Doing Less with More (Yes You Read That Correctly)

Most organisations are told to “do more with less,” budgets are cut, head counts are reduced, they try to replace people and processes through AI but deliver at the same pace. However in accessibility, the opposite problem can be just as damaging. When you finally get more, more budget, more SMEs, more executive buy-in, more training, the result should be acceleration. Instead, many programs find themselves delivering less, moving slower, or becoming tangled in complexity, duplication, or misaligned expectations.

This session exposes some of the anti‑patterns that quietly sabotage accessibility programs when they scale. Drawing from real‑world examples (including a few painful lessons learned the hard way), we’ll unpack how well‑intentioned growth can create bottlenecks, confusion, and burnout. How can you scale safely?

The session will explore the pitfalls that present when scaling, issues when accessibility becomes “everyone’s job.” Where SMEs become gatekeepers, governance becomes bureaucracy, and when increased visibility leads to increased noise rather than increased impact.

You’ll leave with a clear understanding of what not to do, and how to correct if you are scaling your digital accessibility program too soon.