While we often frame accessibility through guidelines and standards—WCAG compliance, screen reader compatibility, and color contrast—it can be easy to lose sight of the actual human impact of accessibility—real people with real lives facing real obstacles.
The DubBot sales team had an opportunity to attend this year’s CSUN Assistive Technology Conference, a massive gathering of professionals, researchers, and individuals passionate about assistive technology and accessibility. Since this was their first time attending CSUN, I asked them to share any takeaways or nuggets they might have. Here are their responses:
"It was great engaging with members of the community and learning about their lived experiences with blindness and other disabilities. One particularly memorable conversation for me was with a gentleman and his guide dog. He talked to us about the training programs that guide dogs go through to become certified."
"One gentleman I spoke with is a grad student. He shared with me how a lot of his professors required him to submit his coursework via Canvas or other learning management systems (LMS), which were highly inaccessible. He said he just wished he could email it. He said he spends more time navigating inaccessible technology than writing his papers."
"Conversations like this put a face on why accessibility is essential, reminding us that it’s not just about compliance; it's about addressing real-world accessibility challenges. And for the sales team here at DubBot, encountering stories like these and others offers real business value when discussing the 'why' of accessibility with potential clients."
I want to thank Luke and Greg for sharing their experience and insights and for reminding us why we do the work we do.
A human author creates the DubBlog posts. The AI tool Gemini is sometimes used to brainstorm subject ideas, generate blog post outlines, and rephrase certain portions of the content. Our marketing team carefully reviews all final drafts for accuracy and authenticity. The opinions and perspectives expressed remain the sole responsibility of the human author.
