By GIC Published on June 11th, 2025

Last updated on June 11th, 2025

Vulnerability is the willingness to step outside your comfort zone and reveal things about yourself in hopes of inspiring a beneficial response. We’ve written this blog with that same mindset that guides the new Lighthouse design system: the belief that developing in an open-source environment fosters greater collaboration and leads to a stronger final product.

We at the GIC recently had an “A ha!” moment that came from one person sharing his own experience. We were inspired enough to share our own vulnerability here.

Despite the best of intentions, many of us who strive to make websites accessible are often making assumptions on behalf of those with different experiences than our own. We assume the guardrails of accessibility that were established many years ago remain effective and useful for those with disabilities. But if we aren’t experiencing those things ourselves, or talking to those who are, then we’re just throwing darts at a target we may not even be seeing correctly.

This became clear to us at the GIC during a recent meeting with public information officers from many different Delaware agencies.

In 2024, we conducted a User Testing study about the continued viability of the ReadSpeaker accessibility software. In that study, participants cited concerns about the screen reader’s functionality and ability to keep up with current tech. Some participants also mentioned that they have their own accessibility tech to better match their needs for the tasks that were presented in the study.

And so, guided by this research, the GIC announced at that recent PIO meeting that we were leaning toward the removal of ReadSpeaker from our GIC-managed websites.

Upon hearing this, Emmanuel Jenkins of the Delaware Developmental Disabilities Council spoke up.

Emmanuel has created a world of positive inspiration and education around his own experience living with Cerebral Palsy. He’s a lifelong disability advocate, a motivational speaker, founder of his own company, a University of Delaware faculty member, and last year was appointed by President Biden to serve on the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities. We’re also fortunate to have now enlisted him as one of our Lighthouse Feedback Partners. (We’d love for you to join us as well!)

In that meeting and another that followed, Emmanuel explained his own trials and tribulations with screen readers. But more importantly, he shared his belief that his many successes in life have been made possible through assistive technology. He asked us to reconsider removing ReadSpeaker if we don’t have another, better option ready to replace it. His stories and experiences were very moving to our entire team, who felt a great sense of relief at getting a chance to rethink something so important.

We had more questions for Emmanuel!

GIC: Do you use ReadSpeaker more than other screen readers?

Emmanuel: I use something called Read&Write Gold. That’s a screen reader that is more advanced. It does however let me highlight ReadSpeaker.

GIC: Why are you concerned that ReadSpeaker be removed from Delaware state websites?

Emmanuel: I don’t use ReadSpeaker every day, but I can go grab three people that do.

GIC: But doesn’t ReadSpeaker have functionality challenges?

Emmanuel: There’s nothing in this world that’s perfect. But the sense of being able to be – I don’t even like the word ‘normal’ – but on the same playing field. That means more to me and to people with disabilities than something being perfect.

GIC: So what’s a good philosophy for developers regarding accessibility?

Emmanuel: I would say to developers, don’t worry about carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. I don’t have to carry the weight of trying to think about accessibility and think about what I’m doing right and what I’m doing wrong, if I have people in this world. Here we are, the resource that will never go away, the disability community.

GIC: What are some places to start for developers and web editors who might have accessibility concerns or questions?

Emmanuel: Reach out to the Council! (Delaware Developmental Disabilities Council – State of Delaware) But also reach out to your neighbors. Your friend, your coworker. Based on data, I can guarantee you that there are people you work with that have disabilities in their families.

GIC: Touching on a couple other subjects: When it comes to alt text, is it more helpful to have sort of a top-level description to get the feel and move on, or is it more beneficial to have a really thorough, longer description?

Emmanuel: I would say, the more we know about an image, the better. The more you give us in the description, the more we have to build an imagination. Think about what’s important. Even if you’re not sure until you get used to it, take the photo and put it in AI. Generate what it thinks is in there. You have enough human understanding to say OK, did it capture what this image is?

GIC: What are your thoughts on mobile tech accessibility?

Emmanuel: I have an Android for personal and I have an iPhone for work, so I get to use both. Both have different readers, and I can tell you my Android used to work perfectly. And so they release the update, and now I have to add my accessibility screen reader back on, and I’m like: Why do you keep taking it off?

GIC: Do you use ChatGPT and other AI a lot to help with accessibility?

Emmanuel: In my fun life, I’m a video gamer. Video games have come a long way in accessibility, but you know how many games I buy at $59 apiece that I can’t play? Now when I go to buy a game, I literally have to have a whole conversation with ChatGPT.

I just paid for some new Sony headphones, I said Can I put them on with one hand? Let me gather research and feedback from people with disabilities about this particular headphone for one-handed use. And it gave me actual people’s reviews, with disabilities. I’m not saying replace us with AI! [laughs]

GIC: Anything else developers should keep in mind?

Emmanuel: I’m telling you, something as simple as being able to push a play button makes me feel like I’m on the same team. And that’s my human right. I would want developers to know that this is a partnership. We are in this together. We don’t want perfect. We want what I call done with a purpose. We’re not asking you to be perfect if you do it with intention.

GIC: What would you like to see on every website?

Emmanuel: I want every website to have a screen reader button. Why? Because if you found it worthy to put online, you found it important enough for me to be able to read it!

GIC: So we are rethinking the fate of ReadSpeaker based largely on your impassioned defense.

Emmanuel: Somebody told me a long time ago you could talk real soft and people will hear you, you can yell real loud and nobody will listen. Your team could have said ‘Mr. Jenkins, thank you for your feedback, but this is the plan.’ But they said to me, we don’t know what’s next, but we’re gonna pause. And when I got out of that meeting, I cried like a baby. It’s the fact that someone is listening. But I am only one of many- the feedback that I’m bringing is what I hear on a day-to-day basis.

GIC: We really are thankful for the help you’ve already brought us, and we look forward to hopefully sending some other agencies your way so they can be a little vulnerable and do a little listening as well.

Does your agency have accessibility questions or concerns?

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