A11ying with Sanna

I've been writing about accessibility for a long time now, and I've had my accessibility site. But all of these have always felt a bit separate and disconnected from each other. That is when A11ying with Sanna was born. I wanted to have a name for all of my accessibility work.

A11ying with Sanna brings together practical accessibility information for developers, designers, content creators, decision-makers and anyone else involved in creating digital services.

I've also been slowly becoming more active in the accessibility space. I'm a volunteer with IAAP Nordic, and I'm a part of a Finnish accessibility network as well as W3C's Nordic Accessibility Community Group. Being more active has been motivating, and I've been learning a lot and getting to know people in the community better.

A11ying with Sanna is how I try to do my part in spreading knowledge and the importance of accessibility. My goal is to make accessibility easier to understand and practise without blame, judgment or unnecessary complexity.

The name

Well, the end part comes from my name; that probably doesn't need explanation. The A11ying comes from the accessibility numeronym, a11y. I kind of made it into a verb that essentially means doing accessibility in some way. I also like the numeronym a11y because it is so close to the word "ally". In the numeronym a11y, the number 11 represents the eleven letters between the “a” and “y” in accessibility.

A11ying with Sanna sites

A11ying with Sanna is the umbrella for my accessibility work. Under it, I currently maintain two accessibility websites, each with a slightly different purpose.

• I would if I could offers practical accessibility information for people in different digital roles.
• Almost, but not quite focuses on accessibility requirements, standards and guidelines.

I also have a short introduction to me and the accessibility services I provide through Exove. I wanted to make this information easier to find, so I have collected it under the A11ying with Sanna brand.

Suggestions for content

I always try to ensure people know that I'm more than happy to take requests for content I could add. So if you have any thoughts on beneficial content for you, please let me know. The format can also be something you suggest; now I mostly have only text content, but video or audio formats are also an option. So if you'd enjoy some other formats of content, don't hesitate to reach out.

I can't guarantee I can make everything, but I promise I will at least seriously consider it. And at least I can try to look for other resources I can point you towards.

As I mentioned, on my site you can find a link to a form to request content. But feel free to send me a message on LinkedIn or even an email!

My plans are constantly evolving

I'm planning on creating a course about accessibility. The exact details of it are still in progress, so it will take a while before I can even start to think about actually creating it. This has been my dream for five years or so already. So it will come at some point. I still need to figure out the platform, language and other smaller details. I'd also like to do both a bigger course as well as some smaller ones on specific topics.

The plans for A11ying with Sanna are still evolving, but they already include accessibility courses, YouTube videos and a book. Some will be available in Finnish, some in English and, where possible, in both languages.

For now, the best way to follow the project is through this blog or LinkedIn.