Difference is Ordinary: Rethinking Accessibility in Everyday Life with Angela Fowler - Episode 58

In this episode of The Inclusive Dad Podcast, host AAron welcomes accessibility consultant Angela Fowler to discuss the critical role of accessibility in true inclusion. Angela shares her personal experiences as a blind professional and emphasizes why accessibility should be seen as a business advantage rather than just a compliance requirement. They explore digital barriers, common mistakes businesses make, and practical steps to create accessible spaces. Angela also introduces her upcoming group coaching program designed to help businesses improve accessibility. The conversation highlights the importance of awareness, proactive change, and viewing difference as ordinary for a more inclusive society.

Key Takeaways:

Accessibility First – True inclusion happens naturally when accessibility is prioritized in design and business practices.

Business Advantage – Accessible businesses attract more customers, including people with disabilities and their allies.

Common Barriers – Poor website labeling and lack of keyboard accessibility exclude many users.

Education Over Fixes – Teaching businesses to maintain accessibility is more sustainable than one-time fixes.

Simple Steps Matter – Small, easy changes can significantly improve accessibility and inclusion.

Angela’s definition of inclusion:

Inclusion vs. Accessibility - When things are accessible, they're inclusive organically.

Angela’s Bio:

Angela Fowler is a popular coach, consultant and speaker who shows organizations how to increase their bottom line by leveraging the power of accessibility to tap into the $2.1 trillion buying power of people with disabilities. As a business woman who is also totally blind, she has a unique insight into what it takes for regular every-day businesses to tap into a market which they may not fully understand or readily think is available to them. With humor and straight talk tempered with patience, she shows organizations how to make the necessary adjustments, often with a lot less effort than they think. 

Angela’s courses offer common-sense, cost effective solutions to help businesses make their products and services accessible to people with disabilities and more user-friendly for everyone. Her philosophy is that most people want to do the right thing, they just don’t know what the right thing is.

Angela runs her coaching and consulting business from her home in Northern California, which she shares with her 18-year-old son, whose life seems to barely include her, her feisty kitten, who very clearly prefers her son, and her loving dog of indeterminate breed who thinks she’s God’s gift to doggie-kind and cannot get enough of her company. When she’s not working, she enjoys true crime, sports, and cooking the best tri-tip on God’s planet low and slow on the barbecue.

Connect with Angela:

Website: https://reallifeaccess.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556611791429

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/real-life-access/posts/?feedView=all

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RealLifeAccess1982

SPAM© Count:

Host:

Yes

Current Guest: 

No

Cumulative Guest Stats:

Yes - 28

No - 28

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