Engaging Reluctant Stakeholders in Accessibility Work
Frank Spillers
UX & Service Design leader
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Move accessibility beyond audits and compliance into shared org responsibility
Most accessibility efforts fail socially, not technically.
Teams often know accessibility matters. But stakeholders may:
See it as expensive
Fear delays
Misunderstand disability
Protect existing workflows
Avoid accountability
Treat accessibility issues as “edge cases”
This masterclass teaches influence strategies for real organizations. Especially important in:
Regulated environments
Enterprise systems
Public sector delivery
Cross-functional delivery teams
In this Masterclass you will learn how to turn accessibility resistance into productive action.
You will learn to diagnose why stakeholders push back, reframe accessibility around business and service outcomes, handle defensive reactions, and build stronger internal allies.
Professionally, this shifts you from being the person who raises accessibility issues to someone who can influence decisions, reduce resistance, and create lasting change across teams and ultimately org-wide.
What you’ll learn
Go from being the person who raises accessibility issues to one who can influence decisions, reduce resistance, and create lasting change.
Diagnose whether resistance comes from time, cost, risk, ownership, confidence, or competing priorities.
Separate the stated objection from the underlying organizational pressure.
Use a stakeholder resistance map before planning your response.
Translate accessibility into risk, quality, adoption, efficiency, trust, and service outcomes.
Tailor the case to executives, product, engineering, operations, and procurement.
Practise moving beyond WCAG-only or compliance-first arguments.
Recognize when accessibility feedback feels like criticism, blame, or additional workload.
Use questions and evidence to lower defensiveness.
Practise responding to common objections without creating confrontation.
Identify where inaccessible outcomes are created by processes, incentives, handoffs, and unclear ownership.
Find practical changes that make accessible work easier earlier.
Move conversations from individual fixes toward organizational conditions.
Identify stakeholders who can influence, enable, sponsor, or normalize accessibility.
Start with achievable commitments that demonstrate value.
Build shared ownership instead of relying on one accessibility advocate.
Recognize the difference between audit-and-fix accessibility and organizational capability.
Connect accessibility to procurement, governance, research, design, engineering, and operations.
Define a practical next step for embedding accessibility into everyday decisions.
Learn directly from Frank
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Frank Spillers
Award-winning Design Leader with 25+ years (Nike, Microsoft, Gov UK, World Bank)
Who this course is for
Accessibility leads
UX / Service designers
Product managers
What's included
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Live sessions
Learn directly from Frank Spillers in a real-time, interactive format.
Lifetime access
Go back to course content and recordings whenever you need to.
Community of peers
Stay accountable and share insights with like-minded professionals.
Certificate of completion
Share your new skills with your employer or on LinkedIn.
Maven Guarantee
Your purchase is backed by the Maven Guarantee.
Course syllabus
Week 1
Pre-watch 3 videos (20 min)
Week 2
Sep
3
Engaging Reluctant Stakeholders in Accessibility Work
Schedule
Live sessions
1 hr / week
Thu, Sep 3
5:00 PM—6:00 PM (UTC)
Async content
1-2 hrs / week
Pre-watch videos and material review
Frequently asked questions
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Reimbursement
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Get reimbursedTeam discount
Learn with your teammates
Save 20%+ when 2 or more teammates enroll in the same cohort.
Save 20%+ with a teamPrivate cohort
Run a cohort for your org
A dedicated cohort with a custom schedule and curriculum, tailored to your team.
Book a private cohort$200
USD