
If you've been on tech twitter in the past week, you might've seen a TypeScript debate that seemingly came out of nowhere. Well, it came from news that [Turbo 8 is dropping TypeScript](https://web.archive.org/web/20230909190042/https://world.hey.com/dhh/turbo-8-is-dropping-typescript-70165c01). There has been all kinds of commentary on this news, but there's one that's almost always left out in discussions about developer tooling: developer accessibility.

Not enough people in software think of developer productivity as effectively being the same thing as developer accessibility. So let's talk about it! Prepare to go through some of the features of TypeScript that can be especially helpful for disabled and/or neurodivergent developers. I'm listing them in alphabetical order.

_If you think something is missing below or want to share the accessibility benefits you experience with TypeScript, [send me a tweet](https://twitter.com/ashleemboyer) or [email me](mailto:hello@ashleemboyer.com)!_

## Code editor tools (code completion, hover tooltips, etc.)

The code editor tools that come with TypeScript are my favorite part of TypeScript. Code completion is probably the top one for me. I can be very easily distracted some days (ADHD) or I might be mentally tired from fighting through distractions. Code completion ends up being a tiny _helpful_ distraction. It keeps me on task and gives me all the options I have at hand as I type. I don't I have to remember every single detail of whatever code I'm working with. TypeScript does it for me and gives me little reminders. It's also a lot less typing, which my hands and brain are very grateful for on high pain days.

The hover tooltips that appear on top of code are also helpful for reducing cognitive overload and increasing productivity. It reduces the scope of understanding a codebase at a high level, rather than having to memorize so many small details and staying on top of changes to them. For example: It's not important to memorize every possible property of an object that fits under your business logic. Those can change easily at any time and without you knowing if you work on a larger team. It's impossible to keep track of everything yourself.

## Maintainable, built-in documentation

I've worked on all sorts of projects in my career already. From brand-new to several years old, from small to medium sized teams - they all go through the same problems in different flavors. One big problem every development team faces is documentation maintenance. I personally _love_ writing documentation, and I still think making it maintainable is the hardest part.

It can't just be about one person's process or system for maintaining documentation, because we all think and work differently. Finding a balance across a team's differing working styles is incredibly important for healthy collaboration. I've found that coupling different types of tasks together with the main task you already have the hang of is fairly successful.

For example: It can be easier to remember to update documentation when it's a co-located code comment vs. when it's in a separate Markdown file. This is because it's right next to where you're already working. It's less time than figuring out where the existing documentation might be, or trying to decide where to put new documentation.

What's even better is that TypeScript is _functional_ co-located documentation. When you make a change to a type or interface (which is already part of the code writing process), the documentation is getting updated at the same time because the types are both code and documentation. You may need to update some neighboring code comments as well, but there's still less steps involved in keeping your codebase's documentation up to date.

## Immediate feedback

TypeScript provides feedback on your code at compile time, meaning you don't always have to wait until you run your code to see if it doesn't work. If you're writing code that needs to be tested in a browser, switching from your code editor to your browser to do so is a mental context switch.

These moments can carry large risk for distraction depending on your ability to focus at the time. They can also be exhausting after a while if you have to fight your brain each time to force it to stay focused. Since TypeScript can help reduce the occurrence of some runtime errors before you even leave your code editor, that means less of these context-switching moments, so less risk for distractions and less energy wasted on what's likely common and minor issues.

Immediate feedback also reduces the cognitive load needed to figure out why a likely common runtime error happened. Who wants to spend time debugging typos or digging into source code to figure out why you couldn't access a property on an object that doesn't actually exist on it? Don't get me wrong, reading code can interesting and insightful. But if I'm trying to write code efficiently, I don't want to read other code that much. Working smarter (not harder) means making computers do the heavy lifting for us wherever possible. 😉

## Onboarding

Onboarding to a new codebase regardless of its age or size is no small task. The questions that come to mind in the process are endless, and that can get overwhelming and discouraging fast. It's also very time consuming, and it can be scary building up the confidence to ask questions to your peers when you're new and getting to know them.

> What tooling does it use? What tooling does it _not_ use that you might be accustomed to relying on? What standards does it follow? Where is the documentation (if any)? Who do you ask questions to? Where can you learn the context of various decisions? What areas are people too afraid to change? Does it use camel case or snake case? What ESLint rules does it have (if any) and why? How do different areas connect to the business logic? What is the business logic? Is this particular business logic still relevant? Why is this code here if it doesn't look like it's used? Does the person that wrote this still work here? Why does the UI do this? Who asked for this feature? Where is this function defined? How was this data computed before it was passed to this function? ...

With TypeScript working as built-in documentation and also having helpful code editor tools for jumping to definitions or showing additional information through hover tooltips, there's decreased cognitive load needed for navigating a codebase. You don't have to guess where to find documentation or definitions. You also don't always have to leave the current file you're in. And when you start writing code, you're given suggestions of what's possible for you to do as you write. You don't have to pause, leave the current file or section of code, or remember what you were doing and where.

TypeScript helps you start writing code that does something more quickly, which is beneficial for the contributors or consumers of a codebase. But this isn't just about the developers that build a product. Developers that are using a software product are going to **_keep using it_** if it helps them do their jobs quickly and successfully. Onboarding developers as users is an important facet of building software as a product.


TypeScript can be a helpful tool for disabled and/or neurodivergent developers.

How TypeScript Can Improve Developer Accessibility


_This post was written Monday, March 20th, 2023._

Today was an _adventure_. And in a good way! 😊 Quite a few funny things happened, but it's currently after 11:00pm and I'm too tired to remember them all.

First, some context: My fiancé recently moved his desk to our space-y living room. We used to share a room as an office. The layout was slightly cramped with our 2 dogs' giant pile of pillows and blankets, and it was often difficult to figure out who could have their microphone on at various times of the day. It was also easy for me to get distracted sometimes when he was on his microphone. But since he volunteered to move his desk, I have my own office!

We love the new set up. I like to physically compartmentalize my work space away from my life space (so grateful for the privilege). It used to mean that my fiancé would continue to hang out and game in the room we shared while I spent my after work time in the living room. Now we're in close proximity during these times! It's so fun that I can play games on our living room TV while he plays games on his computer next to the couch. 💖

With the context out of the way: I've been slowly working on making the room a cute and cozy space. Being cozy while working is a necessity for me. I have an easier time keeping my mind clear and focused when I'm comfy. One of my favorite things about working from home is that I can wear sweatpants _all the time_.

One of today's tasks for cozy-fying my office was cleaning a little box fan. Since we have dogs, the fan can collected a lot of dog hair and dust. Unfortunately this lil' brain of mine forgets about this until it's very visible on the fan. 😅

This is really unhelpful for the yearround sinus issues I experience! In the springtime (which is basically now in Indiana, or something we like to call fake spring lol) my sinus issues get worse and I tend to get more migraines than usual. Plus, the fan was not pretty to look at. Can't have that in what's supposed to be cozy room now can we???

To clean the fan, I needed to go to my car to get the cleaning supplies. They were in there because I take them to my Grandma's house when I clean over there. Here are the events that followed in this adventure:

1. Found easy shoes to wear to the car
2. Decided to take the trash out while I was at it
3. Fiancé decided to come outside with me and enjoy the weather
4. I used my key fob to unlock my car
5. We took the trash out together on the way to my car
6. My car had decided to lock itself at some point, so I gave it the bird
7. We walked to the mailbox to check it
8. Fiancé decided he wanted to take the dogs on a mini walk while I went back out to my car
9. Proposed an adventure: we could all go pick up a package together and enjoy a short Windows Down Day drive
10. We went out to get my package
11. We went to the gas station to get cold drinks
12. Finally, we got home and all went inside
13. I completely forgot my cleaning supplies in my car
14. Went to the car again and grabbed the supplies
15. Realized that this entire thing started with me wanting to clean a fan
16. I cleaned the fan outside and enjoyed thinking about how fun and classically ADHD this was

I also spent time thinking about how to share my experience for other people to laugh about. There are a lot of tips & life hacks I've wanted to share too. In the year (and a few days) since being officially diagnosed with ADHD, I've learned so many helpful things that make my life easier and bring me further in accepting & loving my brain & body.

I've also really missed writing. This is my first post of 2023! I spent the end of 2022 working on trauma healing and burnout recovery, so there was a lot I wanted to do but couldn't. I'm not magically healed now 3 months later, but I'm feeling good again and ready to continue creating art from the things I've experienced and am experiencing.

This brings me to this new series: [My Neurodivergent Narratives](https://ashleemboyer.com/blog/series/my-neurodivergent-narratives). I plan to write as much as my brain allows me about my journey as a late-diagnosed neurodivergent. I'm very proud of my progress, and I know I have lots of goodies to share that can potentially help someone else. I also hope to aggressively challenge many stigmas I've come to understand better, in a way that helps other people love and accept themselves more.

I'm still learning of course, and I am no spokesperson of the neurodivergent community. What I write about here is my own experience. I'll probably get some things wrong! I've been afraid of that for a while because I'm still so new in my journey. But I've also come a long way and want to spread the love and acceptance as far as possible.

We're all doing the best we can with what we have, and that is 100% enough. 💗


I tried to clean a fan. I ended up doing a whole bunch of other stuff. And almost forgot to clean my fan.

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