Personal Accessibility Leadership

Be a PAL.

Recently, a commentor mentioned that (and I’m paraphrasing here), accessibility is something that people higher up in the organization are responsible for.

It’s true that leadership teams are the ones accountable for setting accessibility policies, complying with laws or regulations, and setting the tone for the overall organization. But we can demonstrate personal accessibility leadership no matter who we are or where we sit on the org chart.

Why it Matters

Accessibility touches every aspect of life. It doesn’t apply just to disabled people, either.

Did you know that anyone, at any time, can experience temporary or situational disabilities?

· Temporary disabilities could include injuries, such as broken arms or a sprained wrist, that cause a disability for a short time.

· Situational disabilities are even more fleeting. They might include being unable to read your phone’s screen under bright daylight, being unable to hear the speaker in a noisy conference room, or not being able to navigate stairs while pushing a baby stroller.

All of these things require some sort of alteration, whether that’s an action you take or a tool you use, to overcome barriers. But they’d be a lot easier to manage if the world were designed more thoughtfully, or if we gave more thought to those around us.

Here’s an example.

Indianapolis, 2015

In 2015, I went to the GenCon tabletop games convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. Something like 70,000 people attend GenCon every year, and they converge upon a small area around the Indie convention center.

One day, I was walking and talking with a friend on our way to dinner. There was some kind of heavy can or concrete column of some sort in the middle of the sidewalk. Most people just walked around it, I imagine.

But…

· Wheelchair users would have to navigate the tight space on either side of the object, which would make their friends have to walk into the street or fall behind them until they were around the obstacle.

· People with strollers would have the same issue.

· Throngs of people walking down the sidewalk at the same time would need to thin and flow around the object in order to avoid it. This could cause bottlenecks.

· Or, if you’re me, you could fail to detect the thing with your white can and run straight into it. With your shin. Which hurt. A lot.

I bled a little. It didn’t stop me from enjoying the rest of the convention, but it made walking more difficult. It was also quite embarrassing.

Had anyone bothered to just move the thing out of the middle of the sidewalk, or perhaps not left it there to begin with, none of the above would have been an issue.

My point?

It wasn’t up to the leadership of the convention or the policies of the city to to manage this little localized issue. It was up to the personal choices that individuals made to place the thing there to begin with.

Personal Leadership

We often think of leadership as something a narrow set of people are responsible for. Leaders are the folks who are higher up on the org chart, and they’re often something to be feared.

After all, they hold the keys to our salaries, our workload, our policies, and all the things that make our work live either comfortable or miserable.

But that’s not what true leadership is. As someone who has studied and taught leadership for the better part of a decade now, I’m here to tell you that leadership is a mindset. It’s a set of actions that people take, regardless of their position, that make other people want to work with you.

Leadership is about service. Everything else is management.

We can all be of service, so we can all be leaders.

Which brings me to accessibility leadership. Or, in other words, accessibility service.

Personal Accessibility Leadership

I wrote in a recent post, “When Accessibility Leads,” that I hope there comes a day when accessibility is the default position that we take. In the future, when that’s the case, the world looks like a place where we all show genuine concern for each other and do our part to ensure everyone is included in any space.

That can’t happen if we wait around for the managers at the top to dictate policy and hope we follow. It starts from the ground up.

It starts with the simple actions we take in everyday life to be of service to one another. Regardless of whether the policy says so, and because it’s the right thing to do.

(The cynical among us might say that I’m dreaming of a utopian society. But what’s the harm in taking steps toward that ideal, even if reality means we may never achieve it? Even 50% progress is progress.)

When I talk about Personal Accessibility Leadership, I mean the small things that anyone can do at any time to personally lead in the areas where they have influence. In particular, to think about accessibility and the inclusion of others whenever necessary.

When you think about Personal Accessibility Leadership, you can think of just being a PAL. A good pal is conscientious, considers how their actions impact others, and serves without the expectation that they’re going to get anything in return.

So how can we be a PAL in everyday life? I’ve put together a few examples below.

4 Accessibility Actions in an Office Setting

1. Run Accessibility Checker – Before sending documents (Word, PowerPoint, PDFs), scan for issues that might affect readability or screen readers. In Microsoft 365 (formerly Microsoft Office) products, you can easily find the Accessibility Checker by typing “Accessibility” in the search bar.

2. Use Clear Text Formatting – Avoid tiny fonts or overly decorative styles. For presentations, especially, be sure your headings are clear and your text is large enough to view from a distance. Use high contrast color schemes to improve readability.

3. Ensure Desk & Meeting Space Accessibility – Make sure pathways are clear, seating is adaptable, and meeting areas accommodate different mobility needs. If there’s a chair pushed back in the middle of a walkway, simply push it in.

4. Offer Multiple Ways to Collaborate – Instead of relying only on verbal discussions, provide written summaries, captions, or alternative formats. When possible, send presentation materials ahead of time so people can review them at a pace that works for them.

4 Accessibility Actions in the Built World

5. Mind Physical Obstacles – Avoid placing bags, boxes, or furniture where they might block access for wheelchair users or those with mobility aids. Never place concrete blocks in the middle of a downtown sidewalk.

6. Use Elevators & Ramps Thoughtfully. Don’t block their entrances or exits, and yield to people with wheels of any kind (wheelchairs, strollers, unicycles, etc.).

7. Prune your trees and bushes, if applicable. If you have flora that overhangs a sidewalk, keep it trimmed back so it doesn’t get in anyone’s way.

8. Hold Doors Open or Use Automatic Options – If doors don’t open automatically, consider helping others by holding them open when needed.

4 Accessibility Actions Related to Communication

9. Practice Active Listening – Ensure everyone has a chance to speak by pausing before responding, giving space for slower processing, and avoiding interruptions.

10. Use Inclusive Language – Be mindful of phrasing that might unintentionally exclude or stereotype, such as using plain language instead of jargon that can be difficult to follow. Define acronyms before you use them.

11. Confirm Understanding in Multiple Ways – Instead of just verbal confirmation, reinforce key points through written follow-ups, summaries, or visual aids.

12. Provide Physical Cues When Speaking – Facing someone directly, keeping hand gestures clear, and avoiding covering your mouth can improve communication for those who rely on lip-reading or visual cues. It can also help people understand you clearly in noisy environments.

Bonus Tip

13. Ask, don’t assume.

If you suspect someone might need help, ask before you lend a hand. Some people do things slowly, or differently, but don’t necessarily need you to step in on their behalf. Even if it looks like a struggle to you, it doesn’t mean you have to take over.

But it might also just mean that they haven’t asked for help. So don’t feel bad about saying, “Hey do you need any help?”

What Can You Do?

These are just a few thoughts on how to be a pal. Think about your daily life or work and consider what you can do to contribute to accessibility becoming the default way of being.

If you thought of something I didn’t mention above, leave it in the comments. We can all learn from one another.

Then, for more thoughts on how to achieve Growth for ALL, remember to subscribe for future posts.