Design Systems, Legacy Code & Accessibility Wins - Alyssa | Senior Web Developer

In this episode of Beyond Barriers, Brian is joined by Alyssa Holland, a seasoned front-end developer and accessibility advocate, to dive into the realities of building accessible digital products. Alyssa shares her journey from discovering accessibility at a higher-ed company to becoming a subject-matter expert and course creator.

Together, they discuss the challenges of introducing accessibility into legacy codebases, educating teams, and getting stakeholder buy-in. Alyssa also highlights the importance of design systems, the ARIA Authoring Practices Guide, and how component libraries can make accessibility a default rather than an afterthought. The conversation explores how developers can "plant seeds" for change within their organizations, incremental strategies to improve existing apps, and exciting efforts like OpenUI that are raising the baseline for accessible development.

Tune in for an insightful and practical conversation that blends education, empathy, and hands-on strategies for creating inclusive experiences.

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Timestamps:(00:00) Introduction(01:10) Alyssa’s journey into accessibility(02:32) How company culture shaped her accessibility mindset(04:03) Learning React and accessible component patterns(07:05) Leveraging design systems for accessibility gains(09:42) Teaching others: Alyssa’s accessibility course(11:45) How she stays up to date with accessibility standards(12:58) Challenges with stakeholder buy-in and timelines(15:33) Incremental improvements in legacy codebases(18:10) Personal challenges balancing accessibility and deadlines(19:31) Educating teams and leading by example(21:33) Shifting the culture from design to development(26:24) Disruptions to watch: OpenUI and elevating the baseline(29:30) Alyssa’s next chapter and final thoughts

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