Start where you are

Patience and responsiveness go a long way, both in gardening and accessibility work. Start where you are, and make sure to check that both plants and users thrive.

At the height of spring, the time to actually enjoy it seems to be at its shortest. May is the month of cultivation and it’s the time to realise all the grand projects that were conceived during the winter months. Balcony boxes are filled, seedbeds are fertilised, seedlings are planted.

It’s easy to get too excited and get carried away. You start without thinking, and the disappointment comes quickly when things don’t go as planned. Like when a magnificent cucumber plant dies after a cold night. Over time, with patience, you learn what works and what doesn’t. What needs support, protection or a break. Because no matter how good the plan is, it doesn’t matter if you haven’t understood what the conditions are and what the plants actually need. You water too much, or too little. You move things around unnecessarily. But the result will only be good if the plants thrive.

Now you probably think that it was a lot of talk about flowers. Maybe you’re wondering if it’s the wrong newsletter, or if the columnist has a bee in their bonnet, maybe due to acute pollen allergy. Don’t worry. I’ll get to the point.

The point is that there are striking similarities between taking on a cultivation project and starting to work on accessibility. Both can feel overwhelming at first. You stand there and see an overgrown area – of weeds or inaccessible features – and think: Where do I even start? And the same principle applies to both: if you don’t find out what the actual conditions are in the field, the result will rarely be good.

Right now, there is a lot of talk about the European Accessibility Act and the new requirements that will be placed on digital products and services. For many organisations, it feels like a mountain to climb. You want to do the right thing, but you might think it requires a complete overhaul. And sure, some things may need to be torn down and rebuilt. But not everything needs to happen at once.

Too often we wait to start until we have a perfect plan. But there is value in starting with a pot, a corner, or a button. Maybe it’s adding alt text, changing the colour contrast, or just starting to ask users: ‘How does this work for you?’

Just like in the garden, there is no clear end point. Things grows, changes, needs revision. Some plants barely make it a few days while others thrive unexpectedly. But every little improvement makes a difference. Start where you are and take one functionality at a time. Just don’t forget to ask the users, it’s only if they are happy and have what they need that will you know you have succeeded.

Sara Kjellstrand, Research Strategist, Funka Foundation