I was sad to learn this morning that Molly E. Holzshlag passed away in 2023. I was thinking about her for some reason and went to look her up on Bluesky.
I missed the news of her death at the time. I was embroiled in some health issues and also avoiding Twitter for various reasons. Molly and I were mutuals there after parasocially bonding over Life on Mars. (I didn’t save the tweets, but she followed me back after an exchange about how much we both loved the show.)
This was a number of years ago, before she got sick. Over time she posted a lot about her health issues and deep frustration with insurance and medical costs in the U.S. I read every word to be present for her in my own quiet way, it was clear she suffered a lot.
I’d known *of* her long before that though, since the 1990s. She was an outspoken advocate for Web accessibility and the democratization of the web. She wrote or coauthored 35 books. Integrated Web Design is my favorite and has been an inspiration in my own career.
I plan to take up the mantle on some of her advocacy in my job and on this blog. I can’t match her achievements, but I hope to capture the spirit in which she worked.
