Melissa Rocks gave a powerful and practical talk at Leeds Testing Atelier, tackling a topic that affects far more people than many realise: accessibility.
Melissa shared a great quote from Mozilla that framed it perfectly: “For many people, technology makes things easier. For people with disabilities, technology makes things possible.”
Melissa explored the history and importance of accessibility in tech, making the case that it's not just about supporting people with disabilities, it’s about creating better experiences for everyone. She shared examples of tech originally created for accessibility that now benefits all users (think everything from lifts to bendy straws) and gave live demos of accessibility testing tools like Axe and Lighthouse.
The talk closed with a look ahead to the upcoming EU Accessibility Act in 2025, giving attendees real motivation to act now!
Slide quote source: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility
