What can Real Life Access help me with?

Real Life Access helps organizations identify problems, remove barriers, and improve the way their technology, people, and processes work together.

Our services include digital accessibility audits, remediation, website development, employee technology assessments, disability-inclusive hiring consultation, training, and organizational problem-solving.

You don't need to know which service you need before contacting us. We can help you determine where to start.

I don't know exactly what's wrong. Can you help me figure it out?

Yes. You don't need to arrive with a diagnosis.

Sometimes the symptoms are obvious, but the underlying problem isn't. Employees may struggle with a system, customers may abandon a process, or an organization may keep encountering the same issue despite repeated attempts to correct it.

We investigate how people, technology, and processes interact to identify barriers, determine their likely causes, and recommend practical solutions.

The goal isn't simply to identify what's broken. It's to understand why it isn't working and what needs to change.

Do you work with small businesses, or only large organizations?

We work with organizations of different sizes, including small businesses, professional practices, nonprofits, and larger organizations.

The appropriate approach depends on the problem, the systems involved, and your available resources.

A small business may need a targeted accessibility assessment and a practical remediation plan. A larger organization may need a comprehensive evaluation, employee training, vendor coordination, or ongoing consultation.

We work to recommend solutions that are appropriate to the organization's needs rather than applying the same approach to every situation.

What happens if I contact you and I'm not sure what service I need?

That's a perfectly reasonable place to start.

Our initial conversation focuses on understanding what you're experiencing, what you've already tried, and what you're trying to accomplish.

From there, we can help determine whether the appropriate next step is an accessibility audit, technical remediation, website development, employee training, a focused consultation, or a broader investigation.

You don't have to know the technical terminology or arrive with a fully defined project.

You bring the problem. We'll help you figure out what comes next.

My business has received an accessibility demand letter or is facing a lawsuit. Can you help?

Yes. Real Life Access works with organizations that need to identify and address digital accessibility barriers, including those responding to demand letters or accessibility-related litigation.

We can evaluate your website or digital systems, document accessibility issues, provide actionable remediation guidance, coordinate corrective work, and retest completed changes.

Our findings can help your organization and legal counsel understand the technical issues and establish a practical remediation plan.

Real Life Access provides accessibility consulting and technical expertise, not legal advice or legal representation. We can work alongside your attorney to support your organization's response.

How is your accessibility audit different from an automated scan?

Automated accessibility testing tools are useful, but they cannot fully determine whether a website or application is accessible to the people who need to use it.

Real Life Access conducts manual evaluations that examine how people interact with digital systems, including screen reader operation, keyboard navigation, focus management, forms, and essential user journeys.

Our reports document each identified issue, its impact, relevant accessibility standards, and clear, actionable recommendations for correction.

Findings are organized by scope and prioritized to help your team understand which issues require attention and how to approach remediation.

An automated scan can identify certain technical defects. A manual audit helps explain what those defects mean for real users and what needs to be done about them.

How can you conduct a comprehensive accessibility audit if you're totally blind? Aren't some accessibility requirements visual?

Yes, some accessibility requirements are visual, and a comprehensive audit needs to account for them.

I'm totally blind, and I've been using screen readers and assistive technology for more than 20 years. That experience allows me to evaluate accessibility barriers firsthand, including problems with keyboard navigation, screen reader compatibility, forms, focus management, and the ability to complete real-world tasks.

But my personal experience is only one part of the testing process.

A comprehensive accessibility audit involves multiple testing methods. I use manual testing, automated tools, and technical inspection to evaluate different accessibility requirements. For issues that require visual assessment, such as color contrast, visual focus indicators, text resizing, and layout behavior, I incorporate sighted assistance and additional testing resources as appropriate.

Every finding is documented with its impact, relevant accessibility standards, and actionable recommendations for correction.

Being blind doesn't mean I ignore visual accessibility. It means I approach accessibility as a discipline that requires the right combination of expertise, tools, and testing methods.

The question isn't whether one person can personally experience every accessibility barrier. It's whether the audit methodology accounts for them. Mine does.

Can you identify accessibility problems and help fix them?

Yes. Real Life Access provides both accessibility evaluations and remediation support.

We identify barriers, explain their impact, and develop clear, actionable solutions. We can also coordinate and oversee the technical work needed to correct those issues, then retest completed changes to verify that the barriers have been addressed.

Whether you need an assessment, remediation, or support throughout the entire process, we can help you move from identifying problems to implementing solutions.

I need a complete website overhaul. Can you help?

Yes. Whether your website needs accessibility improvements, a redesign, or a complete rebuild, Real Life Access can help you determine the appropriate approach.

We can evaluate your existing website, identify accessibility and usability problems, assess how effectively it supports your business goals, and help plan the improvements.

When a rebuild is appropriate, we can coordinate website development, accessibility implementation, and testing to help ensure the finished site is functional, usable, and aligned with your organization's needs.

Our approach considers more than appearance. A successful website should help people find information, take action, and accomplish what they came to do.

We've already tried fixing the problem. Why does it keep coming back?

Recurring problems often indicate that the underlying cause hasn't been addressed.

For example, an organization might repeatedly correct accessibility problems on individual pages while continuing to use templates, plugins, or content practices that introduce the same barriers.

We look beyond individual symptoms to examine the systems and processes contributing to them.

Depending on the findings, the solution may involve technical changes, revised workflows, staff training, vendor coordination, or changes to internal practices.

Our objective is not simply to resolve today's problem, but to help prevent the same problem from returning.

Can you evaluate third-party software or systems we didn't develop ourselves?

Yes.

Organizations depend on third-party applications for scheduling, customer management, employee services, payments, and many other essential functions. Those systems can create significant accessibility barriers even when your own website or internal technology is accessible.

We can evaluate third-party products, document barriers, communicate technical findings, and help your organization work with vendors to pursue corrections or identify alternatives.

We can also assess accessibility during software selection so you have better information before committing to a new product.

I have a blind employee who says our employee-facing software is inaccessible. Can you help?

Absolutely.

Employee-facing systems are just as important as customer-facing websites. If an employee cannot independently use the tools required to perform their job, the problem may involve the software itself, its configuration, the employee's assistive technology, or the workflow surrounding it.

We can evaluate the system using screen readers and keyboard navigation, identify barriers, and recommend solutions. Depending on the findings, that may involve software remediation, configuration changes, vendor coordination, assistive technology support, or employee training.

Our goal is to help your employee perform their job effectively while giving your organization a clear understanding of what needs to change.

We want to find qualified candidates with disabilities. Where do we start?

Start by examining how your organization recruits, evaluates, hires, and supports employees.

Qualified candidates may encounter barriers before they ever reach an interview. Inaccessible application systems, unnecessarily restrictive job requirements, inflexible interview processes, and misconceptions about disability can prevent employers from connecting with talented people.

Real Life Access can help review your recruitment and hiring processes, identify unnecessary barriers, and develop practical strategies for reaching and evaluating qualified candidates with disabilities.

We can also provide guidance on accessible recruitment materials, interview practices, workplace technology, and onboarding.

The objective is straightforward: help your organization reach a broader pool of qualified candidates and give them a fair opportunity to demonstrate what they can do.

Can you help us improve our internal processes or train our employees?

Yes.

Not every accessibility or usability problem requires a software change. Sometimes the issue involves how employees are trained, how information is communicated, or how work is organized.

Real Life Access can evaluate workflows, identify barriers, and provide practical recommendations for improvement.

We also offer training and consultation to help employees, managers, developers, and organizational leaders understand accessibility and apply it in their everyday responsibilities.

Do you provide technology training for individuals who are blind or visually impaired?

Yes.

Real Life Access provides individualized technology training and support for blind and visually impaired people.

Training can include Windows computers, JAWS, iPhones with VoiceOver, Microsoft Office, email, web browsing, document management, and other everyday applications.

Instruction is tailored to the individual's experience, goals, and technology needs.

Our focus is not on memorizing commands. It's on helping people use technology to accomplish the things that matter to them.