A Mouse, a Ticket, and a Teachable Moment: Reflections on Everyday Accessibility

By Christopher King | Project Officer | Information Technology Accessibility Office (ITAO)

As a Digital Accessibility Professional within the Information Technology Accessibility Office (ITAO), I often find myself advocating for inclusive design and digital equity everywhere I go. Every now and then, I experience firsthand the very barriers I work to eliminate. A recent incident involving something as simple as a computer mouse reminded me just how important—or frustrating—accessibility can be.

The Unexpected Hurdle

It started with a forgotten mouse. I arrived at work ready to dive into my day, only to realize that I’d left my mouse at home. Fortunately, our department recently opened a helpful new service where employees can borrow equipment or get tech support. When I entered the walk-in centre*, I explained my need to borrow equipment to one of the two staff members on site. I was told that they don’t usually loan out mice, but that they happened to have a spare I could borrow for the day. There was just one catch: I could only borrow it after submitting a service request through the National Service Desk’s IT Service Portal! Internal link

Navigating Without a Mouse

In my role as an accessibility tester with ITAO, I often try to test everything with a keyboard and take the opportunity to do so even when it isn’t necessarily required for the task at hand. I quickly realized I could simply use my keyboard skills to navigate the site and submit my service request. But what followed was a frustrating reminder that not all digital systems are created equal.

Despite my best efforts, using the Tab key to move through the multitude of links and fields took a long time on every page, and I couldn’t remember whether I was supposed to use the spacebar or Enter key to select hyperlinks. When I arrived on the first WebDirect screen, the focus indicator (a requirement to help sighted users see which on-screen element is currently being selected) was barely visible. As someone with a cognitive disability, I could already sense my blood pressure rising. What should have taken two minutes was now stretching into a much longer ordeal, costing me valuable time and productivity.

The Bigger Picture

This experience got me thinking: while less problematic for someone like me, this could well be a daily frustration for persons with a disability. And even though this wasn’t the first time I’d tested something without a mouse, it was frustrating.

“Accessibility isn’t just about compliance. It’s about dignity, independence, and equal opportunity for everyone.”

Sometimes frustrations can arise from something as subtle as needing to hit the Enter key to select a button, or from having to tab through a dozen hyperlinks just to bypass a submenu.

This experience, while minor in the grand scheme of things, underscores a critical point: accessibility isn’t a one-time checkbox—it’s an ongoing commitment. Even well-designed systems can fall short if they’re not tested with real users and assistive technologies. And when they do fall short, the impact is real.