14 Quotes That Celebrate a More Accessible World

May 25, 2016 3 min readOpen
Photo of Courtney Seiter
Courtney Seiter

Former Director of People @ Buffer

Accessibility isn’t a topic that just affects some of us. As no less of an innovator than Google puts it, “the accessibility problems of today are the mainstream breakthroughs of tomorrow.”

We at Buffer are delighted to have Neil Milliken (@neilmilliken), Debra Ruh (@debraruh), Antonio Santos (@akwyz) of AXSChat (@axschat) joining us on Bufferchat today to discuss Supporting Accessibility on Social Media.

AXSChat is an open online community dedicated to creating an inclusive world with the belief that accessibility is for everyone. The community works to spread knowledge through weekly video interviews and Twitter chats about the work people are doing to enable greater access and inclusion.

It’s a lively chat and community, and we’re grateful for the knowledge and experience. In honor of their Bufferchat today, the minds behind AXSChat shared some of their favorite quotes about accessibility with us.

14 Quotes That Celebrate a More Accessible World

“I wish for a world that views disability, mental or physical, not as a hindrance but as unique attributes that can be seen as powerful assets if given the right opportunities”― Oliver Sacks

Oliver Sacks

“We should celebrate neurodiversity – the world would be poorer and life duller if we were all the same.”―Neil Milliken

Neil 1

“Let’s stop ‘tolerating’ or ‘accepting’ difference, as if we’re so much better for not being different in the first place. Instead, let’s celebrate difference, because in this world it takes a lot of guts to be different.”― Kate Bornstein

Kate Bornstein

“The only disability is when people cannot see human potential.”― Debra Ruh

Debra Ruh

“If disabled people were truly heard, an explosion of knowledge of the human body and psyche would take place.”― Susan Wendell

Susan Wendell

“Focus not on the differences of people with disabilities but the talent of the individual.”― Neil Milliken

Neil 2

“When speaking of disabilities, the blind and their needs are most often used as an example. It is deceivingly simplistic since accessibility is something most of the population can benefit from.” ― Marcus Österberg

Marcus Osterberg

“Accessibility allows us to tap into everyone’s potential.” ― Debra Ruh

Debrah Ruh 2

“The one argument for accessibility that doesn’t get made nearly often enough is how extraordinarily better it makes some people’s lives. How many opportunities do we have to dramatically improve people’s lives just by doing our job a little better?”  ― Steve Krug

Steve Krug

“The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect.” – Tim Berners-Lee

Tim Berners-Lee

“Accessibility is not a feature, is a social trend.” ― Antonio Santos

Antonio Santos

“It is a waste of time to be angry about my disability. One has to get on with life and I haven’t done badly. People won’t have time for you if you are always angry or complaining.” Steven Hawking

Steven Hawking

“Who said we want to conform to the norm?  Celebrate & embrace our differences.” ― Neil Milliken

Neil 3

“We need to make every single thing accessible to every single person with a disability.”― Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder

Got a favorite quote we missed? We’d love to hear it in the comments!

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