Let’s step away from digital accessibility for a moment and talk about cars.
Transcript: Sound of a idling car with a loud, modified performance muffler, reving up. The sound then changes to the same car passing.
Picture this: you’re a male in your early 30s, you’re passionate about fast cars, and you own a Dodge Charger. Wanting to amplify its presence, you install a performance muffler, loud, aggressive, and impossible to ignore. At first, the sound draws high-fives and admiration. But soon, admiration gives way to grimaces, complaints, and eventually, a cease-and-desist letter from your HOA.
Your defense? “I can’t help the sound my muffler makes!”
But of course, you can.
- You chose the muffler.
- You paid for its installation.
- You knew exactly what you were adding.
Now, let’s return to digital accessibility.
Say you install a third-party solution, say a chatbot on your website. It’s affordable, easy to implement, and works beautifully, at least for some users. For people using screen readers or navigating by keyboard, however, that chatbot is inaccessible. Its floating button is unlabeled and impossible to operate. When complaints arrive, your response is: “I’m not responsible, I can’t change the code!”
But again, of course, you are responsible.
- You selected the third-party solution.
- You paid for it.
- You installed the third-party solution, without verifying whether it excluded people with disabilities.
The parallel is clear: whether it’s a muffler that disrupts your neighborhood or a chatbot that excludes users, the responsibility is yours. Choosing a third-party solution doesn’t absolve you of accountability. It heightens it.
So what should you do when integrating third-party solutions?
- Prioritize accessibility in procurement. If you buy it, you own the consequences, so ensure accessibility is part of the selection criteria.
- Assess vendor accountability. Research how the provider responds to issues, especially accessibility complaints. Their responsiveness will become your reputation.
- Verify accessibility yourself. Don’t just trust claims or marketing language. Conduct a manual audit of the third-party solution before committing.
The lesson is simple: every decision you make, whether in customizing a car or enhancing a website, carries responsibility. Accessibility isn’t optional, and accountability doesn’t vanish when code comes from a third party. As leaders in digital spaces, it’s our duty to ensure the choices we make don’t just work for some, they work for everyone.