Accessibility and the Future of Work

Accessibility isn’t just about accommodation. It’s about design. Disability doesn’t break systems. It reveals what was already fragile. And if a system only works for people operating at full capacity, it isn’t resilient.

The first time I realized accessibility was a leadership issue wasn’t after my own health event. It was earlier, watching a boss quietly navigate chronic pain just to show up to the office every day. She was doing everything “right.” Managing the pain. Adapting her body to the environment. Trying to be her best self at work. What stood out wasn’t the accommodation itself, but how dependent it was on who was managing her. Support existed, but it was conditional.

COVID gave us a glimpse of something different. We learned we could work in more human ways: remote work, turning cameras off when we were depleted, building flexibility into schedules, and recognizing that constant visibility isn’t the same as productivity. And yet, in many return-to-work conversations, that humanity has quietly disappeared. The tolerance for rest, pacing, and recovery has narrowed again. What this made clear to me is that accessibility isn’t a barrier; it’s a leadership response. 

When people feel supported by the design of work, they burn out less, produce better work, and stay engaged longer. (This isn’t just anecdotal. Research on psychological safety by Amy Edmondson, findings from Google Project Aristotle, and burnout research recognized by the World Health Organization all point to the same conclusion: systems—not individual toughness—drive sustainable performance.) This is also why accessibility is such a powerful stress test for AI. Used well, AI isn’t about replacing workers; it’s about supporting them. With thoughtful governance and intentional training, AI can support thinking, pacing, and capacity, especially for people with disabilities.

I’ve experienced this firsthand through occupational therapy, where AI tools have helped me work longer, think more clearly, and bridge gaps I couldn’t on my own. Not by removing my judgment, but by extending it. This isn’t a niche concern. It’s a preview of the future of work. If our systems can’t adapt to human variability, they will eventually fail everyone. So the real question isn’t whether accessibility “belongs” in leadership, work, or AI.

It’s this: What does your system quietly assume about what “normal” looks like?