Happy New Year, Reader!
January always carries a quiet promise. A fresh calendar, a little extra light returning, and the sense that what we choose to invest in now can shape the year ahead. For me, 2026 is beginning with deeper roots in the disability community, and that feels like exactly the right place to start.
This month, I’m stepping into several volunteer roles that align closely with Pedal Point’s mission to help people learn, practice, and experience accessibility in real, human ways. I’ve joined the Bay State Council of the Blind (BSCB), my local chapter of the American Council of the Blind, where I’ll be serving on the communications committee. This work focuses on sharing stories of life with blindness and low vision, helping important information reach the community, and supporting ongoing improvements to the organization’s website. Just as meaningful, it’s an opportunity to spend time with people who understand what it’s like to move through a sighted world with different tools and perspectives.
I’m also honored to be serving on the board of the Disabled Stories Collective (DISCO). DISCO creates space for disabled voices through live storytelling events, and my role will involve helping plan and coordinate those gatherings while supporting the organization’s digital promotion and advocacy efforts. It’s a joy to collaborate with such a talented, thoughtful group of storytellers and organizers.
Closer to home, I'm in the final stages of the appointment process to my city’s Commission on Disability, a volunteer group of residents with disabilities and allies who advocate for accessibility at the municipal level. The commission advises local leadership, helps fund projects that improve daily life for disabled people, and works to educate the broader community about disability-related needs and priorities. It’s grassroots work with real impact, and I’m grateful to contribute.
As the year unfolds, I invite you to consider how you might engage with and advocate for the disability community in your own context, through volunteering, learning, listening, or simply asking better questions. Accessibility grows strongest when it’s shared.
New Pedal Point packages for focused, real-world accessibility work
Over the past year, many of my conversations with clients have circled the same questions: Where do we start?How do we keep this moving?How do we help our team actually understand accessibility? In response, Pedal Point is introducing three new packages shaped directly by real client work and real constraints. Each one is designed to reduce uncertainty, build confidence, and make accessibility practical, affordable, and achievable in the flow of everyday work.
- Focused Accessibility Review (FAR)
A fast, targeted assessment that identifies the most important accessibility issues on your website, explains why they matter, and delivers clear, prioritized guidance so you know exactly where to start.
- Accessibility Momentum Program (AMP)
A 3 to 12 month engagement where Pedal Point steadily improves your site’s accessibility, helping busy teams make consistent, sustainable progress in a predictable, budget-friendly manner without having to manage every detail themselves.
- Live Accessibility Building Sessions (LABS)
Interactive, real-time workshops that let your team learn accessibility by improving your own website, observing real tools, real decisions, and real trade-offs, then applying that knowledge with guided support.
Whether you need clarity fast, hands-on support, or a learning rhythm that builds internal confidence, these packages are designed to meet your team members where they are and help accessibility stick.
Upcoming events
DISCO storytelling event
This Sunday, January 11, from 4–6 PM, DISCO will host a live storytelling event titled Whether Permitting: Stories of Barriers to Access at the Northampton Center for the Arts. We have an excellent lineup of storytellers sharing experiences that are candid, challenging, and hopeful. The gathering also includes an open mic segment if you feel moved to share. Come listen, connect, and meet others who care deeply about access and inclusion.
ATIA 2026 Conference
Later this month, I’ll be attending the Assistive Technology Industry Association’s annual conference in Orlando. This event brings together assistive technology vendors, educators, and users, with a strong focus on tools that support learning and participation. If you’re planning to attend, let me know. I’d love to meet up and say hello in person.
Accessibility around the web
Which Website Builder Ranks Best in Accessibility - Rache from Squarestyle
When popular website builders promise simplicity and beauty, how well do they support people with disabilities? This study examines five major web platforms -- Shopify, ShowIt, Squarespace, Webfow, and Wix -- at the architectural level, where creators have the least control and users have the most at stake. Some builders impressed, others surprised, and one raised serious concerns. Check out whibh builders genuinely support inclusive design and explore the full findings, audit matrix, and test videos in the full report.
You Can’t Make Something Accessible to Everyone - Adrian Roselli
Despite our best efforts, technology cannot account for everyone's unique set of circumstances, experiences, and environments. That's not a bad thing; it just underscores how accessibility is more about people than tech, and it motivates us to keep working to reduce the number of people and situations that get left out.
Designing For Stress And Emergency - Vitaly Friedman for Smashing Magazine
Good design earns its keep under pressure, not just in perfect conditions. This article looks at how stress disrupts attention and decision-making, and why interfaces that seem fine can fail when users are rushed or overwhelmed. It explores practical ways to reduce cognitive load, from single-tasking and clearer defaults to emergency-ready flows, so products stay usable when it matters most.
Have a jovial January!
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Simon Miner
Pedal Point Solutions |
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