“you don’t have a disability thus you’re not qualified to work on accessibility” — this is the ugly that I’m talking about. And I’m actually very conflicted. On one hand I’m offended by it because it immediately dismisses all my training, experience & work as an accessibility professional. On the other hand I *do* have a disability.

Well, I won’t comment directly on it but I’ll ask these questions:
1. I spent all this money, time & brain cycles on school, books, classes, conferences, learning from people. Did I just waste my time?
2. In order to work in accessibility do I have to have all the disabilities of my users / customers?
3. Considering that I’m publicly, clearly & openly trying to help why would you even say something like that?
4. Even if I were not qualified (for whatever reason) but I could help, why would you burn that bridge?
5. Do all people with disabilities are automagically experts in accessibility?

Just to be clear, I truly believe that I have to walk 1,000 miles in my users shoes and I can never do enough of that. In fact, I believe that as an industry the accessibility professionals desperately need to do more of that.

This stuff comes up from time to time and while it is frustrating for a while it certainly doesn’t deter me from the work that I’m doing. But it does spoil what could be a productive dialog. And I could certainly do without.