I’ve decided to release this imperfect website to the world. Getting to this point has been quite a journey. I’ve encountered a different kind of stone wall, one I’ve had trouble navigating. Here’s the story.
I have been blogging in my head for many years, well before the word “blog” hit the mainstream. I explored concepts and situations, turning the details over and formulating narratives that I failed to write down. Last fall, I decided to start writing in earnest, turning out a blog every couple of days, until I had amassed about 20. It was time to create a framework around my thoughts that I could share with others. It was time to build a website.
I did my research ahead of time, focusing on friendly templates that would interest others: something that could be navigated comfortably by my colleagues and friends who use access tools like screen readers and magnification. I wanted the site to be visually attractive as well, a place where I could share thoughts through text, photographs, and patterns that would please and inform others.
My research led me to a template on Squarespace, a website development tool that touts accessibility and appeared to be more user friendly than the tool I had tried unsuccessfully to use earlier in my career. Thanks to the simple framework I built for my information and a savvy millennial who happens to date my daughter, a website was born.
I sent the URL out for feedback to a few friends and family members, including someone who is screen reader savvy. The feedback I received from her was specific: there were accessibility glitches, particularly around alt text and site organization. Although I had been mindful of both these accessibility tools while developing the site, what I had done within the template had not translated to an accessible site.
Long story short, here it is, a full month after I uploaded my last blog, and the site is still not 100% accessible. Technology now functions as a barrier, not a tool, for that portion of the population that relies on voice synthesis to access the internet.
The 5-step process I have used to overcome this barrier--this wall that seems difficult to climb over for no apparent reason--is one a leader must use all the time.
1. A leader needs to understand her strengths and weaknesses and enlist the assistance of those with expertise she does not have.
Writing is a relative strength of mine. Technology is a tool I have used frequently in my career, but it does not come easily to me. Identifying resources that will support one’s strengths is a critical leadership skill. I am lucky enough to have a widespread network of colleagues and friends with many talents, and I have learned to ask for help when I do not have skills or aptitude to accomplish certain things. In the case of this website, I found someone who finds joy in creating an online presence to help me build the initial site.
To be honest, asking for assistance of any kind has been one of the most difficult skills for me to learn as a new leader. I am a servant leader, meaning that I believe in sharing power, putting the needs of colleagues first and helping others achieve their goals within an organization. I’m the one who arrives first to set up the room, brings snacks for others to enjoy, and strives to include everyone.
But when you are in charge of many things, it is so challenging to figure out what to do yourself and what to ask others to do. As I assumed leadership positions where assistance was available to me, I eventually found it easiest to turn things over in areas that were specifically not strengths for me—dealing with the stacks of papers in my office, for example. And in the case of this website, I knew I was not the one to build it from scratch or, it turns out, to ensure accessibility.
Fast forward to the anticipated announcement of my website. Once my friend had identified accessibility issues, I set out to make the suggested revisions myself. I read tutorials, watched videos, and took a lot of deep breaths. I also deleted a page, accidentally changed the layout of some pictures, and failed to make any progress on including alt text.
2. When you are stuck, reach out to others to help you solve the problem.
This one took me a while to come to: as an independent consultant, I felt that it was important for me to understand the concepts behind the website so that I could make my own changes and keep the site running smoothly. But the clock was ticking, and I knew I needed to get the website up and running pronto. I took a deep breath and asked my friend who had done the initial review of the website to make the changes on my behalf.
A new obstacle came to light, one that made banging my head against the wall seem like the natural next step. The friend and colleague whose help I enlisted happens to be an expert on accessibility, and she is blind. The administrative side of the website turned out to be… wait for it… inaccessible to her. It’s hard not to get sarcastic here, but one wonders—do website developers think there’s no possibility that a blind person will develop websites?
My mission remained clear: to make the website accessible to those with low vision and blindness. Believe me, though, other goals popped up, like running a one-woman campaign against organizations that minimalize the inclusion of those with disabilities in our society. I used my training in essentialism to reign myself in and sought assistance from others who were tech-savvy.
3. Persevere. If one angle doesn’t work, try another.
Be thoughtful and persistent in determining your next steps when something isn’t working. I contacted three other competent, tech-savvy people to work through the problems. They found the same tutorials I used to be difficult to understand and were similarly unable to make the changes needed to smooth out the accessibility issues. I contacted Squarespace with the issues and learned that some of the needed changes would require coding expertise. Others were a repeat of the tutorials I had read—that didn’t work.
4. Compromise and, sometimes, settle for something short of what you envisioned.
Do you know how difficult it is for me to even write that statement? One of the things that has driven me crazy throughout my career is the number of times I attend a meeting or workshop where blind people are attending, and the instructor or leader says, “Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t get this to you ahead of time. Can you follow along with someone sitting next to you?” I have vowed that I would not do this, that if I was not prepared enough to include everyone in the meeting, I needed to have an accessible alternative, or the meeting should be put off until materials were available. Shouldn’t my resolve be as strong when launching a website?
So here I am, getting ready to send the URL for my website out to my friends, family, and colleagues. I renamed my photos and reloaded them to the website, based on what Squarespace insists will create alt-text. I re-read the tutorials. But the site is still not perfect, and I suspect the alt-text isn’t right. The headings that I resized to accommodate those with low vision are now more confusing for people using screen readers to understand the site’s format. But my need to share my site means I need to settle for imperfect.
5. Repeat number 3.
I may have to reload content into a different template that accommodates both low vision and blindness, or I will hire a coder to make the changes needed within the current template. I’ve got a couple more names of people on my list as possible experts to help me out with the site. And I probably need to work with Squarespace to help them improve their tutorials on this subject.
The point is, well, what is the point anyway? There are a couple of points here.
Never give up.
Don’t let the perfect get in the way of the good… but continue to advance from good to great to (maybe, someday) perfect.
Did I mention not giving up?
I’m ready to upload weekly blogs and get this conversation going. I hope you’ll be part of the experience!