Stakeholder Influence Lab: Get Buy-In for Accessibility Without Begging, Backpedaling, or Burning Out

This session is a skills lab for people who already understand accessibility fundamentals and need to move work through real organizations. You will learn a repeatable approach to stakeholder influence that positions accessibility as product quality and risk management, not a personal preference or a “nice-to-have.”

Participants will complete guided exercises that produce concrete artifacts during the session:

- Stakeholder Influence Map: identify decision-makers, blockers, champions, and what each group needs to say yes

- Clear Ask Builder: scope a request with outcomes, effort level, and a definition of done that teams can execute

- One-Page Executive Brief: a concise “why now,” impact and risk framing, and the specific decision needed next

- Pushback Script Bank: calm, practical responses to common objections (timeline, cost, “later,” “edge cases,” “we already meet WCAG,” and more)

Hybrid participants will have parallel practice paths. Onsite attendees will work in small groups, and virtual attendees will use breakouts or a solo track with chat-based sharing and facilitator feedback. You will leave with a complete influence toolkit you can reuse for your next accessibility initiative, roadmap ask, or cross-functional decision.