Understanding Burnout in Accessibility Work
summary
Qualitative interviews and a 28‑person survey find accessibility specialists score significantly higher on exhaustion and cynicism yet report higher professional efficacy, creating a distinct profile: tired and jaded but confident in skill. Causes map to personal values, day‑to‑day tasks (repetitive audits, unclear role scope), and organizational environment (lack of leader buy‑in, isolation). Mitigations that surface are boundaries, breaks, peer community, manager support and concrete institutional changes borrowing from care‑work practices.
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chapters (11)
- 0:00Accessibility burnout intro
- 1:33Burnout from interviews
- 10:11Measuring burnout in specialists
- 13:49Values and identity in work
- 20:33Team support factors
- 27:18Moral responsibility narratives
- 30:08Burnout mitigation strategies
- 36:54Community support systems
- 39:04Key takeaways
- 42:59Q&A on impostor syndrome
- 54:21Future research directions
