What does it take to make one of the world's most storied universities digitally accessible to everyone? In this episode, we sit down with Janell Sims, leader of Digital Accessibility Services at Harvard University, to explore what equitable digital experience really means in practice. Janell shares how her background in marketing communications and publishing shaped her human-centered approach to accessibility — and why she believes disability is never the barrier; broken technology is. From managing accessibility across more than 10,000 websites to embedding inclusive design into vendor contracts and development workflows, Janell offers a candid look at how Harvard is shifting from reactive compliance to proactive strategy that performs. She also weighs in on the promise and limits of AI agents in accessibility, the risks of "vibe coding," and why WCAG is the floor, not the ceiling. A must-listen for anyone building digital experiences that leave no one behind.
Accessible Brand Podcast Transcript, Episode 2
Linh: As we continue our conversations with leaders shaping the future of accessibility and brand discoverability, I’m thrilled to welcome today’s guest, Janell Sims from Harvard University, where she serves as a leader in digital accessibility services.
Janell has spent much of her career shaping Harvard’s digital presence, with a background in communications and a master’s in publishing and writing. Today, she leads strategic initiatives serving the whole university, including web strategy, user experience, and digital communications. She’s also a certified CPACC, a leading credential for accessibility core competencies.
Janell, thank you so much for joining us today.
Janell: Thank you so much for having me. I’m excited to be here.
Linh: Likewise. We’re excited to hear your perspective on advancing accessibility in higher education.
First, tell us a little about yourself, your journey, and how you got here.
Janell: I actually started my career in publishing. I thought I was going to be a book editor, and I began in college textbook publishing in downtown Boston. After a few years, though, I could see the landscape shifting. Our company was sold, and I realized I needed to rethink where my career was headed.
That led me to Harvard, where I took a role at the Kennedy School working in communications and publications. While I was there, I became really interested in web strategy. I taught myself web best practices, learned as much as I could about UX, and that’s also where I first learned about accessibility and became deeply interested in it.
Later, I moved to the law school, where I was able to focus more directly on web strategy, including content strategy, UX, and accessibility. At the time, there really wasn’t anyone else focused on accessibility, so I took it on myself to become the point person and kept learning as much as I could.
While I was there, I connected with a few colleagues across the university who were also passionate about accessibility and wanted to make it a more established principle at Harvard. Together, we formed a working group, which eventually led to a digital accessibility policy. With that policy came our new team, Digital Accessibility Services, which launched in 2020. I was fortunate to be a founding member, and I’ve loved being part of it ever since.
It’s been a special experience. We’re a group of people who care deeply about accessibility and about Harvard’s mission of teaching and learning. It’s felt like the best of both worlds: the energy of building something new from the ground up, combined with the support of an institution that’s been around for hundreds of years. I never expected to end up in accessibility when I started my career, but I’m so glad I did.
Linh: That’s an amazing journey. The intersections of writing, publishing, communications, accessibility, and policy make for such a strong foundation.
Harvard is an institution with nearly 400 years of history. Tell us a little about its culture and mission.
Janell: It’s very mission-driven. Harvard is fundamentally about teaching, research, and learning, and that shapes the culture here. One of the best parts of working at Harvard is being surrounded by people who share that mindset. There’s a real emphasis on curiosity, growth, and discovery.
It’s also an incredible place for continual learning. On almost any given day, there’s a lecture, a guest speaker, a book event, a museum exhibit, or some kind of presentation happening. There are constant opportunities to learn something new.
That culture of curiosity also helps accessibility thrive here. When people realize accessibility is an area where they can learn something new, apply it directly to their work, and make that work better for everyone, they get excited about it. We’ve really been able to tap into that desire to keep learning and improving.
Linh: That’s fantastic. And you’ve been at Harvard for well over a decade, which says a lot about the institution and its culture.
You’re now in a leadership role there. How would you describe your leadership style? And if we asked your colleagues, what do you think they’d say?
Janell: I really try to prioritize helping people grow and encouraging them to try things they might not have attempted on their own. My team would probably say I nudge them into new opportunities. Sometimes that means encouraging someone to lead a training or take on something outside their comfort zone.
Even when they’re hesitant at first, they often discover they’re really good at it and enjoy it. I see that as part of my role: creating opportunities for people to grow.
More broadly, I try to remove as many obstacles as I can so they can do their best work. That’s really my goal as a leader: to help people reach their full potential and make sure nothing is standing in their way.
Linh: That resonates. As leaders, we’re often there to remove roadblocks, but also to create a safe space where people can try new things, innovate, and not be afraid of failure. Some of the most rewarding moments are when your team executes something even better than you would have.
Janell: Absolutely. This past year, I read Trust and Inspire by Stephen Covey, and that had a big impact on how I think about leadership. It really emphasized trusting your team and inspiring them to reach their full potential.
That idea of giving people the chance to try new things without worrying about making mistakes is so important, because mistakes are often where the learning happens. When I delegate work, it’s not about handing off something I don’t want to do. It’s about creating an opportunity for someone else to grow.
I also took part in a leadership program called MORE, which focused a lot on the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. I realized that my natural tendency has often been toward a fixed mindset — wanting to stay in control, wanting to look smart, wanting to play it safe. So I’ve really been working on letting go of that and being more willing to take risks, make mistakes, and learn from them.
That’s what I want for my team too: not to be afraid of mistakes, but to see them as part of growth.
Linh: I love that. Growth mindset has become such an important leadership concept, and it’s especially relevant now in a world shaped by rapid technological change, AI, and agentic systems. Without that openness to learning and trying new things, it would be very hard for organizations to evolve.
Janell: Absolutely. I think adaptability and curiosity are two of the most important attributes anyone can have going forward.
Accessibility Section
Linh: Shifting gears, let’s dive into accessibility. Back to basics: what does digital accessibility mean to you?
Janell: To me, accessibility means creating an equitable experience. No matter how someone is accessing technology — whether that’s a website, a platform, or another digital experience — the interaction should be equitable.
It may not look exactly the same for everyone, because people use different tools and different forms of assistive technology, but the experience should still be comparable. It shouldn’t be significantly harder for a person with a disability to navigate and use something than it is for someone else.
We often talk about being able to engage with content and materials at the same time and with the same ease of use. That’s really the goal.
And I think it’s also important to remember that disability itself is not the barrier. The barrier is broken technology. When we talk about accessibility barriers, what we really mean is that the technology is failing people. So our work is about removing those barriers so people with disabilities don’t have the added burden of overcoming inaccessible systems.
Linh: That’s such an important distinction. And as we talk about accessibility today, we also can’t ignore the growing role of compliance and regulation — whether that’s the ADA or, in Europe, the EAA. How are you helping your teams stay ahead of that, and what advice would you give others trying to meet those requirements?
Janell: We’ve been fortunate to have strong leadership buy-in, and I think that’s always critical. President Garber has been a strong advocate for accessibility. He even spoke at our Accessibility Summit last year, which sent a powerful message.
At a policy level, Harvard’s digital accessibility policy addressed many of these regulatory requirements back in 2019, so we’ve been working on this for a long time. That means newer regulations haven’t caught us completely off guard.
But beyond policy, the real work is in shifting mindset. Yes, we need to address the materials and systems we already have, but even more importantly, we need to shift left — to build accessibility into planning and creation from the beginning. That saves time, effort, and cost in the long run.
We’ve put a few things in place to support that. For people working in our content management systems, we have an accessibility checker they can use as they build pages, so issues can be caught before content is published. We use Siteimprove for ongoing site monitoring, which has been incredibly helpful. We also have document checkers available, and we’ve been encouraging teams that use agile methods to include accessibility early in the process — in acceptance criteria and in the definition of done.
On the procurement side, we strongly encourage teams to include accessibility in their RFPs so vendors understand from the outset that accessible products and services are expected.
Linh: I love that shift-left concept. If you build accessibility in from the start, you avoid a lot of headaches later. It becomes part of the requirement, not an afterthought.
That leads perfectly into my next question. Some people still think of accessibility only in terms of compliance. But really, it should go beyond compliance and become a business imperative. How do you think about accessibility beyond simply meeting standards?
Janell: I love that question, because we talk about it a lot. We think of standards like WCAG as the floor, not the ceiling. They’re the baseline — the minimum of what we should be doing — but ideally we want to go beyond that.
A great example came from one of our vendors. We were testing one of their products and found accessibility issues, which we brought back to them. At first, they were surprised because accessibility hadn’t really been part of their design approach before, and it seemed like it conflicted with their existing design practices.
But once they started making improvements, they realized those changes made the product better for everyone. They were able not only to improve that one product, but also to consider applying those improvements across the rest of their organization.
That’s why I say accessibility isn’t really just about compliance. Compliance helps establish a baseline and gives you something measurable, but the real goal is creating a better experience overall.
Linh: Absolutely. Accessibility is essential, but it’s also tied to performance. If your website, PDFs, videos, or images aren’t accessible, then your content isn’t fully performing either. You’re leaving people behind — and from a communications and marketing perspective, that affects reach, engagement, and outcomes.
Janell: Exactly. You’re excluding a whole group of users. We often say: why go to all the effort of creating a beautiful website, only to put up barriers that prevent people from accessing it?
One of the most valuable things we’ve done is user testing with people who have disabilities or who use assistive technology every day. You can build a site that technically meets WCAG, but then real-world testing reveals usability issues that standards alone won’t catch.
For example, we had a case where users couldn’t easily find the search box. Technically, it met requirements, but in practice it wasn’t obvious enough. So we added a stronger visual border and made it easier to locate. Small changes like that can make a real difference.
That’s where going beyond compliance matters: making sure the user experience truly works, so people don’t encounter a barrier and leave.
Scope and Scale
Linh: Earlier, you mentioned that your role supports the whole university. Can you give us a sense of scale? What does that mean in practice?
Janell: Harvard is a very large place, so supporting the whole university means supporting all the schools, the college, and a very broad digital ecosystem.
At first, our priority was public-facing websites, because those are out in the world, get the most traffic, and are often the first point of contact people have with Harvard. Beginning in 2019, a lot of our work focused on remediating those public-facing sites.
Over time, though, our scope expanded to include internal websites, course materials, and other content published within Harvard. We don’t want to exclude anyone — whether they’re outside or inside our community.
That includes things like internal emails, documents, Slack posts, and Confluence pages. We want anyone who is learning or working at Harvard to have that same equitable experience.
Public-facing websites are also especially important because Harvard publishes so much research and information, and those sites also help attract prospective students. We want the digital front door to Harvard to be as welcoming and inclusive as possible.
Linh: And roughly how many websites are we talking about?
Janell: It’s honestly such a large number that we joke it’s almost unknowable. It’s probably in the thousands. Definitely a very large number of public-facing sites alone, and then of course many more internal resources and materials beyond that.
Linh: That’s a tremendous amount of content to make accessible — not just for current students and staff, but also for prospective students and the broader public.
Siteimprove
Linh: How long have you been a Siteimprove customer?
Janell: I wasn’t directly involved at the very beginning, but I believe Harvard has been using Siteimprove for around a decade, maybe even a little longer.
Even before we had a centralized accessibility team, it was a really valuable tool. Different teams could use it independently, and I was able to use it at the law school to track issues, monitor progress, and share insights with colleagues.
Now that our team exists, we manage it more centrally. We provide training, reporting, and support for the broader community. So our role has shifted more into an administrative and product-owner type of function, but it’s still intuitive and useful for people to use on their own.
Linh: And how does Siteimprove fit into your broader accessibility strategy?
Janell: We use it quite a lot. It’s a very effective way to measure accessibility over time, and when you’re dealing with so many websites, having that visibility is incredibly valuable.
It provides a snapshot of progress and can help motivate teams. Some people are very motivated by scores. We try not to overemphasize the score itself, and instead focus on it as a benchmark for progress rather than an end goal. But it can still be helpful.
Accessibility can feel overwhelming, especially when people don’t know where to start. Siteimprove helps with prioritization. It allows us to dig into the data, identify where the biggest gains can be made, and focus on the areas where we can make the most impact with the least effort. That makes the work more approachable and actionable.
AI and the Future of Accessibility
Linh: Let’s shift to AI and agentic innovation. AI is here — we can’t ignore it. Are you seeing AI or AI agents driving meaningful operational change or innovation in your work?
Janell: There’s definitely been a lot of conversation about AI and accessibility. Right now, one of the clearest benefits is captioning. Automated captioning has improved significantly over time. It used to require a lot more manual editing afterward, but now it’s much stronger. There’s still a need for human review — especially for names, punctuation, and nuance — but it’s come a long way.
There have also been major improvements in alt text generation for images. That’s another area where AI has gotten much better. Early on, it could be hilariously wrong, but it’s improved a lot.
That said, I still think human review is essential. Alt text isn’t just about describing what’s in the image — it’s about describing the image in the context of the page and the surrounding content. AI can provide a strong first draft, but a person still needs to make sure it’s accurate and useful in context.
Linh: We feel very strongly that humans still need to stay in the loop. AI and agents can help us be more productive and take on repetitive tasks, but at this point we’re not ready to fully remove human oversight. Over time that may change, but right now the human role is still critical.
Looking ahead, how are you preparing for the future of accessibility and making sure websites and content continue to perform well?
Janell: There’s so much change happening, and it’s happening very quickly. One area I think about a lot is vibe coding, because it’s becoming so prominent right now.
I think there’s real potential there. If accessibility guidance can be built into those workflows from the beginning, then AI-assisted development could actually help improve accessibility at scale. But I don’t think that’s happening consistently yet.
My concern is that vibe coding can also rapidly multiply inaccessible experiences. If inaccessible code is being generated and deployed at scale, then we may end up with many more barriers that are difficult to remediate later.
So I’m both hopeful and cautious. I think the potential is there, but right now it still absolutely requires human review — not only to check WCAG compliance, but to make sure experiences are actually usable, equitable, and even delightful for people with disabilities.
Linh: That’s such an important point. There’s a real opportunity for companies like Siteimprove to partner more closely with those development environments so accessibility is built in from the start — again, that shift-left mindset — before those sites and experiences go live.
Closing
Linh: I like to end with one fun question. If you could go back and give your 20-year-old self leadership advice, what would you say?
Janell: That’s a great question. I would tell my 20-year-old self: don’t worry so much about making mistakes. Don’t be afraid to try something new. It’s all a chance to learn and grow.
That really connects back to everything we’ve been talking about. I’d tell myself to stop worrying so much about getting everything exactly right, and instead embrace the opportunity to learn by doing.
Linh: That’s a wonderful note to end on. I think we could all benefit from embracing a growth mindset, trying new things, and learning as we go.
Janell, it’s been such a pleasure having you on the podcast. Thank you so much for joining me today.
Janell: Thank you so much for having me. This was great. I really enjoyed our conversation.
Linh: Same here. Thank you.
If you want, I can also turn this into a more polished editorial transcript for publication, with tighter wording and shorter paragraphs, or a verbatim-but-clean version that stays even closer to the original recording.
Love it! Is it possible to do it iwth the time stamps
Yes — great idea, especially if this is going to production or editing. I’ve kept it clean/readable while preserving timestamps at natural speaker turns (not every second, just meaningful breaks).
Transcript (Cleaned + Timestamped)
00:00
Linh: As we continue our conversations with leaders shaping the future of accessibility and brand discoverability, I’m thrilled to welcome today’s guest, Janell Sims from Harvard University, where she serves as a leader in digital accessibility services.
Janell has spent much of her career shaping Harvard’s digital presence, with a background in communications and a master’s in publishing and writing. Today, she leads strategic initiatives serving the whole university, including web strategy, user experience, and digital communications. She’s also a certified CPACC, a leading credential for accessibility core competencies.
Janell, thank you so much for joining us today.
01:35
Janell: Thank you so much for having me. I’m excited to be here.
01:40
Linh: Likewise. We’re excited to hear your perspective on advancing accessibility in higher education.
First, tell us a little about yourself, your journey, and how you got here.
01:52
Janell: I actually started my career in publishing. I thought I was going to be a book editor, and I began in college textbook publishing in downtown Boston. After a few years, though, I could see the landscape shifting. Our company was sold, and I realized I needed to rethink where my career was headed.
That led me to Harvard, where I took a role at the Kennedy School working in communications and publications. While I was there, I became really interested in web strategy. I taught myself web best practices, learned as much as I could about UX, and that’s also where I first learned about accessibility and became deeply interested in it.
Later, I moved to the law school, where I was able to focus more directly on web strategy, including content strategy, UX, and accessibility. At the time, there really wasn’t anyone else focused on accessibility, so I took it on myself to become the point person and kept learning as much as I could.
While I was there, I connected with colleagues across the university who were also passionate about accessibility. Together, we formed a working group, which eventually led to a digital accessibility policy. With that policy came our new team, Digital Accessibility Services, which launched in 2020, and I was fortunate to be a founding member.
It’s been a special experience — building something new while being part of an institution with such a long history. I never expected to end up in accessibility, but I’m so glad I did.
04:23
Linh: That’s an amazing journey. Harvard has nearly 400 years of history — tell us a little about its culture and mission.
04:30
Janell: Harvard is very mission-driven. It’s all about teaching, research, and learning, and that shapes everything.
One of the best parts of working here is being surrounded by people who share that mindset. There are constant opportunities to learn — lectures, speakers, book events, exhibits — something is always happening.
That culture of curiosity also helps accessibility thrive. When people realize accessibility is something they can learn and apply to make their work better for everyone, they get excited about it.
05:58
Linh: You’ve been at Harvard for quite some time now. How would you describe your leadership style?
06:06
Janell: I really try to prioritize helping people grow and encouraging them to try things they might not attempt on their own.
Sometimes that means nudging people slightly outside their comfort zone — like leading a training or taking on something new. Often they discover they’re really good at it and enjoy it.
At the core, I try to remove obstacles so my team can do their best work and reach their full potential.
07:25
Linh: That resonates. Leadership is about removing roadblocks, but also creating a safe space where people can try, fail, and grow. Some of the most rewarding moments are when your team exceeds your expectations.
07:39
Janell: Absolutely. This past year, I read Trust and Inspire by Stephen Covey, which really shaped my thinking.
It reinforced the importance of trusting your team and giving them opportunities to grow. When I delegate work, it’s not about offloading tasks — it’s about creating opportunities.
I also took part in a leadership program focused on fixed versus growth mindset. I realized I tend toward a fixed mindset — wanting to stay in control and avoid mistakes. I’ve been working on shifting toward a growth mindset and encouraging my team to do the same.
09:49
Linh: That’s so relevant today, especially with rapid change and AI. Adaptability and a growth mindset are more important than ever.
09:58
Janell: Absolutely — adaptability and curiosity are key.
Accessibility Section
10:18
Linh: Let’s shift into accessibility. What does digital accessibility mean to you?
10:25
Janell: To me, accessibility means creating an equitable experience.
No matter how someone is accessing technology, the experience should be comparable — it shouldn’t be significantly harder for someone with a disability.
We often say people should be able to engage with content at the same time and with the same ease of use.
And importantly, disability isn’t the barrier — broken technology is. Our role is to remove those barriers.
11:51
Linh: How are you staying ahead of accessibility regulations like ADA or EAA?
11:56
Janell: Leadership buy-in has been critical. Harvard has had strong advocacy from the top, which helps drive momentum.
We also established a digital accessibility policy back in 2019, so we’ve been working on this for a while.
But beyond compliance, it’s about shifting mindset — especially “shifting left” and building accessibility into processes from the beginning.
We’ve implemented tools like accessibility checkers in CMS workflows, use Siteimprove for monitoring, and encourage teams to include accessibility in agile processes and procurement.
13:40
Linh: I love that shift-left concept. Accessibility becomes part of the foundation, not an afterthought.
How do you think about accessibility beyond compliance?
13:51
Janell: We think of WCAG as the floor, not the ceiling.
One example: a vendor we worked with initially saw accessibility as a challenge, but once they implemented it, they realized it improved their product for everyone.
That’s when it clicked — accessibility isn’t just about compliance, it’s about creating better experiences.
15:14
Linh: And it directly impacts performance too — if content isn’t accessible, it’s not reaching its full audience.
15:23
Janell: Exactly. You’re excluding users.
We’ve also done user testing with people using assistive technology. Even when something meets WCAG, real-world testing can reveal usability issues.
For example, users couldn’t find a search box — so we improved its visibility. Small changes can make a big difference.
Scale
16:47
Linh: What does “supporting the whole university” mean in terms of scale?
16:52
Janell: Harvard is a very large ecosystem. We support all schools, public-facing websites, internal systems, course materials, and more.
We started with public-facing websites, then expanded to internal content — emails, documents, collaboration tools — to ensure accessibility across the entire experience.
17:30
Linh: And roughly how many websites?
17:32
Janell: Thousands. It’s honestly hard to quantify — we sometimes call it an “unknowable number.”
Siteimprove
18:11
Linh: How long have you been using Siteimprove?
18:14
Janell: Around a decade, maybe longer.
It was useful even before we had a central team, and now we use it for training, reporting, and monitoring across the university.
18:33
Linh: How does it fit into your strategy?
18:35
Janell: It helps measure progress, prioritize work, and make accessibility more manageable.
It’s especially helpful in identifying where teams can make the biggest impact quickly.
AI & Future
19:34
Linh: What impact is AI having on accessibility?
19:37
Janell: Captioning has improved significantly thanks to AI. Alt text generation has also gotten much better.
But human review is still essential — especially for context.
20:16
Linh: Humans still need to stay in the loop.
How are you preparing for the future?
20:24
Janell: One area I’m watching is vibe coding.
There’s potential to build accessibility in from the start, but also risk that inaccessible code scales quickly.
So I’m both hopeful and cautious — human oversight is still critical.
Closing
21:39
Linh: Final question — what advice would you give your 20-year-old self?
21:44
Janell: Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Try new things. That’s how you learn and grow.
21:52
Linh: I love that. Janell, thank you so much for joining us.
21:56
Janell: Thank you — this was great.