[NFBCS] Opinion On AccessiBe's apology

[Aaron]

"Hello everyone,
I wanted to get your thoughts on the recent apology issued by the founder
of AccessiBe, which was published in the May issue of the NFb Braille
Monitor. I also posted the same question on the R/Blind subreddit for blind
and visually impaired people, and most people there didn't believe the
sincerity of the apology. You can find the link to the Reddit post at the
bottom of the apology.
It will be interesting to see if AccessiBe issues a similar apology in the
American Council of the Blind (ACB) Braille Forum, which is the ACB's
version of the NFB's Braille Monitor."
Braille Monitor               May 2023
A Heart-felt Apology and a Chance to Start Again
by Shir Ekerling
📷****From the Editor: There isn't much I need to say because this letter
says it all. I admire people who can say they are sorry and want to start
again. I hope and believe this is a real step forward.
Dear Members of the Federation,
My name is Shir, and I am the founder of accessiBe. I am writing to address
our past actions and to offer our deepest apologies for the way we
previously communicated and reacted. I also want to outline what we are
doing and have done to change and improve in response to feedback from
Federation members and individuals in the broader disability space.
Before I go further, I want to share with you that I have a deep personal
understanding of what it feels like to be dependent on assistive
technology. I am a person who relies daily on multiple assistive medical
technologies due to my Type 1/juvenile diabetes. My medical journey has
been challenging at times, and thus I am driven by a singular conviction
when it comes to my work and accessiBe. I can personally relate to
struggling with assistive technology, and this is one of the reasons it is
essential for me to be the best ally that I can be to you.
When I founded accessiBe, other than in the very technical aspects, I was a
newcomer to the accessibility and disability communities. As software
engineers, we incorrectly believed that the technicalities were all that we
needed to know. When some community members voiced their concerns, my
colleagues and I became defensive and resistant, and we mistakenly treated
it with dismissal or, at times, even anger. As the founder of accessiBe, I
want to take full responsibility for these reactions, and I wish to outline
how, in the past two years, feedback from Federation members and many
individuals and disability rights activists has guided me and accessiBe
through a meaningful transformative process.
After several years of learning, and as I reflect on our choices during
that time, I recognize that the way we reacted to concerns did not
demonstrate my commitment to my conviction. Even though we failed to
respond appropriately, we did hear you. We have been learning a lot from
your feedback and have been changing our approach and how we do things
because of it. For our improper reactions and responses, we want to express
our deepest apologies to everyone who has been affected, and we are
committed to responding with openness, gratitude, and accountability going
forward. I also want to apologize for emphasizing our marketing on avoiding
legal action, when it should have been on making one's website usable to
users who would otherwise be left out. We have many things to do until we
get there, but I hope that soon, you will trust us enough to call us your
ally and bestow that honor and responsibility on us. I am committed to that
goal and to receiving all available guidance and learning to support that
work.
At the core of what we do is our belief that creating an inclusive
environment for all individuals requires work from each of us individually
and from us as a collective. As a company handling digital accessibility,
it is our responsibility to work alongside you, to demonstrate why it is so
crucial for businesses to provide online access at all times, especially in
a rapidly changing digital space. This is why we strive to provide
solutions that make it easier for businesses, from the smallest family
business to the biggest enterprise, to provide equal access and
opportunities to all their users and customers, with or without a
disability. We want to provide businesses with tools that help them
recognize that accessibility and usability are possible for them, and that
even if they lack resources, providing accessibility will be a positive
decision that drives their business forward. I'm not writing this to
advertise accessiBe, but to provide background on what we are trying to do.
I'm writing this letter to ask you, Federation members, for a second chance
to build a relationship with you. I am aware of your concerns about
overlays, privacy and security, advertising, and more. Some of these
concerns are addressed here; others are too complex for a short letter, and
I wish to remain focused on the communication and people aspect, and on our
commitment. I am, however, going to address these and any other concerns
you bring to my attention as we move forward in our communication,
conversation, and the work we put out to the world.
Over the past two years, we focused on seeking guidance and training from
disabled leaders, activists, individuals, and disability-led organizations
willing to teach us where we fell short and what we needed to do to revise
our approach. This work is ongoing.
We took the time for a deep review and are making significant changes that
include complete employee training, disability history, civil rights
activism, disability justice workshops, and guidance on accessibility and
disability communication. We are committed to building an inclusive culture
from the core and to being directed by the disability community in the work
that we do. We want disability to be present in all aspects of accessiBe.
Making significant changes takes time, and we understand that building
trust is a lengthy process. We strive to continue learning and making
further improvements that demonstrate our commitment as we move forward.
The experience of every individual is unique. We cannot capture every
perspective or understand every situation. Therefore, we will continue to
learn and improve.
Accessibility is not only about technology but mostly about people,
culture, and education. We are committed to inclusion both internally and
externally.
We are also committed to being transparent about our journey, and I want to
begin by sharing our "Purpose statement" (
https://accessibe.com/purpose-statement). This twenty-page document details
the journey we have been on, delving deep into the changes we have made,
and our focus for the future. We encourage you to read it to learn more
about our efforts. Here are some highlights:
Our marketing department has undergone a significant overhaul that
encompasses communication, activities, and team structure. We have replaced
our chief marketing officer and discarded previous campaigns. We have
shifted our focus toward education, and our goal is to provide a platform
for the disability community to reach our customer network and directly
educate the business community without us speaking for or representing the
community in any way, yet providing it an opportunity to educate millions
of people and businesses directly. We are committed to supporting,
elevating, and amplifying your voice and advocacy efforts. We strongly
believe that educating people and businesses about disabilities,
accessibility, and inclusion is crucial to creating an inclusive society.
By offering individuals and businesses education, in cooperation with the
disability community, we can collectively take steps toward bringing the
digital world closer to where we all want it to be.
We recognize that web accessibility is not a one-size-fits-all process.
Therefore, today, our approach is to provide a variety of accessibility
tools and solutions to help businesses address accessibility
comprehensively. We are creating an ecosystem of tools, services, products,
and educational platforms for businesses of all sizes to develop and
implement inclusive business practices and successfully incorporate web
accessibility in their projects. We also provide comprehensive
accessibility services, including human audits, accessibility consulting,
technical accessibility training, user testing, and ongoing support to
ensure that accessibility is maintained over time.
We are incorporating talented professionals from the disability community
and their expertise into every aspect of our company. Everything we do is
made with, and often by, a person with a disability in the process. This is
true from research and development to the way we deliver services, build
products and solutions, and come up with campaigns and communications for
businesses and customers. Every layer of accessiBe relies on leadership and
talent from people with disabilities, including input, education, guidance,
and review.
As the founder of accessiBe, I have a responsibility to lead by example. I
am committed to listening to your feedback and concerns and to taking
actions that reflect that. I am also committed to being accountable for our
reactions and to being a part of the solution. For that reason, I want to
offer a direct line of communication with me for your concerns or
questions. Please do not hesitate to email me directly at
ekshir at accessibe.com.
We have a long way to go, but we are committed to making the necessary
changes and doing better. We believe that accessibility and inclusion are
critical foundational components of society and should therefore be
essential and achievable for businesses of any size. We must create
resources, solutions, and services that support this goal while providing
the best user experience to each person. We look forward to working with
you on creating a more accessible and inclusive future for everyone.
Sincerely, Shir
Braille Monitor Source link
https://nfb.org//images/nfb/publications/bm/bm23/bm2305/bm230503.htm
Reddit Link
https://www.reddit.com/r/Blind/comments/13eno41/what_is_your_opinion_on_the_apology_issued_by_the/
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