Like many others you may read, this post is about New Year’s resolutions. What may make this post different is that I am encouraging you not to make a New Year’s resolution. Or at least not make a typical resolution, one rooted in the New Year, New Me overhaul mindset, with goals like I’m hittin’ the gym every day and going vegan. (Check back with me in 3 months.)
This applies to any accessibility-focused resolutions you’re considering, like: We’ll have the entire university website 100% compliant with WCAG 2.2, Level AAA, by December 2026; launch a university-wide accessibility training program; and require all members of IT Service to be CPACC certified. (Again, check back in 3 months.)
If you remember, back in January of 2025, Jill Bateman from Ohio University shared her new accessibility program, Accessibility Habits, with us. This program draws inspiration from the habit-stacking principles outlined in James Clear's book Atomic Habits. Recognizing that lasting change often hinges on the power of small, consistent actions, this program aims to foster a culture of accessibility awareness, inclusion, and responsibility within the university community.
That same philosophy rings true in Meryl Evans’ strategy of progress over perfection. Progress over perfection emphasizes the importance of making small, incremental changes in your accessibility compliance journey. Small, achievable goals that can have an enormous impact.
Take this simple content styling, for example. Think about how you create emphasis on words or phrases within the content of your website. For years, I used quotation marks - until I read a post on LinkedIn from Dax Castro. The post discussed the use of quotation marks and underlines for emphasis and the issues they cause for screen reader users. So, what is the solution? Use bold or italics for emphasis. That is a simple, easily implemented change that has real impact. And you don’t need a computer science degree or know five different programming languages. 😃
So my message to you is this. Don’t get caught up in the resolution hype. Instead, set small, achievable goals. For your remediation workflows, focus on the low-hanging fruit first - ALT text, heading structure, proper contrast - issues that, when corrected, provide a big impact with little effort.
On the programs and policies side, follow Jill Bateman’s example with Accessibility Habits. And forget the all-or-nothing mindset! Small accessibility wins, along with intentional, steady improvements, all add up to websites and apps that everyone can use and enjoy.
💫 Here’s wishing you and yours a Happy New Year, full of small wins that add up to big change. 💫
