Hot Take: Software development is inherantly discrimiatory
29 May 2026
In this moment:
TWiQ — This Week in Quality
Software development is inherently discriminatory because we know about digital accessibility and still don't do it.
We have the knowledge, the skills, and the moral imperative to include all humans. There is a legal compulsion. We are aware of the cost-benefit, and we have the time (even though many say they don't) by considering it at the beginning, rather than the end.
There are no excuses. We are actively choosing to discriminate, and it is systemic. Choosing a deadline, over inclusion is exclusion.
It is no different from standing at a door and saying to someone in a wheelchair or with a guide dog, "Sorry, you can't come in."
We have the knowledge, the skills, and the moral imperative to include all humans. There is a legal compulsion. We are aware of the cost-benefit, and we have the time (even though many say they don't) by considering it at the beginning, rather than the end.
There are no excuses. We are actively choosing to discriminate, and it is systemic. Choosing a deadline, over inclusion is exclusion.
It is no different from standing at a door and saying to someone in a wheelchair or with a guide dog, "Sorry, you can't come in."
Ady Stokes
Freelance Consultant
He / Him
MoT Ambassador. Currently semi-retired and freelancing. I am, amongst other things, a writer, speaker, and accessibility advocate. Leeds Chapter Lead. MoT Certs curator and article editor for WonderProxy. Testing wisdom, friendly, testing songs and poems. Great minds think differently. STEC and SQEC Certified. Struggling to write a book about testing mindsets and thinking's application in software development.
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