical topic; it touches ownership, reputation, workloads, and often supplier relationships. Someone raising these issues can so easily feel like a personal criticism of your work or choice of supplier.
That’s why approaching these moments with care matters just as much as getting the WCAG criteria right for the customer.
This is why I offer to document the issues clearly – not as criticism, but as support. The criteria are comprehensive and hard to learn, especially when accessibility isn’t your day job. I’ve found that providing clear evidence makes conversations with suppliers easier, enables transparency in our accessibility statements, and helps our Organisation stay audit‑ready. Most importantly, it turns something abstract and overwhelming like “this doesn’t work for some users” into something manageable, where the exact issues, and what needs to happen next are clearly outlined.
People usually want to do the right thing, they just need reassurance that I’m not there to scrutinise or overhaul their processes, or challenge their decisions. My role is simply to help shine a light on where users are struggling and keep us aligned with the standards we’re required to meet.
There’s also often a second layer: working with suppliers who may have their own interpretations of accessibility requirements. That’s where patience and clarity come in again, so that we can turn the technical standards into collaborative conversations.
These situations have taught me something valuable: accessibility work is as much about relationship‑building as it is about checklists and advocating for customers. It’s about approaching tough conversations with empathy, recognising the pressures we are all facing, and keeping the focus on positive improvements for the customer rather than fault or blame. When that happens, accessibility stops being a problem to defend against and becomes a shared goal.
Advocating for customers doesn’t need to come at the expense of health relationships across our teams and with our suppliers. Accessibility non-compliance isn’t a personal failing; it’s a problem for us to solve together for the residents of Somerset.
