FINESSE: Accessibility Is Not DEI
- JD Solomon
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Many organizations talk about accessibility and DEI in the same breath. The intent is good. The outcome is not. Accessibility is a functional requirement. DEI is a cultural commitment. The word that connects them—inclusion—is also the word that confuses them.
From the Real World
My cell phone buzzed. An old reliability friend was calling.
“Hello, Derek,” I answered. “How have you been?”
“Great, JD. And I won’t take but a few minutes of your time. I wanted to call and talk to you about the upcoming conference, but I have one personal question before that.”
“Sure, Derek,” I replied. “Fire away.”
“I see that you are doing diversity webinars. That’s great but I don’t get how that fits into reliability engineering.”
“Well, they’re not diversity webinars,” I replied. “They are accessibility webinars, and there is a big difference. My work is more about how we make technical reports and presentations clearer and more accessible to everyone and especially use people with hearing and seeing impairments as the foundation.”
“I guess I need to learn more. But I didn’t take you for one of those corporate DEI people,” he concluded. “Now let’s talk about the conference.”
Derek isn’t wrong to be confused. Inclusion shows up in both conversations. But accessibility and DEI solve different problems, and technical communicators need to know which one they’re actually working on.
One of Three Barriers
At Communicating with FINESSE, accessibility is one of three barriers that consistently derail technical communication—language, accessibility, and generational differences. Each is a functional obstacle, not a values statement. Language means jargon and first-language differences. Generational differences mean how Boomers and Gen Z prefer to receive information. Accessibility means adapting for people with vision or hearing impairments, so no one is left out of the room.
None of the three barriers gets solved by a culture initiative. They get solved by adjusting how you build a report, run a meeting, or design a slide.
One Foundation, Two Kinds of Communication
Accessibility shows up differently depending on the kind of communication you’re doing. In linear communication—the reports and presentations built around the FINESSE Fishbone Diagram®—accessibility means contrast, fonts, alt text, and structure that a screen reader or a person with low vision can actually use.
In two-way communication—the facilitated sessions built around CATER—accessibility means pre-session exchanges that surface what participants need, and a rhythm that doesn’t leave anyone straining to keep up.
Get accessibility right in FINESSE, and you’ve built the foundation. The same habits—clarity, contrast, structure—carry forward into how you facilitate, ask questions, and read the room.
Accessibility, Not DEI
Accessibility is not DEI. It shares a word with DEI, not a job description. Get the distinction right, and your reports, your slides, and your facilitated sessions all get clearer for everyone in the room.
Are you Communicating with FINESSE?
JD Solomon champions practical communication skills that help technical professionals convey complex ideas clearly and confidently. Learn more at www.jdsolomonsolutions.com and www.communicatingwithfinesse.com.
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