Accessibility is Personal - Kelly Thibodeau on Inclusive Design

Kelly Thibodeau builds her work around one idea: accessibility is personal.The founder of Squarely Accessible joins Simon to talk about what inclusive design actually means online, and why so much of it comes down to a single choice, including people on purpose, or excluding them by accident. Kelly shares the story of watching her mom's world shrink as technology moved on without her, the business case most organizations overlook, and where to start when accessibility feels too big to tackle. IN THIS EPISODE · Why Kelly says accessibility is personal, and the story behind Squarely Accessible · What an accessible future looks like when everyone can do the everyday things — applying for a job, filing taxes, catching up with friends · The difference between being intentionally included and accidentally excluded · Why 80% of disabilities are invisible, and what that means for the content we publish · The numbers brands miss: 1.3 billion people worldwide, and the customers lost to barriers · "Do you want it, or do you need it?" — moving past compliance to actually caring · Small starts, why there's no such thing as "100% done," and how to begin anyway · Masking at work, and building workplaces where people don't have to hide who they are · "Nothing about us without us": working with disabled people, not just for them 👋 Guest - Kelly Thibodeau, Squarely Accessible Website: squarelyaccessible.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kthibodeau Level It Up: levelitupmb.ca 🔗 Follow Accessible Future Podcast YouTube:    / @accessiblefuture   Instagram: instagram.com/accessible_future Facebook: facebook.com/people/Accessible-Future/61586380868685 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/accessible-future Email: [email protected]   If you found value in this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating on your platform. It helps more people find the show. ⏰Chapters 0:00 Intro 1:28 What an accessible future looks like 4:07 Her mom, and why accessibility is personal 8:10 Inside Squarely Accessible 12:03 Want it vs. need it: beyond compliance 17:48 Training, invisible disabilities & the business case 24:25 Neuroinclusion, autism employment & a final word 32:33 Wrap-up