About this episode
The World Bank estimates 1 billion people experience some form of disability. That means accessibility must be built into how teams approach every project—helping them deliver more value to everyone. Kathryn Rutkowski, PMP, senior program manager, Atlassian, Sydney, Australia, discusses how bringing in experts can help bring an accessibility sensibility to project teams. She also talks about designing projects with accessibility customers in mind to create a better experience for everyone. Matt Ligas, principal, Michael Graves Architecture & Design, Washington, D.C., USA, discusses a project to build accessible homes for military families and how feedback from the homes’ occupants has influenced design decisions. He also shares how architects play a key role in keeping an accessibility focus on projects. Key themes [00:57] Increased awareness, legislation for accessibility [02:36] Building accessible sensibility into project teams [06:01] Design thinking: Think of accessibility customers as people with difficulties, not disabilities [08:07] Pushing Atlassian’s accessibility program forward [10:02] Making accessibility standard on projects, products [11:34] Personal experience puts focus on accessible design [13:29] Customer-focused design on Accessible Military Housing project [17:21] State of accessibility: We’re doing better than ever, but there’s still work to be done