Originally published in the Spring/Summer 2021 issue of Diversability Every day in the US, a conversation like the following one occurs: Employee with disability: I can’t do X because of Y. Some examples of this might include, “I can’t use…
Six actions that will destroy disability/diversity ally credibility
Believe me when I say that for all underrepresented communities, including disability, actions speak WAY louder than words. Most organizations want to claim they are inclusive. You don’t find many that proudly shout publicly that they intentionally exclude underrepresented minorities,…
ITI announces free training on authoring and reading ACRs/VPATs
This training will quickly teach you how to produce and consume essential documentation on product accessibility. The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) is the premier global advocate for technology, representing the world’s most innovative companies. ITI promotes public policies and industry standards…
One good thing the pandemic has changed forever
It’s *finally* gotten harder to hide discriminatory comments. Pre-COVID, they were called “Hot Mic” incidents. Situations where people didn’t realize their microphone was live, and they said something they clearly shouldn’t, and probably wouldn’t have if they knew the microphone…
Do you have a disability if you don’t have an official diagnosis?
The short answer is “absolutely.” The long answer, of course, is more complicated than that. First of all, disabilities are almost always thought of in either the medical or legal contexts. The CDC’s definition of a disability, which is medical, is…
Sustainability starts with disability inclusion and accessibility.
For starters, for every 1 % increase in people with disabilities working, $25 billion would be added to the US economy. Many people start the year with New Year’s resolutions: Reduce, reuse, recycle Purchase more sustainable solutions Buy local But each of…
All the Things You Shouldn’t Be Evaluating During Interviews
Traditional candidate evaluation advice can be biased and ableist. There are all kinds of advice on the Internet about things you should be evaluating when you conduct an interview. Very little advice exists on things that you should NOT be…
If somebody can use it, somebody can misuse it
Software development and the “doctrine of foreseeable misuse.” There is a portion of the American legal system under the category of negligence called “strict product liability,” also referred to as SPL. Under SPL, anyone in the product chain (seller, distributor, or…
Disability / Accessibility Language Choices
There is global and personal variation on what is considered acceptable and preferable. This is how I decide what language to use. In the first part of this three-part article, I talked about the four different sociological models of disability. To recap,…
Is an “identity model” replacing the charitable, medical, and social models of disability?
The next stage of evolution in how the global community views disability Part one of a three-part article. See part two on language choices associated with disability/accessibility here. Language is a strange and powerful thing. So are sociological models for traits…