First, an exercise: which of these buttons is easier to read?

If you said the second button was easier to read, you’d be in alignment with the majority of the population. But here’s what WCAG says about these color combinations:

(I get that these buttons could be considered large text elements, I’m just trying to illustrate a point and the buttons are easier. Stick with me.)

The first button actually passes WCAG contrast ratios, and the second doesn’t. But many people find the second button easier to read, even though it technically fails. Why?

It comes down to how we measure contrast: traditional math versus human perception.

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Let’s Talk About Perception

Visual readability is a key part of web content, affecting nearly 99% of internet users.

There are many kinds of visual impairments we may experience over the course of our lives. Different impairments, situations, and even devices - can affect our acuity, contrast, or color perception in varying amounts. These factors can create problems anywhere from the eye’s lens, the light sensitive retina, through to the brain.

“Color” and “contrast” are not strictly real in an absolute sense. “Colored” light is simply light of different wavelengths or frequencies - it’s all a perception, it’s how our brains interpret visual differences for the surrounding visual information.

Contrast is more than a simple measure of the difference between two colors. Like all perceptions, contrast between two colors is sensitive to context. (See: The Dress, the Checkerboard Illusion, etc.)

The problem is that WCAG 2 contrast math does not predict the contrast of text the same way we do with human perception. The result is that WCAG 2 contrast is less than useful for dark mode, light text on saturated colors, dark color pairs, and other anomalies.

One future standard in development is WCAG 3, and the candidate method for contrast is APCA (Accessible Perceptual Contrast Algorithm), currently being evaluated as a public beta.

WCAG vs. APCA

Note: While WCAG 2.x remains the legal compliance standard for most global accessibility laws (like ADA and Section 508), forward-thinking designers and developers are already adopting APCA guidelines because it results in genuinely more readable, accessible interfaces. The good news is, APCA is the primary replacement for color contrast in the working draft of WCAG 3.

WCAG 2.x Contrast (The Traditional Standard)

• The Method: Uses a mathematical formula based on relative luminance (strictly measuring the physical light emitted from a screen).

• The Metric: Generates a contrast ratio (e.g., 4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text).

• The Flaws:

  • One-size-fits-all: Treats a dark text on a light background the same as light text on a dark background (reverse contrast), even though human eyes perceive them differently.

  • Ignores Font Weight and Size (Mostly): Only differentiates between “normal” and “bold/large” text, failing to account for how thin fonts or massive headers actually behave.

  • Color Blindness: Doesn’t accurately reflect how different hues and font weights impact readability for aging eyes or people with visual impairments.

APCA / WCAG 3 (The Modern Perceptual Standard)

• The Method: APCA (Accessible Perceptual Contrast Algorithm) is a complete reimagining built on psychoacoustics and human vision science. It measures how the human eye actually perceive lightness and darkness.

• The Metric: Uses Lc (Lightness Contrast) values ranging from 0 to 100+ (positive numbers for dark text on light backgrounds, negative numbers for light text on dark backgrounds).

• The Advantages:

  • Context-Aware: Factoring in font size, font weight, spatial frequency, and ambient lighting. A thin font requires a much higher Lc value than a bold font of the exact same size.

  • Polarity Sensitive: Accurately calculates the difference between dark-on-light and light-on-dark. (Dark text on light backgrounds generally needs a lower numerical threshold than light text on dark backgrounds because of how human photoreceptors work).

  • Nuanced Guidance: Tailor-made for modern UI design, where gradients, subtle grays, and dynamic font weights are common.

A memorable analogy: WCAG 2 measures contrast like a thermometer measures temperature (ignoring windchill or humidity), whereas APCA measures contrast like the heat index, accounting for how the environment and human biology actually experience it.

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Rules and Recommendations

WCAG 2 contrast guidelines suggest a 4.5:1 ratio for fonts smaller than 24px at 400 weight (normal), or 18.8px at 700 weight (bold), and 3:1 for other contrasts.

APCA-related guidelines differ from the older WCAG 2 in that APCA considers human visual perception, use-case, and spatial features (weight and size) and provides a comprehensive set of useful design guidance. While the actual conformance specifications for WCAG 3 are still in development, here are some working recommendations:

• Lc 90 - Preferred level for fluent text and columns of body text with a font no smaller than 14px/weight 400 (normal).

• Lc 75 - The minimum level for columns of body text with a font no smaller than 18px/400. Consider Lc 75 as a minimum for text where readability is important.

• Lc 60 - The minimum level recommended for content text that is not body, column, or block text. In other words, text you want people to read. The minimums: 24px normal weight (400) or 16px/700 (bold).

• Lc 45 - The minimum for larger, heavier text (36px normal weight or 24px bold) such as headlines. This is also the minimum for pictograms with fine details.

• Lc 30 - The absolute minimum for any text not listed above. This includes placeholder text and disabled element text. This is also the minimum for large/solid semantic & understandable non-text elements.

• Lc 15 - The absolute minimum for any non-text that needs to be discernible and differentiable, and is no less than 5px in its smallest dimension. This may include disabled large buttons. Designers should treat anything below this level as invisible. Less than Lc15 will not be visible for many users. Avoid less than Lc30 for anything important for the use, understanding, or interaction of the site.

These define the basic minimum levels, what you might think of as A/AA in the old WCAG 2. For AAA, simply increase the contrast values by Lc 15.

Note: The APCA maximum recommended contrast for fonts larger than 24px is Lc 90. More is not always better.

Rethinking Accessible Color Contrast

The human experience isn’t one-size-fits-all, and that tension is especially obvious in visual accessibility. What works wonders for one user can completely block out another. A comfortable font size for me might be a struggle for you, and a clever color-coding system might look great to a designer while turning into an unreadable puzzle for someone with color vision deficiencies.

Content creators are responsible for providing a baseline of accessible design and ensuring that users are not prevented from making adjustments they need, such as by zooming in text size, or by changing to dark mode or a special color palette. This is the ultimate example of responsive design.

Moving from rigid tools like WCAG 2 to perceptual models like APCA is part of a bigger mindset shift. Designing for real human diversity means letting go of the illusion that any single interface can be perfect for everyone, all the time. Instead, our job is to make our content robust, resilient, and ready to adapt to any user on the other side of the screen.

Read More

• The Easy Intro to the APCA Contrast Method

• Why APCA as a New Contrast Method?

• APCA in a Nutshell

• APCA Readability Criterion

• APCA Contrast Calculator

• Bridge PCA Calculator (shows both WCAG and APCA)

• The Realities And Myths Of Contrast And Color

• Orange You Accessible? A Mini Case Study on Color Ratio

• Medium: Better reading on the web

• Medium: Please Stop Using Grey Text

Want to support Making Work Accessible? I’d love to see you subscribe!

All of my articles and resources will be free, always! Our goal is providing every practitioner with the resources they need to make their workplaces accessible.

With a paid subscription, you can support our work and gain access to special content, like previews of upcoming books, free gifts, and more!

If Making Work Accessible is helping your workplace improve accessibility,
would you consider sharing us with your friends?

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Want me to come to your organization? Let me know!

Making Online Learning Accessible Working Session

When: September 1, 2026

Format: 2-hour hands-on working session ($20)

What you get: 2 ATD Certification Institute recertification credits + a free digital copy of Making Online Learning Accessible, Second Edition.

About the session: This is not another passive accessibility training. Bring your own project, eLearning module, internal communications, or stubborn accessibility challenge, and we will fix them together in real time. Don’t have a current project? No problem! I’ll have plenty of practice materials on hand. Hosted by Inclusive Pixelation.

Accessibility shouldn’t have an inaccessible cost, which is why admission is just $20.

Capped at 20 participants to ensure personalized time for all projects.

👉 Register now: tr.ee/A11yWorkshop

2. L&D Shakers ThoughtLab Webinar: Design for All - Your Accessibility Playbook

When: September 9, 2026 | 10:00a US Eastern / 4:00p Central Europe (90 minutes)

Format: Expert-led webinar with (Free)

About the session: Creating online learning that reaches everyone can feel like an uphill battle against tight budgets, busy schedules, and compliance mindsets. Invited as a guest for this global L&D community, I’ve put together an all-new session to help you bridge the gap between core principles and real-world organizational strategy. You’ll leave with checklists, scripts, scenario responses, and a concrete framework to secure leadership buy-in. Plus, I’ll be raffling off a signed, globally shipped copy of my book during the session!

👉 Register: https://luma.com/zpkryjtf?tk=f1P8gR

3. DisruptHR Kansas City 6.0: The Minority Group with Open Enrollment

When: September 23, 2026 | 4:00-7:00p local time

Format: Fast-paced, 5 minute, high-impact live talk

About the talk: Disability is the only minority group any of us can join at any time. But HR routinely treats disability as a single-variable compliance checklist, ignoring intersectionality and penalizing high performers who acquire health conditions. In this talk, I challenge HR professionals to ditch rigid, siloed frameworks in favor of Universal Design principles. Let’s build resilient, agile systems that honor the full reality of human identity.

Come see this new talk at Disrupt HR - Kansas City!

👉 Register: https://disrupthrkansascity6.splashthat.com/

Bonus! Reading Material

I’ve recently connected with a reporter at Forbes, Jennifer Palumbo, who often writes on neurodiversity. I loved her perspective on neurodiversity and inclusion at work - and check out who might be quoted in her article about neurodivergent-friendly public spaces!

• Neurodiversity At Work—Why Inclusion Has To Reach Beyond Hiring

• What Would A Neurodivergent-Friendly Public Space Actually Look Like?

Want to support Making Work Accessible? I’d love to see you subscribe!

All of my articles and resources will be free, always! Our goal is providing every practitioner with the resources they need to make their workplaces accessible.

With a paid subscription, you can support our work and gain access to special content, like previews of upcoming books, free gifts, and more!

If Making Work Accessible is helping your workplace improve accessibility,
would you consider sharing us with your friends?

Share Making Work Accessible

This Tough Topic was inspired by a conversation I had with an HR reporter for her broader piece on different kinds of employment assessments. I, of course, focused on how disabled and neurodivergent folks are affected. (Keep an eye on HR Brew for the full article!)

Keeping with the theme this week of Recruiting & Interviewing, let’s take a look at how those pesky personality tests unintentionally penalize this group.

Is there a Tough Topic about disability at work you’d like me to address? Let me know!

You Know The Tests…

Those personality assessments used in hiring, such as DISC, CliftonStrengths, Myers-Briggs (MBTI), and various situational judgment tests (SJTs) - it feels like an inescapable part of the application process.

Did you know that they frequently penalize neurodivergent and disabled individuals?

While marketed as objective tools to evaluate culture fit and workplace strengths, their underlying design and administration creates many structural barriers.

Timed test formats, lengthy multiple-choice grids, visually cluttered platforms, or adaptive gamified assessments introduce significant problems for people with dynamic disabilities, chronic illness, visual impairments, or cognitive fatigue. (And how accessible is that assessment, anyway?) Standardized timing directly penalizes individuals who process information differently or require accommodations, while requesting extra time often risks early self-disclosure and bias.

Have you taken one of these tests as part of an employment application process?
Share your experience!

Leave a comment

What Are We Actually Measuring?

Assessment items measuring task switching, organization, or multi-tasking evaluate how someone completes work, rather than the quality of the final output. Autistic individuals or others who rely on hyperfocus, deep non-linear problem-solving, or non-traditional workflows are routinely flagged as easily distracted or disorganized.

Many tests heavily favor typical extroverted communication styles, rewarding traits like rapid consensus-building, assertive verbal skills, and high self-promotion. Neurodivergent traits (such as needing processing time or preference for written over spoken interaction) are often mischaracterized as poor interpersonal skills or lack of leadership potential.

Situational judgment questions ask candidates to choose the “correct” reaction to ambiguous office scenarios. These tests assume a single, neurotypical standard for reading implied social cues, workplace hierarchy, and emotional dynamics. An applicant who interprets questions literally or prioritizes logical efficiency over subtle social etiquette is penalized for selecting answers deemed “insufficiently empathetic” or “confrontational.”

Neurodivergent candidates who have learned to “mask” - by scripting responses or mirroring neurotypical behavior - may score favorably, but at the cost of cognitive pressure and fatigue. Those who do not or cannot mask are rated poorly on subjective metrics like “cultural fit” or “team cohesion.”

What to Do Instead

Relying on personality tests as pre-employment filters carries significant legal risks under the ADA and systematically penalizes qualified neurodivergent and disabled applicants.

To build an equitable talent pipeline without sacrificing objectivity and merit, organizations must shift from measuring behavioral traits to evaluating practical capabilities.

Instead of relying on personality test scores or arbitrary “culture fit” metrics, employers can evaluate candidates on job-relevant skills and practical performance. A fairer, more inclusive candidate evaluation framework focuses on evaluating what applicants can actually do, rather than how closely they match a neurotypical behavioral profile.

• Structured, Skill-Based Competency Interviews: Ask every candidate the exact same set of job-relevant questions with pre-determined scoring rubrics. Replace ambiguous, open-ended questions like “What is your biggest weakness?” with clear, scenario-based prompts such as “Walk us through how you organized information to complete a complex task.”

• Portfolio Reviews: Allow candidates to submit verified past work (like past design assets, technical reports, published copy, or case studies). This lets candidates demonstrate proven capabilities built over time without the pressure of live or timed testing.

• Work Sample Tests & Practical Simulations: Give candidates a short, representative task that directly mirrors the daily responsibilities of the role, such as drafting a sample email, fixing a bug in code, or writing a brief analysis. Evaluating real output measures actual competency rather than personality traits.

• Paid Work Trials or Micro-Internships: Invite top candidates to complete a paid, real-world project over a few days or hours. This allows candidates to showcase how they perform in their natural working environment rather than performing under artificial test constraints.

Read More

• Screening Out Neurodiversity (https://doi.org/10.1353/ken.2023.a899458)

• Unequal Treatment or Uneven Consequence: A Content Analysis of Americans with Disabilities Act Title I Disparate Impact Cases from 1992 – 2012 (https://doi.org/10.18061/dsq.v35i3.4938)

Want to support Making Work Accessible? I’d love to see you subscribe!

All of my articles and resources will be free, always! Our goal is providing every practitioner with the resources they need to make their workplaces accessible.

With a paid subscription, you can support our work and gain access to special content, like previews of upcoming books, free gifts, and more!

If Making Work Accessible is helping your workplace improve accessibility,
would you consider sharing us with your friends?

Share Making Work Accessible

You’ll want to join me on this deep dive of resources from my next handbook, Making Human Resources Accessible (coming in early 2027), and our online course Making Work Accessible: Recruitment. In addition to providing valuable HRCI credit, each course is packed with best practices and resources like these in this article.

Subscribe now

Recruiting & Interviewing tie-in: For an outstanding look through the eyes of an autistic person interviewing for a job, head over to ’s publication The AutSide and check out the series of posts titled “The Absent Field” - you’ll be glad you did.

The AutSide

Essays from an autistic transfemme educator navigating care, justice, and neurodivergence in a world not built for us. These monologues are offerings—gestalts that long for dialogue, held in AuDHD time.

By Jaime Hoerricks, PhD

• Is recruiting and interviewing your area of expertise? Turn traditional interviews into accessible evaluation tools. Master plain-language job specifications, clear meeting expectations, and structured, barrier-free interview formats.

• Are you responsible for employee recruitment? Small adjustments to your interview process can unlock massive potential. Learn how to provide candidate accommodations seamlessly and create evaluation environments where every candidate can showcase their true skills.

• Is interviewing part of your job? Unintentional barriers in your interview process might be screening out qualified candidates. Discover how to offer alternate interview formats, share questions in advance, and evaluate skills without bias.

Read more

Keeping with the theme this week of Employee Attraction, let’s take a look at why disability unemployment (and underemployment) are so prevalent in relation to the non-disabled population.

Is there a Tough Topic about disability at work you’d like me to address? Let me know!

Let’s Talk Numbers

We know that disabled job seekers are available, qualified, and motivated. However, most disabled people face an employment market structured to exclude them. Here’s a summary of the recent US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data:

• The unemployment rate for people with a disability consistently sits at roughly double the rate for individuals without a disability (8.3% vs. 4.1%).

• Only 22.8% of all disabled adults (and 38.1% of working-age adults 16–64) are employed, compared to 65.2% of people without disabilities.

• Unemployment rates are even higher for disabled individuals of color (e.g., Black disabled workers face unemployment rates upwards of 11.8%).

The persistent gap in disability employment is not a reflection of individual ability or ambition, but a symptom of systemic workplace inaccessibility and institutional bias.

The Anatomy of Underemployment

While top-line unemployment rates show part of the picture, underemployment hides the full scope of modern workplace exclusion. Consider these additional data points:

Part-Time Disparity:

• According to the BLS, workers with disabilities are nearly twice as likely to work part-time (approx. 30%) compared to non-disabled workers (approx. 17%).

• Many disabled workers accept part-time hours due to rigid full-time workplace demands or fear of losing safety-net medical benefits (the “benefits cliff”).

Occupational Segregation:

• Disabled workers are overrepresented in lower-wage service, sales, and production roles and underrepresented in management and professional positions (37.5% vs 43.9%).

• Highly qualified disabled individuals are frequently pushed into entry-level or mismatched roles due to initial hiring biases, resulting in lost human capital.

The Self-Employment Phenomenon:

• Disabled individuals are significantly more likely to be self-employed (9.1% vs. 5.9%), often out of necessity to create flexible, accessible working conditions that traditional employers fail to offer.

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The Cost of Exclusion

1. Employers: Missing out on a vast talent pool known for adaptability, creative problem-solving, and loyalty.

2. Economy: Billion-dollar losses in economic productivity and consumer purchasing power due to underutilized talent.

3. Disabled Workers: Stalled career growth, financial precarity, and the psychological impact of having one’s worth tied to an inaccessible system.

Why Does the Disparity Persist?

I have a lot of thoughts on why this happens, many from personal experience.

Inaccessibility in Recruiting & Hiring: As a preview for next week’s deep dive, we’ll be talking about several things you can do during this phase of the employee life cycle - like cleaning up our job descriptions to remove ableism and bias, and training our interviewers on best practices.

But what about those AI interview tools? One-way interviews that ask the candidate to record themselves frequently penalize candidates who process information, move, or speak differently. AI resume screening can filter out valuable lived experience and non-traditional career paths.

Managerial Bias: HR and Management are often under the misconceptions that accommodations are costly or difficult to manage, despite most accommodations costing $0 or very little. Managers may make assumptions about a candidate’s capability or reliability based on visible or invisible conditions.

Inflexible Workplace Systems: Rigid RTO policies roll back remote work flexibility - a model that drastically expanded employment opportunities for disabled talent during peak remote work periods. Traditional evaluations measure output strictly by hours at a desk rather than results or task completion.

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Moving from Compliance to Inclusion

Still with me? I tried to make all the data points readable. But here’s the important part - taking action to change these numbers.

I’m talking about things like proactive Universal Design - designing remote and hybrid options into job roles before an accommodation request is made.

Updating HR software to ensure candidate portals, internal HR platforms, and training tools are WCAG-compliant and screen-reader accessible.

Moving toward task-based evaluation rather than strict hourly presence, accommodating dynamic or fluctuating health conditions. Streamlining accommodation requests to minimize administrative friction and eliminate punitive attitudes.

We can do these things, and I want to show you how.

Sustainable equity occurs when organizations create work environments flexible enough for every human to thrive.

You’ll want to join me on this deep dive of resources from my next handbook, Making Human Resources Accessible (coming in early 2027), and our online course Making Work Accessible: Attraction. In addition to providing valuable HRCI credit, each course is packed with best practices and resources like these in this article.

Subscribe now

• Are you a talent acquisition professional? Turn good intentions into actionable hiring practices. Master accessible job postings, applications, and candidate engagement.

• Is employee sourcing your area of expertise? Over 25% of the talent pool is waiting for accessible work. Widen your net and attract disabled and neurodivergent talent.

• Is brand management part of your job? Move beyond generic statements and build an employer brand that actively welcomes, accommodates, and supports all abilities.

Read more

But accessibility is not a single checklist item you can put off until your project is complete. Accessibility is the core of inclusive instructional design. When we design training that reaches all learners, everyone wins.

Knowing the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and a bunch of other rules is one thing. However, fixing broken tab orders, unlabeled buttons, and inaccessible interactions in real projects is another thing entirely. (Trust me, I’ve been there!)

That’s why I’m absolutely thrilled about the new webinar I’m hosting, a Making Online Learning Accessible Working Session. Let’s take a look at your online learning projects and fix them in real time!

Making Online Learning Accessible: Working Session

Join accessibility consultant and author for an intimate, high-impact, virtual working session designed to bridge the gap between compliance and practical application. Whether you bring your own challenging eLearning project to troubleshoot, have specific accessibility roadblocks you want answered, or want to observe masterclass-level retrofitting, this workshop will transform how you approach digital learning design.

• Duration: 2 Hours

• Recertification Credits: 2.0 ATD CPTD/APTD Recertification Credits

• Investment: $20 (Includes a digital copy of Making Online Learning Accessible)

Who Should Attend

Instructional designers, eLearning developers, trainers, and talent development professionals who are ready to move past theory and fix active projects.

Included with Registration

Every registered attendee receives a PDF copy of Britne Jenke’s handbook, Making Online Learning Accessible, alongside 2.0 ATD recertification credits.

This session is intentionally capped at 20 participants to ensure personalized attention.

Register Now

About the Working Session

Yes, it’s a longer workshop - 2 hours! - but we’re going to need that time to fix multiple projects. Yes, registration is limited - but I will happily run this session again if we fill up!

And yes, this one does cost something - while I’m really big on giving away accessibility knowledge for free, this deep dive webinar gets you a copy of the book, plus recertification credits for your APTD or CPTD credentials - and I can’t give those away free!

I’ve been planning a session like this for some time now - and while I had hoped to pull it together for the 6 month anniversary of the book release, the timing was just wrong for me. So, let’s celebrate the first week of September, back to school time, all the things!

Note: I’m trying a new event registration tool this time, instead of Eventbrite. I had a lot of feedback about accessibility and general user experience for the last larger webinar I hosted. Let me know if you experience any problems with the new workflow!

Get your copy of Making Online Learning Accessible, Second Edition, today!

Pick up the paperback for your bookshelf. Enjoy the Kindle version on your digital devices (and it’s included with your Kindle Unlimited subscription, too).

Buy on Amazon

For additional checklists and resources, as well as updates on the Making Work Accessible series of handbooks, subscribe to our newsletter.

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While all of my handbooks are designed to be practical resources you can use directly in the flow of work, Making Human Resources Accessible takes a slightly different approach than the first book.

Making Human Resources Accessible

HR is different. It’s not about following fixed technical criteria. It’s about real-world implementation, people strategy, and workplace culture.

You will still find actionable checklists and best practices here, but this handbook goes a step further. You’ll find step-by-step strategies to integrate accessibility directly into your employee lifecycle processes, as well as practical frameworks to track, measure, and evaluate the tangible results of your inclusion efforts.

At its heart, the mission remains the same: giving you the exact tools and insights you need for Making Work Accessible for everyone.

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Back Cover Summary

Decipher the language of inclusive hiring: We’ll demystify the ADA, EEOC, and digital accessibility requirements, breaking them down into actionable steps for every stage of the employee lifecycle.

Bridge the gap between compliance and culture: No more legal jargon! We’ll translate complex HR regulations into human-centered practices that ensure your efforts from recruitment to retention are inclusive.

Turn policy into reality: Get practical advice for crafting accessible job descriptions, employee handbooks, and more, complete with quick checklists for HR professionals.

Become a workplace equity champion: Discover strategies to integrate accessibility into your corporate DNA and advocate for a culture where every employee, regardless of ability, can thrive and belong.

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Chapter Outline

• Preface

• Introduction

• How to Use This Book

• Chapter 1: Employee Attraction

• Chapter 2: Recruiting & Interviewing

• Chapter 3: Employee Onboarding

• Chapter 4: Learning & Development

• Chapter 5: Employee Retention

• Chapter 6: Separation & Offboarding

• Appendix

  • References

  • Recommended Tools

  • Reading List

  • Acknowledgements

  • About the Author

Release Date?

So when is this book coming out? January of 2027! You can preorder it today, too!

I’ll be releasing a chapter deep dive each week for the next, well, 6 weeks - with bonus course material from our A11yLearn Academy. If you’re a paid subscriber, these early access posts are yours to enjoy! If you’re only interested in one chapter, I’ll be offering single-article unlocks for free subscribers to take a peek.

If you’re looking forward to this next handbook in the Making Work Accessible series, I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment or send me a message and let me know what you’re most excited about with the new book.

What is Making Work Accessible?

Hi, I’m Britne Jenke, and I write this newsletter.

I also love getting to know my readers, so drop me a line to say hello!

My goal here is to share resources on Making Work Accessible and to answer the question, “How do we build accessibility into our workplaces from the start?”

Our team at Inclusive Pixelation includes our co-founder, my husband Mike, and the occasional contract employees that keep our business on track and assist with projects.

Inclusive Pixelation offers training, consulting, speaking, online courses, webinars, books, and more to help you reach your goals of an inclusive and accessible workplace.

We bring decades of experience in digital accessibility, learning and development, human resources, workplace accommodations, and physical construction.

Book a free intro consultation with us at any time. We’re happy to customize a solution for your needs, share our advice on your project, or learn more about how we can help you.

Book a Free Chat

A Note on Newsletter Subscriptions

All the articles are free. Yes, really!

If you’d like to support ’s monthly coffee habit writing, you can do so for just $5 a month. We know it’s a big ask when everything else wants a subscription these days, but if the articles and resources are helping you make a difference in your workplace or organization, we’d love it if you would consider subscribing.

There are special paid subscriber perks like early access to book content and random gifts from us, just to say thanks! But if you’re only here for the writing, that will always be available free. We promise!

We want to get information about Making Work Accessible into the hands of as many people at as many organizations as possible. Will you help?

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About Inclusive Pixelation

We are a consulting agency founded with one purpose: to help your organization include people with disabilities.

Founded March 2021 by Britne Jenke. Incorporated August 12, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA by Britne Jenke and Michael Bodman. Moved to Springfield, Illinois, in 2026!

Mailing Address:
3309 Robbins Rd. #184
Springfield, IL 62704
Phone: (217) 220-3822
Email: hello@inclusivepixelation.com

Our Mission

We empower organizations to build truly inclusive workplaces. We provide the tools, training, and guidance necessary to seamlessly integrate people with disabilities and neurodivergence into the workforce. By equipping organizations with practical strategies, we help them tap into a skilled and diverse talent pool, while simultaneously creating equitable and enriching employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

Our Vision

We envision a future where disability is no longer a barrier to employment. Every individual, regardless of their abilities, should have the opportunity to pursue economic independence and personal fulfillment through work that aligns with their skills, passions, and aspirations. It’s a world where talent is recognized, contributions are valued, and careers are built on merit and access.

Our Values

• Inclusion: We believe that genuine inclusion is about actively welcoming diverse perspectives and creating environments where every individual feels respected, valued, and empowered to contribute their unique talents.

• Fairness: We commit to fostering equitable processes and outcomes. This means unbiased hiring practices, ensuring reasonable accommodations, and promoting a level playing field where people are judged solely on their skills and merits.

• Strategy: We approach accessibility not as a compliance checklist, but as a strategic advantage. We provide thoughtful, actionable plans that integrate accessibility into core operations, leading to sustainable and impactful change.

• Creativity: We embrace creative thinking to overcome challenges and discover new solutions. We encourage imaginative approaches to job design, technology implementation, and cultural shifts, finding new ways to make work truly accessible for everyone.

About the Inclusive Pixelation Workplace

Our policies are designed to reflect our commitment to Making Work Accessible and creating a world where everyone has access to meaningful, fulfilling work. We consider inclusion, fairness, strategy, and creativity in all aspects of how we operate.

• Commitment to Accessibility: We are dedicated to practicing what we preach. We embed accessible work practices throughout our hiring, onboarding, training, and other employment processes. We focus on providing reasonable accommodations to ensure all employees can perform the functions of their roles effectively.

• Remote Work and Flexibility: We believe that true accessibility often begins with flexibility. Our remote-only workplace is a strategic choice that supports disability inclusion by removing geographical barriers and offering autonomy.

• Flexible Hours and Locations: We empower our team members to manage their work schedules and choose their work environments in a way that maximizes their productivity and well-being. This flexibility supports diverse needs, including those related to managing health conditions, neurodivergence, and caregiving. We focus on results and contributions rather than rigid scheduling.

• Inclusive Communication Practices: We encourage communication methods that accommodate various needs, such as recordings and captions in video calls, providing meeting agendas in advance and summaries afterwards, and offering multiple channels for engagement (e.g., chat, email, video, audio).

• No Degree Requirements: We do not require an undergraduate or graduate degree for any of our roles. Our hiring and advancement decisions are based on demonstrated skills, lived experience, and future potential, aligning with our commitment to fairness and broadening access to opportunities. We value diverse learning paths and practical expertise.

• Skill-Based Development: We actively support professional certification and recertification, as well as continuing education that directly enhances job-related skills and knowledge. We provide reimbursements and stipends for these approved development opportunities.

P.S. We’re Hiring!

Do you align with our mission, vision, and values? Feel like our work environment is a good fit for you? We’re always looking for excellent contract talent to join our team. Send your resume to hello@inclusivepixel.com and let’s chat!

Our Current Projects

• A11yBook: The Making Work Accessible series of handbooks! First in the series is Making Online Learning Accessible, with an updated second edition available everywhere in January 2026. Get your copy today! And preorder Making Human Resources Accessible, coming January 2027.

• A11yLearn: The Accessibility Academy! Moving to a new home in 2026, here you’ll find courses on applying accessibility throughout the employee life cycle, and more.

• A11ySpaces: The Accessibility App! Designed for business owners, accommodations professionals, construction teams, and more, our app helps you transform any commercial space into one that’s accessible. Currently in development!

Returning Soon…

• A11yShow: The Making _____ Accessible Podcast

  • Guests are lining up and recording will begin again soon!

• A11yShop: Accessibility and Disability Gear

  • In the process of moving to Amazon and TikTok Shop!

Our Newsletters

Content for each upcoming handbook is available in the corresponding section of the newsletter:

• Making Human Resources Accessible

• Making Leadership & Management Accessible

• Making Public Speaking Accessible

And on (most) Thursdays we tackle a Tough Topic about accessibility at work:

Follow Us for More!

We’re on many of your favorite social media platforms too, and we’re always sharing new resources with our community. Check us out!

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/britne

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559289221710

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InclusivePixel

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inclusivepixel

• BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/inclusivepixel.bsky.social

• All the socials and links! https://linktr.ee/inclusivepixel

Even if our current administration, well…

NDEAM Theme?

The theme for this year, “Celebrating Value and Talent,” sounds awfully familiar… it’s the same as last year. Their goal, stated on the NDEAM website, is to tie this theme into the America 250 celebrations this year.

“This year’s observance will play an important role in the department’s year-long celebration of the American worker in support of the nationwide Freedom 250 initiative.”

I don’t buy it. I think an NDEAM theme was an afterthought, and they wanted to do as little awareness around this month as possible. (I mean, it’s already August, and they haven’t yet made any media available. The website has mostly the same information as last year. Sigh.)

Please enjoy our graphic from last year, in the meantime.

Anyway, WE’RE planning something special for October to celebrate NDEAM at Inclusive Pixelation. What the US government chooses to do is, well, up to them.

Can I sidebar for a second, before I move on? How terrible is “value and talent” anyway? It seems like a very anti-DEI-coded stance - as if access in employment was an afterthought? Compare to past themes like:

• 2024: Access to Good Jobs for All

• 2023: Advancing Access and Equity: Then, Now, and Next

• 2022: Disability: Part of the Equity Equation

• 2021: America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion

Where’s the access, equity, and inclusion?

Reintroducing…

Depending on how long you’ve known me, you’ll know that for most of my professional career, I worked in Learning & Development. I’ve been to - and presented at! - many industry conferences, I held the CPTD credential from ATD (until I accidentally let it expire earlier this year, oops) and several other acronym credentials, and I’ve been executing learning projects across companies large and small for decades.

So here’s me, doing one of the things I do best, creating courses again!

Well… cleaning up courses, refreshing courses with new content, and moving from one LMS to another. That’s a bit more like it. More like project management than instructional design. Oh well, I once had some acronym credentials in that profession too…

Welcome to the refreshed A11yLearn Accessibility Academy, coming in October 2026 to A11yLearn.com!

Here you’ll find courses on each area of the HR lifecycle (Attraction, Recruiting & Interviewing, Onboarding, Learning & Development, Retention, and Separation) that are packed with best practices on accessibility. Based on talks I’ve given, years of research, and my upcoming handbook, Making Human Resources Accessible, these courses give you the practical tools to apply your knowledge to your organization, immediately.

What’s New?

Okay, so, A11yLearn has been a thing for a couple of years now. It used to live in a course platform I built using WordPress. I had several people share feedback that the course material was great, but the system itself could be a lot more user-friendly. So I found something better!

Check out the same great courses, but with updated activities, summaries, and multimedia features. Here’s an example of a new “Think and Share” social activity, that lets each participant add their thoughts to the course for posterity.

Bonus!

Each course has updated, accessible handouts for you to download and share. (Like this one! Thanks, Venngage!)

The Best Part?

Share

And, if you complete the free course, you’ll find a coupon code for 50% off any of our other courses, once they launch. It’s our gift to you! Choose the area of the employee lifecycle that best applies to your work, or pick up a microlearning lesson for next to nothing.

Explore the full course catalog here.

On Repeat?

Okay, so - NDEAM this year is the same as last year. And we’re kind of doing the same thing too. Around this time last year, I was promoting the newest courses at A11yLearn - but on the old WordPress site. Now that the academy is moving to LearnWorlds, we’re going to be promoting the updated version of each course.

From now until October 1, I’ll be releasing sneak previews of what you can find in each course, along with corresponding content from the upcoming Making Human Resources Accessible handbook.

Here are some excellent resources from a recent talk I did with a colleague, Disability and Diversity Representation in Learning - with a few new updates since!

Why Representation Matters in Learning

Visuals in learning materials are rarely just decorative: they communicate implicit values about who belongs, who holds expertise, and who is expected to succeed.

Incorporating genuine representation - of disability, race, age, and other features - directly impacts how learners experience content.

• Engagement & Relatability: When learners see content images that reflect their identities, background, or lived experiences, psychological safety increases. They are better able to project themselves into scenarios, leading to higher engagement and information retention.

• Cognitive Load & Stereotype Threat: Inauthentic, forced, or stereotypical stock images create cognitive friction. Authentic visuals allow learners to focus on the instructional content rather than questioning the legitimacy of the scenario.

• Real-World Environments: Workplaces, classrooms, and communities are inherently diverse. Visuals that reflect this reality prepare learners to collaborate across differences and challenge implicit biases.

• Tokenism: Authentic imagery depicts underrepresented groups in active, varied, and empowered roles, not just as background figures added to check a diversity box.

• Legal & Ethics: Using authentic imagery with proper licensing, explicit subject consent, and accurate context ensures your organization upholds copyright law, respects model rights, and avoids exploitative or tokenistic practices.

Resource Links

Disability Representation

• Disability:IN Corporate Stock Photography - disability-inclusive stock photography specifically designed for corporate, depicting people with disabilities in the workplace authentically

• Disability Is Beautiful - free stock photos of disabled people, by disabled people

• Disabled and Here - disability-led stock image and interview series celebrating disabled Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC)

• SocietyPix - a collection of authentic images of people with disabilities and other marginalized communities: people of color and those with immigrant backgrounds, LGBTQ individuals and seniors, women and men in non-traditional professions.

New! Check out All in Frame - A free stock photography collection led by disabled creatives to help marketers, advertisers, and creative teams tell more authentic stories about disability.

Racial & Ethnic Diversity

• Nappy.co - beautiful free photos of black and brown people

• TONL.co - subscription-based culturally diverse stock photos that represent the true world we live in

• POCStock - high-quality stock photos, videos, and illustrations featuring people of color

• CreateHER - authentic stock images featuring melanated women

• The Jopwell Collection - free stock images of people of color at work and school

Specific Diversity Representation

• AllGo - free plus-sized stock photos

• The Gender Spectrum Collection - stock photo library featuring images of trans and non-binary models that go beyond the clichés

  • Note: I got an error with this link, let me know if you have any success, or if you know where this collection moved to!

• Age-Positive Image Library - a more realistic and diverse depiction of aging to help challenge stereotypes of older people

Tips for Searching Other Collections

Are you limited to using a different stock photo library? Try these tips for better representation in learning:

1. Be specific with your search terms. Instead of “diverse people,” try “Black woman in tech,” “person using a wheelchair in office,” “older man laughing,” “diverse students studying.”

2. Consider the context! Does the image make sense in the context of your overall learning content? Does it genuinely support the message, or is it just there for “diversity’s sake”?

3. Look for authenticity and avoid posed, generic, or overly “perfect” images. Look for natural expressions and real-life scenarios.

4. Avoid stereotypes and be vigilant against images that perpetuate harmful or reductive stereotypes about any group.

5. If possible, have individuals from the communities you’re trying to represent review your chosen images for authenticity and appropriateness.

AI Images and More

This presentation was very interactive, with activities for creating representative images using AI and searching for authentic assets. Participant responses are available throughout the presentation. Check it out!

Download the slides from this presentation here.

Additional Reading

• Supporting Learning with AI-Generated Images: A Research-Backed Guide

• “They only care to show us the wheelchair”: disability representation in text-to-image AI models - et. al.

Is there a Tough Topic about disability at work you’d like me to address? Let me know!

What is Crip Time?

Crip time is a concept originating in Disability Studies and disability justice.

It operates in two key ways:

1. It describes the extra time and energy required to navigate a world built for non-disabled bodies and minds. This includes everything from disassembling/reassembling a wheelchair for travel, navigating unreliable transit, handling chronic pain/fatigue flare-ups, to dealing with inaccessible software.

2. Beyond being a tax, crip time is a philosophy. It challenges rigid “clock time” and the hyper-capitalist expectation that productivity must be linear and continuous, and standard across every individual.

Impact on Disabled Workers

The crip time disparity is heavily compounded by workplace design and administrative barriers. We build workplaces that work for only a fraction of our workers. Here’s how:

The “Accommodation Tax”

When accessibility relies entirely on formal accommodations, disabled workers bear a massive administrative time tax.

• According to data from the Job Accommodation Network (JAN), while over 50% of workplace accommodations cost $0 and the majority of others cost under $500, the process of securing them often takes weeks or months. During this waiting period, workers operate at a severe disadvantage or burn out trying to compensate.

• Employees spend dozens of unpaid hours collecting medical documentation, meeting with HR, negotiating terms, and re-explaining their needs across changing managers or systems.

Labor Force Participation

Research from legal scholars examining crip time in the labor force found:

• Standard 40-hour rigid workweeks force many capable disabled professionals into part-time work or out of the formal labor force entirely due to transit, stamina, or medical routine conflicts.

• When remote and flexible scheduling were broadly introduced (such as during the pandemic shift), disabled employment rates reached historic highs, demonstrating that the barrier was the rigid structure of time, not the worker’s capacity.

How to Apply Crip Time in the Workplace

Applying crip time means shifting organizational culture from rigid synchronization to flexible sustainability. How do we do that?

• Shift performance metrics to outcome-based goals rather than hours logged at a desk or immediate response times.

• Assume that unexpected health flare-ups, tech glitches, or life disruptions will happen. Normalize 10–20% buffer times on deadlines as standard operational practice.

• Reduce live meeting requirements. Use recorded summaries, collaborative docs, and clear written handoffs so team members can contribute during their peak energy windows.

• Frame rest not as a reward for finished work, but as a prerequisite for health and sustainable output. Encourage micro-breaks during long meetings.

• Allow non-linear schedules (for example, splitting a 8-hour workday around rest periods or medical routines).

How Inclusive Design Collapses the Disparity

When organizations embed inclusive workplace principles as the default, the crip time disparity shrinks dramatically.

1. Standard Asynchronous Work & Hybrid Flexibility: Eliminates the crip time lost to difficult commutes, physical preparation, and rigid start times.

2. Built-in Accessibility (Captions, Screen-Reader Compatibility): Eliminates the weeks spent waiting for specialized software procurement or manual transcription requests.

3. Flexible Leave / Flex-Time Defaults: Reduces the emotional and administrative fatigue of filing formal requests for medical appointments or energy management.

Key Takeaway: Individual accommodations patch a broken system one person at a time, consuming immense “crip time” in the process. Universal design changes the system itself so that variation in human bodies, minds, and schedules is applied by default.

Want to support Making Work Accessible? I’d love to see you subscribe!

All of the articles (like Tough Topic Thursdays) and resources (like checklists!) will be free, always! Our goal is providing every practitioner with the resources they need to make their workplaces accessible.

With a paid subscription, you can support our work and gain access to special content, like previews of upcoming books, free gifts, and more!

If Making Work Accessible is helping your workplace improve accessibility,
would you consider sharing us with your friends?

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You probably take similar things for granted, if you’re reading this. You can decide where you want to go, what you want to do, what you’d like to eat, and more.

The Olmstead Story

The story of Olmstead begins with two women in Georgia: Lois Curtis and Elaine Wilson.

Both Lois and Elaine had intellectual disabilities and mental health conditions. They spent years living in a state psychiatric hospital. Eventually, their doctors agreed that both women were ready to move out of the hospital and live in their own homes in the community with personal support staff.

So what’s the problem? The state of Georgia kept them locked in the institution anyway. Not because they needed to be there, but simply because the state hadn’t funded enough community-based care programs.

Lois and Elaine sued. Their argument was straightforward: forcing someone with a disability to live in an institution when they could live in the community is a form of illegal discrimination.

The case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1999, the Court ruled in their favor, in the landmark legal case we now know as Olmstead v. L.C.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote that unnecessarily isolating people with disabilities perpetuates two false, damaging ideas:

1. That disabled people are unworthy or incapable of participating in society.

2. That to receive public care, a person must give up their personal freedom.

The Integration Mandate

The 1999 Olmstead decision established what civil rights lawyers call the Integration Mandate.

Under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), state and local governments must provide services in the “most integrated setting appropriate.”

What does that mean in everyday language?

• Living in the community means having a key to your own door, visiting family, getting a job, going to the grocery store, and choosing your own schedule.

• “Community living” doesn’t mean leaving someone on their own without help. It means providing personal care aides, home nursing, accessible housing, and transportation directly where people live.

• It protects many groups of people: military veterans with brain injuries, seniors who want to age at home instead of moving to a nursing facility, and kids with complex medical needs who want to grow up with their families.

Statutory Text vs. Enforcement Guidance

When Congress passed the ADA in 1990, it banned disability discrimination. The Supreme Court interpreted that law in Olmstead, and for over a decade, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) maintained official enforcement guidance. This guidance explained to states exactly how to provide home care and avoid illegal institutionalization.

However, enforcement guidance is not permanent statutory law.

In mid-2026, federal legal memos and DOJ notices announced that the current administration would step back from enforcing this longstanding Olmstead guidance.

While the Supreme Court ruling itself remains the law of the land, removing federal administrative guidance weakens enforcement. It makes it easier for states to trim home-care budgets, slow down transitions out of nursing facilities, and push individuals back toward segregated care settings.

This gap between court rulings and executive enforcement is why advocacy groups are currently working to codify Olmstead.

Why This Matters to You

If Congress amends the ADA to explicitly state that unnecessary institutionalization is illegal discrimination, community care will no longer depend on which administration is directing the Department of Justice.

The Olmstead decision established a basic human truth: no one should have to surrender their basic personal freedom just to get the healthcare or daily support they need. If you’re not disabled now, you’re just not disabled yet. This matters to you, personally, for your own future.

By making the principles of Olmstead a permanent part of the Americans with Disabilities Act, we are securing everyone’s right to live at home, not in an institution.

Take Action

over at for Democracy is organizing a day of action on August 25, 2026. We are going to visit our U.S. House and Senate members’ district offices in small groups.

Does it intimidate you to talk to your elected representatives? Not sure what to say or how to tell your story? Disability Community for Democracy has you covered with training sessions on how to be effective at this event.

Sign up now to attend the training, and to be connected with your local group.

I’ve also been dealing with migrating my websites around (and making a genuine mess of things), so I wanted to save all of the checklists in a public location so anyone could access them.

Here’s the public folder over at the Inclusive Pixelation Google Drive.

Yes, I’m giving my stuff away for free! My goal with publishing these handbooks is to get information about accessibility at work into the hands of as many practitioners as possible.

For the first book, it’s all about helping you design more accessible online learning. Each section is packed with best practices, but I summarized each chapter as a handy checklist for you to use as you work.

I also still have some first edition copies of the book lying around, so if you see me at an event, I probably have some to give away. (What? More events?!)

Grab your second edition copy today!

Buy the Book

Downloadable Chapter Checklists

Remember, you can choose any (or all) of these checklists as an accessible PDF download in the Inclusive Pixelation Google Drive.

Chapter 1 - Asynchronous Learning

It can be a true challenge to select an accessible platform for learning activities, if you (the instructional designer) have any input at all. That being said, there are several checks and adjustments you can make to the platform, and your management of social interactions, to improve accessibility.

Find the Asynchronous Learning Accessibility Checklist in the Google Drive.

Chapter 2 - Synchronous Learning

Synchronous learning is a shorter checklist, but I’ve got a longer article about presentation software for live virtual classrooms, conferences, and other learning events. Check it out!

Find the Synchronous Learning Accessibility Checklist in the Google Drive.

Chapter 3 - Multimedia (Audio/Visual)

I’m hoping this resource is a useful one for all of you content creators out there! If any of your content has images, audio, or video, you’ll want to keep this one handy.

Find the Multimedia Accessibility Checklist in the Google Drive.

Chapter 4 - eLearning Modules

My most downloaded and used resource, the Accessibility for Online Learning Checklist, got a refresh along with the book. Originally titled the Accessibility for eLearning Checklist, this resource covers chapter 4 pretty well.

Interactive eLearning modules, on the other hand… you know, drag-and-drop, matching, flashcards, scenarios, all those fun things we design and encounter? There’s another short checklist for those.

Find the Interactivity Accessibility Checklist in the Google Drive.

Chapter 5 - Digital Reference Material

Finally, the Document Accessibility Checklist, to summarize chapter 5. I’ve covered document accessibility in some of my specialized talks, so I’m happy to have this resource to share (instead of just “read chapter 5)! I also have a great article if you’re creating accessible training handouts and materials:

Find the Document Accessibility Checklist in the Google Drive.

All of the checklists are licensed under Creative Commons as CC BY-SA 4.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

This means you can edit, remix, and share to your heart’s content - even with your company or clients! - but you have to credit me, as the original author. You also have to use this same license on any adapted work so that others may benefit too.

One more thing, did you notice? All the checklists, and the book itself, have been redone using the Atkinson Hyperlegible font I mentioned in this article!

Here’s that public folder over at the Inclusive Pixelation Google Drive again!

Accessibility is so much more than a checkbox (or checklist), so I hope you use these resources to improve your workflows and embed accessibility from the start of your projects. Here’s to accessibility, and beyond!

Want to say thanks? I’d love it if you could like, share, restack, and repost these resources so that trainers, instructional designers, teachers, and others who work in online learning can download them. (Or, you know, buy the book for yourself or someone you know!)

Leave a comment if you’ve found these checklists helpful in your work!
I’d love to hear from you.

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1. In that last manic phase, I managed to publish the second edition of my book. Honestly, I don’t remember much except getting it turned in on time. (Yes, I self-published it, but when you tell Amazon a book is coming out on a certain date, they really want it on that date.)

2. In the past 6 months, the book has actual sales on Amazon (and reads on Kindle Unlimited) without me talking about it at all since it came out.

It’s not much, but I will take the little wins! I don’t have a big publisher promoting my handbook, so I’m grateful over the moon to any of you that are included in those numbers. (Still haven’t picked up your copy? Click the big button below!)

Read Now!

In case you missed it, I did share several resources leading up to publication in January:

And I know there are several resources (chapter checklists, most importantly!) that you’re waiting on - so watch social media and your inbox as I share the rest of them!

Subscribe now

Reading List

Something I can’t go without mentioning (again) is the updated and expanded Appendix of the book. It’s packed with new and updated references, my most recommended tools, and an updated reading list.

• Accessibility for Everyone by Laura Kalbag

• Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally by Emily Ladau

  • Emily is on Substack too! Give a follow to and Words I Wheel By

• Design for All Learners: Create Accessible and Inclusive Learning Experiences edited by Sarah Mercier

• Designing Accessible Learning Content: A Practical Guide to Applying Best-Practice Accessibility Standards to L&D Resources, Second Edition by Susi Miller

• Inclusive Design for a Digital World: Designing with Accessibility in Mind, Second Edition by Reginé M. Gilbert

Find it on Amazon

Did you miss some of the other resources I’ve mentioned? Mentimeter, Poll Everywhere, and Venngage all made the book:

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the updated Making Online Learning Accessible, Second Edition. Leave a comment on this post or email me at britne@a11ybook.com. (And get your copy today! It’s included in your Kindle Unlimited membership, if you have one!)

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And the Big News…

I’m actually so far along with the second book, Making Human Resources Accessible, that I promise to have it published (sometime) in 2027!

Self-publishing means I get to choose the release date myself… and I haven’t committed to even a month or a season yet, but it’s coming, and very soon. You’ll be seeing some new articles based on the book as well. Stay tuned!

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Not Always Neurosparkly

The Tender-Wired Guide to Disability Pride

Curious about how to live an authentic, self-honouring and relational life with neurocomplexity and variable energy levels? You’ve come to the right place. Here, at Not Always Neurosparkly, we explor…

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a month ago · 19 likes · 15 comments · Morgana Clementine

the veil

I Didn’t Want To Call Myself Disabled

I want to start by acknowledging that my experience of disability is shaped by privilege. I’m white and my disability is mostly invisible. I can often choose when to disclose it and when not to. Many…

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2 months ago · 195 likes · 63 comments · vōx

Steve Way's Substack

Nobody Handed Us This

Thirty-six years ago this spring, more than a thousand disabled people marched from the White House to the Capitol. Sounds familiar, but much different result. When they got there, about sixty of them left their wheelchairs and their crutches at the bottom of the steps and started climbing. Eighty-three marble steps, on their hands and knees, backwards…

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a month ago · 27 likes · 1 comment · Steve Way

I wrote my own thoughts on Disability Pride too, but then I kept thinking, and kept writing. This is the result.

Productivity, Output, and the Supercrip

Our worth as human beings can’t be measured on a timesheet. We are valuable to society just as we are. Not because we burn ourselves out to maintain an arbitrary standard of productivity, but because of our capacity and potential for empathy and creativity.

“Approval” to Exist?

Hi, I’m Britne, and I have chronic nerve pain that flares up with cold weather. I also, unfortunately, used to live (and work) someplace with a cold climate. I’ve since learned my lesson.

Within the last decade, I had to ask for disability accommodations at work.

I worked in a factory with a lot of rules and regulations. My mobility cane was approved without a fuss.

Ruby, my lovely reddish-pink fold-up cane, lived in a pocket on the side of my backpack so I could reach her anytime I had a flare. I really just needed her to lean, to support my body differently in times of pain, when conducting training or walking the factory floor. Otherwise, I had an adjustable standing desk that made most positions almost bearable.

See, these accommodations cost the company nothing. Everyone had adjustable desks. My cane required no operational adjustments and asked for no change in routine.

It was a visible accommodation, but a passive one. I was permitted to be disabled at work, provided my disability remained convenient.

Policy vs. Power

Let me tell you about my personal experience asking for an accommodation at work, and why I’ve never asked for one again.

Setting the stage for you: it’s early 2020 (really early - right before COVID) and I’m working in a cold factory with my mobility cane and adjustable desk. I had just won an award for Employee of the Quarter for my section of the factory - Quality and Training - for executing a large project.

Then I asked for flex time.

My request was simple. One hour a week (60 minutes out of a 40+ hour work week) to attend necessary doctor’s appointments that couldn’t be scheduled outside of business hours. I wasn’t asking for a reduced workload or lower targets. I was requesting to shift my schedule by an hour. I was asking for a small sliver of autonomy to manage my health.

Management’s response was immediate resistance. Suddenly, 60 minutes a week was framed as an “undue hardship.”

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), an “undue hardship” is defined as an action requiring significant difficulty or expense. Yet, according to data from the Job Accommodation Network (JAN), over 50% of workplace accommodations cost absolutely nothing. (The rest typically involve a low, one-time cost.)

Flexible scheduling is consistently ranked as one of the lowest-cost, highest-yield accommodations an employer can grant.

To call my request an undue hardship was ridiculous. I was pushed toward the edge of termination and forced to accept a transfer to save my professional career. My manager announced my departure to my team before my meetings with HR were even finished - I had people congratulating me on a new role I didn’t even know I had.

Fast forward to my new manager, on my new team, who approved the exact same flex-time request immediately. There was no debate, no meetings with HR, no pushback.

What?

That instant approval was a revelation. It proved that my request was never a policy failure or an operational burden. It was a management fault.

This was a power struggle disguised as corporate protocol. The previous leadership would rather have sidelined an award-winning worker than yield an hour of calendar control a week.

Why I’ve never asked for an accommodation since? I stopped trusting.

What’s a “Supercrip”?

Here’s a word I learned recently. A supercrip is an overachieving disabled person. Someone with incredible accomplishments, an inspiration to others.

See also: Inspiration porn.

Disability scholars use the term “supercrip” to describe the societal expectation that disabled individuals must achieve extraordinary feats just to earn baseline respect and dignity. It is the idea that you must be exceptional to be excused for being different.

This was my whole identity at work. I felt a constant, quiet pressure to do all the things: take on extra projects, come in early, stay late, lead initiatives, volunteer for committees, mentor new teammates.

The trap of the supercrip identity is that it ties your right to exist directly to your output.

When you live with chronic conditions, energy is not a linear or guaranteed resource. During rough periods (when pain flares, fatigue sets in, or medical needs demand space), the psychological toll is devastating. In those low moments, the quiet, toxic voice of internalized ableism creeps in: What if management was right? What if I really am a burden? What if my value disappears the moment I slow down?

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Reclaiming Worth

My career has taken many turns, leaps, and bounds since that accommodation request. I truly love my work in transforming workplaces to become more accessible. I’ve learned many lessons from that experience and carry them with me into the work that we do at Inclusive Pixelation.

Our worth as human beings can’t be measured on a timesheet. We are valuable to society just as we are. Not because we burn ourselves out to maintain an arbitrary standard of productivity, but because of our capacity and potential for empathy and creativity.

We do not exist to prove our worth to systems that were designed to exclude us. True equity will not come from disabled workers becoming “superhuman” to survive. It will come from workplaces becoming human enough to let us thrive.

Bonus Content!

I mentioned my story of workplace disability discrimination in this chat with Jen Benford last year, in case you missed it! It’s a very candid conversation about accessibility at work.

And look at this lovely resource! A directory of chronic illness and disability writers on Substack. Find some new favorite reads curated from the folks at Illness and Insight.

Illness and Insight

A Chronic Illness and Disability Substack Directory

There has been murmuring online recently about creating a chronic illness and disability category on Substack. I think that is a fantastic idea, but until it happens, I thought it would be useful to compile a list of writers on Substack who focus on these topics…

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a month ago · 112 likes · 99 comments · Sage Garrettson

If you were born before July 26, 1990, you lived in a world where discrimination against disabled people was completely legal. (In the United States, anyway.)

Businesses could legally deny entry to someone using a wheelchair. Landlords could refuse to rent to a blind or deaf tenant. Employers could fire someone simply for having a chronic illness or physical difference.

Let that sink in.

Disability Pride Month in July commemorates the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). For me, it’s a reminder that disability rights are among the youngest civil rights in modern history, and continue to lag behind.

How Disability Equality Was Left Behind

Equality for disabled people was left for last. We’re still playing catch-up.

To understand why accessibility feels like an uphill battle still today, you have to review the timeline of American civil rights legislation:

• 1964: The Civil Rights Act outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

• 1972: Title IX guarantees equal educational opportunities regardless of sex.

• 1990: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is finally signed into law.

It took 26 years after the Civil Rights Act for the government to grant baseline protections to disabled Americans, the largest minority group in the nation.

Other civil rights movements fought to dismantle discriminatory laws and social attitudes too. But the disability movement had to fight those same attitudes and convince society that inaccessible infrastructure was itself a form of discrimination.

Civil rights for disabled people required society to spend money, rethink architecture, and redesign public spaces. Unsurprisingly, lawmakers dragged their feet, prioritizing special interest lobbies and budget constraints over human dignity.

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The Capitol Crawl & Demand for Access

In early 1990, after years of grassroots advocacy, the ADA stalled in Congress. Business lobbyists claimed that building ramps, widening doorways, and providing accommodations would be too expensive and burdensome.

On March 12, 1990, disabled activists decided they had waited long enough.

Over 1,000 protesters “marched” to the U.S. Capitol building. When they arrived, more than 60 activists abandoned their wheelchairs, crutches, and mobility aids. They threw themselves onto the granite steps and began to crawl up the 83 stairs to the Capitol doors.

The Capitol Crawl exposed a brutal irony: the very seat of American democracy was physically inaccessible to the citizens it governed.

Four months later, on July 26, President George H.W. Bush signed the ADA into law.

Physical vs. Digital Accessibility

In physical spaces, progress often feels superficial. I’ve seen “compliance shortcuts” everywhere:

• Heavy, manual doors tucked around the back of buildings near loading docks labeled as “accessible entrances”

• Public transit elevators that are chronically out of order

• “Accessible” seating placed in the worst viewing angles of stadiums or theaters

Access is treated as an awkward retrofit rather than a core design principle.

And if physical access remains a struggle, digital access is in a state of outright crisis.

Today, society runs online. We apply for jobs, manage banking, access healthcare, order groceries, and participate in civic life through websites and mobile apps.

But our digital world has recreated the very barriers the ADA was written to destroy.

Screen readers fail on unlabeled buttons, low-contrast text makes reading impossible for visually impaired users, and video content routinely lacks captions or audio descriptions.

Inaccessible code is the modern equivalent of the Capitol stairs. When a company releases an app that doesn’t support screen-reader navigation, they are effectively building a storefront with no ramp.

From Compliance to True Pride

Disability is unique among marginalized identities: it is the only minority group anyone can join at any moment. Through age, illness, accident, or time - disability is a universal human experience.

If you are older than 36, you have lived through the entire era of disability rights in America. We don’t have the option of waiting 36 more years to fix what is still broken.

It's time to build a world where nobody has to crawl just to get through the front door.

I had some major issues with my Bipolar Disorder and PTSD at the beginning of the year. Disabilities like these are full of ups and downs, and I’d like to tell you my story.

If this topic is triggering for you, just scroll to the end for the better news. :)

When Last We Spoke…

I managed to get the second edition of my book out to the world by the deadline I set for myself (and Amazon), and then… not much else since.

That was the end of January, and it’s now the middle of July. Ooof.

While I may have been quiet on the online front, I’ve been keeping busy and recovering. My husband is a literal saint, and a close circle of friends has been more than I could ever ask for.

The Bad

So…here it is. I tried to end myself in January.

(It certainly wasn’t the first time I’ve tried. I’ve been trying, off and on, since I was about 14 years old. As it turns out, I’m not very good at this particular task.)

This time, I was more than overwhelmed by many factors, most out of my control.

I didn’t get paid for a project at the end of last year.

We were expecting an amount that would fund our return travel to Nevada from the 2Gether International Gala in Washington, DC.

December started with a celebration of our fellow disabled entrepreneurs and a tour of national monuments… and ended with us stranded.

Payments were promised, deadlines passed, and we continued our trip home - until we couldn’t. So we called some friends for emergency gas money.

We landed in a familiar city that unfortunately was the epicenter of the events that originally caused my PTSD. Doing odd jobs for our friends and other errands placed us directly across the street from the house where I was repeatedly sexually assaulted in my 20s.

I was unable to return to my doctor in Nevada and get my much-needed medication. She did what she could over the phone, but the medications were different and I wasn’t responding well to the changes.

(Did I mention, my family all stopped speaking to me, and didn’t tell me why? I’m sure that helped the situation.)

I hit rock-bottom fairly quickly and don’t remember much of the actual episode, but in the weeks that followed, I felt like a zombie: sleeping all day, barely moving, crying and pleading for everything to just go away.

All our business plans just… stopped. Emails went unread, bills went unpaid, and social media became an insurmountable task. I missed several commitments, and I let a lot of people down. The only people I spoke to were those that have my personal phone number. (Sorry, business phone. We’ll reconnect soon.)

What was the point of any of it?

Writing books, speaking at events, designing training, building a business, creating an app - why do I bother? Why am I even here? Why are any of us here?

I’m not sure I can answer these questions yet. Maybe in another newsletter.

Subscribe now

The Good

But now I’m settled in to some new medication that’s working well so far.

It took doing things one task at a time - find a doctor in this area, get her caught up on my situation, transfer my records, get the medication.

Find a way to pay for the medication.

Adjust the medication.

Try something else.

Officially move to a new state and get health insurance squared away.

Make another dosage adjustment.

Throw something else in there for the PTSD nightmares, and experience even worse side effects.

Finally get my head clear enough to think straight MONTHS later - and think about something other than ending it all.

The Best

And then, there’s my rock. My husband. While I was sobbing the day away, he went to work. First for our friends, then their friends, then friends of friends.

He got a project so big he needed some help - so I’ve learned everything he can teach me about his trade. He literally dragged me out of bed and said, come on, you’re going to learn how to do drywall today.

He helps me break down my overwhelm into clear, concrete next steps. He talks me through my ideas. He listens to me cry.

He’s not a romantic, but he loves our pets to death. (More than he loves me, but that’s okay. I’ve accepted this. I probably love the cat more.)

He tried to retire, but I dragged him into my business ideas. He’s out of retirement and working harder than I am.

I’d be dead without this man.

What’s Next

Things are looking up. Thanks to a couple of those close friends I mentioned and their recommendations, I’m starting a graduate program in a few weeks. I’m thrilled to share I’ll be starting my Master of Arts in Disability Studies, with an Advanced Certificate in Disability Advocacy, at the City University of New York (CUNY).

I’ve applied for scholarships to fund my studies, and I’m positive that gaining this incredible foundational knowledge will continue to propel our work at Inclusive Pixelation forward.

See, we’re not giving up. We’re taking what we’ve been dealt and adjusting our plans. (Oh, and filing a lawsuit against a Speaker’s Bureau too.)

We’re making our new state home, and while we miss Nevada and plan to return in the near future - we can deal without the 100+ degree temperatures for a while!

We’ve teased our next big idea to some people close to us, but we’re serious about training the next generation of accessibility practitioners.

The online courses will be returning soon (I had a whole Academy relaunch planned… for February. Oops.) and will be the foundation for our new, in-person courses.

As a lifetime trainer, I know that what can be learned through online courses is limited. While we can teach many topics and provide solid foundational accessibility knowledge, we also want to teach actual, hands-on skills.

That means things like deciphering blueprints with accessibility features into actual construction tasks. Building the correct ramps, handrails, and other elements needed to make someplace accessible to all. Doing the work that makes accessibility happen.

We’ve got decades of knowledge and experience combined, and our app was just the start! We’re using this tool and many others to launch our in-person A11yLearn Academy! Watch this space for details.

I’ve been writing, editing, and rewriting this newsletter edition off and on for a few weeks, and I’m glad you made it to the end.

Writing is my happy place, so I’ll be returning to regular writing this month - with updates on how the next book is coming along, more Tough Topic Thursdays with tough questions about workplace disability, thoughts and insights from my new Master’s program, and more.

It’s also Disability Pride month - I have some particular thoughts on that, this year.

I have a lot to catch up on, so please be patient with me! You can nudge my inbox at britne@inclusivepixel.com or comment below.

Leave a comment

Updated Cover

I finally stopped playing with the cover and made a new mockup image. Coming soon to paperback, Kindle, and PDF! (Seriously, Kindle formatting was a disaster, but a learning experience nonetheless. The paperback will be extra beautiful though!)

Updated & Expanded Content

You’ll find expanded content throughout, based on posts like these:

From “How to Use This Book”

Minimum, Recommended, Advanced

Within each topic, the accessibility principles are broken down into minimum, recommended, and advanced suggestions, giving friendlier names to WCAG 2.2 Levels A-AAA. Other accessible design suggestions and best practices from government agencies, researchers, and other publications are also included.

Do the “Minimum” things to ensure basic accessibility. Do the “Recommended” and “Advanced” options to make your online learning even more accessible. This book will also briefly cover the kinds of disabilities you can accommodate thanks to these recommendations and practices.

Why the change from “Must Do, Should Do, Could Do?”

Very simply… the more I looked at it, the more I didn’t like it! I tried to simplify things, but I felt I went a bit too far. I’ve updated the categories for guidelines to use “Minimum, Recommended, Advanced” instead.

More Resource Updates

Unfortunately, a resource I cited often, the BDA (British Dyslexia Association) Dyslexia Style Guide, has gone missing from the interwebs, but I found another resource: Ako Aotearoa’s guide!

I added Accessible Social and a few other favorites from my Linktree resource list, and spent some time on the updated digital.gov pages locating any resources that still exist after the latest change in administration.

• Plain Language: https://digital.gov/guides/plain-language

• Accessibility: https://digital.gov/topics/accessibility

• Social Media: https://digital.gov/topics/social-media

Subscriber Preview

Finally, an excerpt from the updated and expanded Appendix section: everything you wanted to know about the accessibility of authoring tools and platforms! Read on for advice on choosing from the various tools out there, and of course, my own personal recommendations from years of practice.

Choosing Authoring Tools and Platforms with Accessibility Features

Before procuring any tool for online learning content creation or distribution, it’s important to consider both the accessibility of the platform itself, and how accessible the content created using the platform is for learners.

A great tool acts like a spell-checker for accessibility. When evaluating a tool, look for these specific features:

• Real-time Accessibility Checkers: Does the tool flag a lack of color contrast or missing headers while you are typing?

• Guided Correction: Instead of just saying “Error,” does the tool explain how to fix it?

• Defaulting to Accessible: When you insert a video, does the tool automatically create a placeholder for a transcript or captions?

The best tools don’t treat accessibility as a “final scan.” They integrate it into the creative workflow so that “done” also means “accessible.”

VPATs & ACRs

A VPAT, or Voluntary Product Accessibility Template, is a self-assessment tool used by software vendors to show how their product conforms to various accessibility standards.

An ACR, or Accessibility Conformance Report, is the result of using the VPAT and should be recent, detailed, and acknowledging any known gaps. No complex software is perfectly accessible, so beware of “perfect” scores.

Recommended Authoring Tools and Platforms

LMS Accessibility

This page briefly introduces the ATAG (Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines) standard to help make your learning management system (LMS) and other education tools accessible to people with disabilities: https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/atag/education/

eLearning Content Creation

Articulate Storyline 360 offers the most granular control, including a sophisticated accessibility checker that now uses AI to suggest alt-text and help manage complex “Tab Order” for screen readers. Rise 360 is the “accessible by default” choice, ideal for mobile-responsive content, though it is less flexible. Creators should note that while it handles text and images beautifully, certain interactive blocks still require alternative versions to be fully accessible. https://www.articulate.com/about/accessibility/

Live Training & Audience Participation

Zoom remains an industry leader in synchronous accessibility, offering robust support for screen readers, customizable keyboard shortcuts, and multi-spotlight features to keep sign language interpreters visible. Their 2026 updates have integrated “AI Companion” features that provide real-time automated captions and meeting summaries, though authors should still prioritize human-generated captions for high-stakes or legally mandated accommodations. https://zoom.com/en/accessibility/

Mentimeter stands out for its proactive approach, featuring a built-in “Accessibility Check” that audits presentations for color contrast and missing alt-text before they go live. Poll Everywhere provides a deeply detailed Accessibility Remediation Plan for 2026, but authors must be wary of specific interactive types which still present significant barriers for screen reader users compared to their more accessible multiple-choice options.

• https://www.mentimeter.com/accessibility

• https://www.polleverywhere.com/accessibility

Accessible Documents

Venngage has carved a niche as a top-tier accessible design tool by integrating an AI-powered accessibility checker that automatically tags PDF structures for headers, tables, and lists. Their platform includes a “Visual Simulator” that allows authors to view their designs through the lens of various vision impairments (like color blindness), ensuring that infographics are perceivable by all before they are published. https://venngage.com/features/accessible

A Note on Overlays

You may be familiar with accessibility overlays, or small code widgets you can add to a platform or website that promise various accessibility features. Most accessibility professionals strongly caution against using overlays, for many reasons. https://overlayfactsheet.com

Signed by over 1000 accessibility professionals. Check out #983!

Thanks for reading the extra content! I’d love to hear your thoughts on the updated Making Online Learning Accessible, Second Edition. Leave a comment on this post, follow the book series on Bluesky, or email me at britne@a11ybook.com. (And preorder today! It’s included in your Kindle Unlimited membership, if you have one!)

Preorder A11yBook

Britne Jenke is an author, speaker, trainer, and consultant - and a passionate advocate for disability inclusion in the workplace. As the founder of Inclusive Pixelation, an accessibility consulting agency, she partners with individuals and organizations to empower them with the knowledge, skills, and tools for Making Work Accessible for everyone.

Britne’s expertise comes from decades of experience in training and development, web design, and information services, and is further validated by her certifications in accessibility, human resources, talent development, and diversity & inclusion. Her insights have been featured in multiple articles and podcasts, and she is a frequent and sought-after speaker at various industry events and conferences.

Committed to community impact and a truly accessible future for all, Britne proudly serves on the board of Equal Access Public Media and works with many advocacy projects.

Connect with Britne on Social Media

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/britne/

• BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/inclusivepixel.bsky.social

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inclusivepixel/

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InclusivePixel

Episode 2 Resources

• Preorder Making Online Learning Accessible, Second Edition: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FRZMH3MN

• A11yBook.com

• A11yLearn.com

• A11ySpaces.com

• Inclusive Pixelation Home

Episode 2 Transcript

https://inclusivepixel.com/making-online-learning-accessible

Brightly colored doodles surround white and green text on a blue background. Text reads “Making _____ Accessible (the #A11yShow)” and “Special January Feature! Making Online Learning Accessible with Britne Jenke, CPACC, CPTD, SPHR” and appears above images of host Britne Jenke and the book Making Online Learning Accessible in multiple formats on either side of a blue and black microphone in a green circle.

Suggest Our Next Guest!

Who do you know that is Making _____ Accessible? Suggest a guest here: https://inclusivepixel.com/a11yshow-guest-suggestion/