The Accessibility Cookbook: a Recipe for Disaster, by Aaron Cannon.

This is a very well-written article which provides an “insider’s” viewpoint from both an accessibility and an interface designer’s perspective.

The article remarks, in brief, on the importance of knowing the why’s and how’s of accessibility. If you don’t understand why or how you’re helping a disabled user, you are immediately opening up a gateway to create new barriers. It’s not about following a set of rules; it’s about sitting down and thinking about whether a given choice will actually benefit the user.

In accessibility, many choices aren’t black and white. Just following the guidelines is a good way to cause trouble!

Hat tip to Cameron Moll for the link.