Our third guest voice comes from Ady Stokes, an Ministry of Testing Ambassador.

Creating accessible products isn’t just a choice—it’s a responsibility. At Atomise.com, we believe that everyone deserves equal access to technology, regardless of their abilities. That’s why we’re committed to building services and products that are accessible by design, not as an afterthought.

Recently, we had the pleasure of connecting with a passionate advocate in this field, and we’re excited to share his insights with you. The following article is a fascinating conversation with Ady Stokes and Wayne Pulford on “Everyday accessibility and advocacy,” and it perfectly aligns with our core mission.

Ady shares practical advice, from understanding common barriers to using the right tools and, most importantly, adopting an empathetic mindset. We hope this article not only educates but also inspires you to consider how we can all contribute to a more inclusive digital landscape.

Everyday accessibility and advocacy: a conversation with Wayne Pulford

After seeing my talk at A11y North on Everyday Accessibility, a list of practical tips on including accessibility in our normal daily work when creating software. Wayne Pulford got in touch to “pick your brains on accessibility advocacy”. For context, digital accessibility is about making apps, websites and digital services available to everyone. Regardless of how they interact with them. For example, some folks use screen readers, others cannot use a mouse, and some need more time to process instructions. Software needs to work for all these and many more different examples. 

Here are the highlights of our conversation:

Understanding accessibility and who it affects

One of the first things we talked about was the common misconceptions about accessibility and how widespread the need for digital accessibility really is. Around 15% of the world’s population has some form of disability. That means almost every digital product already has disabled users or potential users who may struggle if accessibility has not been considered. 

Some organisations ‘think’ they have no disabled users. Maybe they don’t because their site or app is not accessible. In the UK, the combined spending power of households with at least one disabled person is estimated to be worth 274 billion per year. It is called the ‘purple pound’. Globally, it is in the trillions. Can your company afford to turn that much money away? Campaigns such as #WeThe15 (%), a global human rights movement representing over 1 billion people with disabilities, highlight the importance of inclusion and representation. Accessibility is not just about compliance or box ticking. It is about recognising that people can experience the world differently from us and ensuring they can take part without barriers. 

Common accessibility challenges

We both had seen similar issues come up time and again. They might look minor, but they can make a site unusable for people who rely on screen readers or have visual impairments. 

According to WebAIM (Web accessibility in mind), who undertake a review of 1 million web home pages regularly. 94.8% of them had accessibility errors. Four of the top six failures are present on nearly half or more of the pages. That was the main reason I wrote an article on how to fix them called, ‘The 6 most common digital accessibility bugs and how to fix them’, see references at the end for the link. 

Those failures are low contrast between text and background, missing alternative text on images, missing form input labels, empty links, empty buttons, and missing document language. How many of them can you find on your company website? If you are not sure how to find them, the article shares what the issue is, how to test for it, how to report it and how to fix it. Simples! 

Wayne shared how he uses Lighthouse in Chrome to check accessibility and often spots issues with contrast and keyboard navigation. I suggested trying the WAVE tool as well and using the Details tab to focus on the main issues. I usually recommend WAVE as it is simple, overlays on the webpage, gives you direct access to the code, and includes a description of why each issue matters. It is a great place for those new to digital accessibility testing to start. Automated tools can be helpful, but they only cover part of the picture, and you have to understand the false positives they flag. Human judgment, knowledge and empathy still matter most.

Tools and techniques that help

I shared the idea of Accessibility Tuesdays, where teams spend regular time exploring their products with an accessibility mindset. That could mean using a keyboard instead of a mouse, adjusting zoom levels, or trying a screen reader to understand how information is presented. Do all the things you would usually do, just add an accessibility need as well. You would be amazed at how many things can be found by using software slightly differently than you are used to.

I also explained that using screen readers takes practice, and using them without guidance can lead to frustration. I recommend starting with no more than 10 or 15-minute sessions, as the experience is very different. The RNIB’s pack of glasses, which simulates different visual conditions, is another useful way to show how design choices affect readability and usability.

We talked about ARIA labels and how they can provide useful context for screen readers. When used well, they help users understand what an image or element does. When used incorrectly, they can create confusion or false errors in scans. The WebAIM review highlighted that home pages with ARIA present had over twice as many errors (57 on average) than pages without ARIA (27 on average). So tread carefully. 

The mindset behind accessibility

We both agreed that accessibility testing is about empathy and awareness as much as tools or processes. Many people are uncertain where to start or fear getting it wrong. I compared it to security work, where people often know it is important but leave it for later because it feels complex. Unlike security, digital accessibility is not an exact science. What improves the situation for one group may make things worse for others. Choice is the best course forward. Having both a light and dark mode offers choice. So does not blocking third-party plugins that help people. 

I shared my talk, “Accessibility, Assumptions, and Arguments” from Leeds Testing Atelier, which covers how assumptions get in the way of progress and how a bit of curiosity and common sense can make a big difference. And of course, some of the main arguments you can use to push back on any resistance to look at accessibility. 

The arguments that help make the case

When talking about accessibility, I often describe four key arguments. There is a moral argument, because digital inclusion is a human right and simply the right thing to do. The usability argument is important because accessible products work better for everyone, but are vital for some. The financial argument, because accessible products open up access to more people, allowing them to buy services or goods. And the legal argument, because acts like the UK Equality Act 2010, the UK Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and the recent European Accessibility Act require websites and training materials, amongst other things, to meet accessibility standards.

We also discussed the impact of small design choices. For example, fully justified text can look tidy but makes reading harder for many people. Accessibility is often about removing those small barriers that make life harder for people. Most books are justified, and at school, I struggled with reading and taught myself speed reading techniques, ironically learned from a book with justified text, to help me read better. I have never considered myself as having dyslexia or any other reading disability, but I find it hard to concentrate on justified text, particularly on white backgrounds. I later found this is called ‘rivers of white’ where the uneven gaps between words, or word spacing, pull your attention from the text. It is very distracting. 

Bringing it all together

We finished by agreeing that accessibility should be considered at the beginning of every project and continue throughout. It is not a single step or a checklist but an ongoing process of learning and improvement.

Empathy and understanding turn awareness into action. When teams think about accessibility early and often, they create digital spaces that work better for everyone. 

Me – Ady Stokes

I’ve worked in software development and testing for over 20 years and have been an accessibility advocate for over 10. I’m a Ministry of Testing Ambassador and have over 180 free published resources available on their website on subjects from accessibility to Artificial Intelligence. I am the curator of the Software Testing Essentials Certificate, the most comprehensive self learning certificate for new software testing professionals. 

References: 

• Paralympic news – we the 15 global human rights movement 
• The 6 most common digital accessibility bugs and how to fix them 
• WAVE web accessibility evaluation tool by WebAIM 
• Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA) – Ministry of Testing Glossary 
• Accessibility, Assumptions and Arguments – Leeds Testing Atelier 
• European accessibility act – European Commission 
• Ady Stokes work at the Ministry of Testing  
• The Big Test Theory.com

Our Takeaway: Accessibility is a Journey, Not a Destination

At Atomise.com, Ady’s conversation with Wayne Pulford reinforces our core belief: digital accessibility is an ongoing commitment. It’s not a one-time checklist to be completed at the end of a project. Instead, it’s a mindset that needs to be woven into the very fabric of our development process.

Just as Ady and Wayne discussed, we are continuously learning and improving. We know that creating truly accessible products means building with empathy and understanding the diverse ways people interact with technology. This means considering everything from low contrast to keyboard navigation, and from using the right ARIA labels to embracing new tools and techniques.

This isn’t just about compliance or ticking a box; it’s about building a better digital world for everyone. By making our services accessible by design, we don’t just reach a wider audience—we create more robust, user-friendly, and thoughtful products for all. At Atomise, we are dedicated to this journey and will continue to advocate for a more inclusive future, one line of code at a time.

Here are a few options for calls to action (CTAs) that you can use, similar to the format you provided. They are designed to encourage companies to contact you about digital accessibility.

👉 If you’re unsure about the accessibility of your digital products, chat with us about an audit.
👉 If you’re ready to build a new accessible product, talk to Atomise about making it a reality.