April 15, 2025 · 38 min · Episode 515
Vision-Impaired and Visionary: Maxwell Ivey on Building Accessible Businesses
About this episode
Maxwell Ivey, The Blind Blogger, is an entrepreneur and accessibility advocate who has transformed personal adversity into purpose-driven work. Losing his vision to retinitis pigmentosa, Maxwell began his entrepreneurial journey brokering amusement park rides online, teaching himself code and navigating platforms that were not built with accessibility in mind. His lived experiences laid the groundwork for a deep understanding of the real-world barriers that people with disabilities face in digital spaces.
Over time, Maxwell evolved into a respected accessibility consultant, helping businesses identify and address gaps in their digital design and user experience. He emphasizes that accessibility isn’t just a compliance issue—it’s a growth opportunity. Companies that invest in inclusive design often gain improved SEO, better customer engagement, and a broader audience reach. Maxwell also explores how emerging technologies like AI can support accessibility efforts, while warning that these tools must include representation from the disability community to be truly effective and trustworthy.
If you're a business owner or content creator, Maxwell is offering a free accessibility review of your website's homepage. This is an excellent opportunity to gain expert insights from someone who not only understands accessibility theory but lives it every day. Reach out to Maxwell and take a step toward making your digital presence more inclusive, welcoming, and impactful for all users.
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Article
Maxwell Ivey, The Blind Blogger, on Website Accessibility as a Business Advantage
Maxwell Ivey, known as The Blind Blogger, is an accessibility consultant who lost his sight to retinitis pigmentosa and started his first business in 2007 brokering used amusement park rides online. In this episode of Your Brand Amplified, he explains why accessibility is a growth opportunity rather than a compliance task, which tools get it right, and where AI helps and falls short. His core point: people with disabilities are a global market, and they spend with companies that serve them well.
How did Maxwell Ivey become an accessibility consultant?
Ivey grew up in a family of carnival owners. When he started brokering used amusement park rides online in 2007, popular website tools didn't support screen readers or non-visual navigation, so he taught himself HTML to build a basic site. He began advising other companies on serving customers and collaborators with disabilities and found that the barriers he faced were common across many platforms and services.
Why is website accessibility good for business?
Inclusive design benefits everyone. Ivey says companies that invest in accessibility often see:
- Better SEO
- Improved user experience and customer engagement
- Broader audience reach
He wants market advantage, not fear of noncompliance, to drive the work. As he puts it, "We have money to spend, and we will spend it on companies that provide quality products and services in an accessible manner."
He praises Less Annoying CRM for its accessible interface, while noting that some widely used platforms still present significant obstacles. He has also watched a tool he relied on lose its accessibility after an acquisition, a reminder that progress disappears when companies stop prioritizing it.
How can AI improve accessibility, and what are the risks?
AI can make digital content more usable, from automatically generated alt text to describing product sizes, colors or discounts. Ivey warns that without people from the disability community involved in AI development, results can be superficial or even harmful. Accessibility solutions should be built with the people they serve. He also raises privacy: people who rely on AI to interpret web content or forms face a real trade-off between convenience and data privacy, and trust grows only through transparency and community involvement.
Key takeaways
- People with disabilities are a global market, not a niche.
- Accessible sites tend to gain better SEO, user experience and reach.
- Accessibility can be lost when tools change ownership, so keep checking.
- Build AI accessibility features with the disability community, not just for it.
- Be transparent about data privacy when AI tools interpret content for users.
Free resource: Maxwell is offering a free accessibility review of your website's homepage, with expert insight from someone who lives accessibility every day.
Listen to Anika Jackson's full conversation with Maxwell Ivey on Your Brand Amplified.
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