Philosophy

When my friend Tim Norris posted this to Facebook recently, it made me stop and think. One of those “thinks” was that his words were worth sharing, so here (with Tim’s permission) they are…

Deutsche Übersetzung I don’t know who will read this. I don’t even know why it has suddenly become important to write it, but for whatever it’s worth, this is an account of an event in my life that changed everything.

The subject of screen reader detection has been under discussion lately. It isn’t something I’m comfortable with, so I’d like to share the reasons why.

Inclusive design is an aspirational concept. It isn’t particularly inspirational though. Inclusive design is a phrase for client meetings and government papers. No harm in that, but it isn’t a phrase that rocks the world and inspires us to challenge the accepted status quo.

In 1997, Mary Schmich published a guide to life in the Chicago Tribune. In 1999, Baz Lurhmann turned it into a chillout anthem called Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen). It was, and remains, some of the best advice for life I’ve ever heard…