I was watching a mesmerizing international film from Korea with English subtitles. It had me on the edge of my seat. Then, I ran into a problem that spoiled the experience for a moment. The characters scrambled around the room frantically. Suddenly, they all froze. They stopped moving. Their faces turned frightened. What the heck … Read more
Yes, there’s a month for everything. Whatever the theme is, the people behind it think about it every single day of the year. Month-long awareness raising can and does make a difference. So, what’s July? July is Disability Pride Month. It’s inspired by the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law on … Read more
It’s hard writing about topics like ableism, microaggressions, unconscious bias, and stereotypes. Ignoring uncomfortable topics gives power for them to continue. Hence, we need to learn about them, understand them, talk about them, and know how to address them. Otherwise, change will not happen. ContentsAbleismLateral AbleismMy Experiences with Lateral AbleismTypes of Lateral AbleismBenevolent AbleismUnconscious Bias, … Read more
Trigger warning: Disability language I know … I know … Many folks are tired of political correctness. This includes knowing which words or phrases to use without offending someone. Disability language is a tricky thing. First, when it comes to disability language, there are two sides. One applies to disabled people and their allies. They … Read more
The use of telehealth has boomed thanks to the pandemic. Even though the pandemic has passed, the healthcare industry continues to use telehealth. While telehealth is a great option for many, it wasn’t something I wanted to try as a deaf person. For those who don’t know me, I avoided it because I was born … Read more
Many organizations boast about their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Yet, data shows they’re overlooking people with disabilities and accessibility. A survey by Return on Disability showed fewer than 2% of the participating companies mentioned people with disabilities in their diversity efforts. DEI absolutely includes people with disabilities and accessibility. Companies that don’t intentionally include … Read more
Trigger warning: Death The accessibility and disability community lost another giant. I lost a dear friend. Molly Holzschlag (1963 – 2023) Molly was a U.S. author, lecturer, and advocate of the Web as a tool of human potential. She had a background in linguistics, communications, mass media, social justice, human cognition, behavior, and sociology. Molly … Read more
Are you a fan of the Great British Baking Show? There’s an accessibility lesson we can learn from the show. In every episode, the bakers get the same recipe. It’s not a complete recipe. Nonetheless, they’re all making the same thing. Almost every single time, the results are different. Go to any recipe website. Do … Read more
Progress over perfection in accessibility and disability inclusion applies to everyone. It can help with accessibility advocacy as well as people getting started in accessibility. Accessibility is everyone’s responsibility. The human resources department needs to ensure the hiring and employee benefits processes are accessible. Procurement needs to ensure the company buys accessible products and services. … Read more
Even though one in four people has a disability in the U.S., not everyone has met someone with a disability. At least, not one they know about. When we have not engaged with a disabled person, it’s harder to know how to be a disability ally. Naturally, people have assumptions based on what they’ve seen … Read more