What We Cover:
- Real-time website evaluation: accessibility, usability, and UX – What screen readers miss—and how to fix it
- How to label forms, fix headers, and improve navigation
- Common color contrast issues (based on the WebAIM study)
- The surprising power of skip links & keyboard-friendly design
- Why even small websites should care about accessibility & compliance Top Fixes Maigen Suggested:
- Make host images more prominent
- Adjust text size and placement for readability
- Improve “Join the List” button accessibility
- Use alt text, title tags & transcripts for better SEO + inclusion
Tools & Resources Mentioned:
SilkTide Accessibility Chrome Extension https://silktide.com/
WebAIM Million Study https://webaim.org/projects/million/
Maigen’s free evaluations: https://freewebsiteevaluation.com
Maigen’s Website: https://maigenthomas.com/
Level 11 Technology: https://www.level11technology.com/
Why This Matters:
Accessibility isn’t just about compliance—it’s about empathy, inclusion, and making sure your digital experience works for everyone. Maigen shares her personal connection to accessibility, including how her grandfather’s vision loss shaped her perspective on designing with intention. Whether you’re a business owner, content creator, or web designer, this episode is packed with practical tips and free tools to level up your site.
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Is your website really accessible to everyone? In this powerful episode of *We’re Not Stumped*, host Mike Bolland welcomes web accessibility expert Maigen Thomas to perform a live audit of the podcast’s website—and the results are eye-opening! Accessibility isn’t just about compliance—it’s about empathy, inclusion, and making sure your digital experience works for everyone. Maigen shares her personal connection to accessibility, including how her grandfather’s vision loss shaped her perspective on designing with intention. Whether you're a business owner, content creator, or web designer, this episode is packed with practical tips and free tools to level up your site.
Here’s the actual quote from a company called the LN4 Hand Project: "A prosthetic hand is an invaluable asset to an individual without an upper limb. An upper limb prosthesis can determine whether or not an individual is able to be employed, contribute to household duties, or provide an increased sense of independence." As a successful one-handed person—a podcaster, speaker, nonprofit founder, and former pro bowler—I have to say, that sentence overlooks the truth: people with limb differences are capable with or without a device. And it’s not just the language. Companies like Taska Prosthetics create videos that show one-handed people doing things like washing apples, as if that’s the pinnacle of independence. While I love and appreciate prosthetics, we can do better. In this podcast, I break down the problem with this kind of messaging, share my lived experience, and challenge the assumption that a prosthesis defines your ability to succeed.
Host Mike Bolland welcomes Brittany Dejean, founder of Inclusion Jumpstart and former Airbnb accessibility leader. Brittany opens up about how her father’s spinal cord injury at age 12 inspired her lifelong passion for disability inclusion. She shares insights from her 6.5 years at Airbnb working on accessibility and diversity initiatives, her nonprofit work with Able Thrive, and her current mission as an entrepreneur and advocate. Brittany’s training programs help people overcome awkwardness around disability and build more inclusive, empathetic spaces in both personal and professional settings.
