Deaf Archives - Sheri Byrne-Haber's Blog

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Eight steps to a more inclusive event

Making events more accessible makes them more consumable and a better experience for all your participants. Part one of a two part article. Part two focuses on how to make PowerPoint presentations more accessible. A significant percentage of attendees at inclusive events…

A tale of two retailers — a disability inclusion story

Lowes went all in to include deaf employees. Sprouts Market did the opposite. Here is how that has worked out for both companies. Sprouts Farmer’s Market Three d/Deaf applicants applied for jobs at Sprouts and were selected for interviews. The…

Twitter and Inaccessible “Voice Notes”

I am so <bleeping> over apologies from companies for ableist behavior. Once upon a time (in tech, this is maybe 2–3 years ago), Twitter actually cared about accessibility. For a while, they were the preferred social media platform for people…

Three hands spelling out the letters A S and L

My Superbowl hangover

It is the Tuesday after the “big game” as I write this article. My annual headache is back. I don’t drink. Year after year I get aggravated beyond believe because the Superbowl producers give you a few seconds (if that)…

Red “U” shaped magnet with a white wheelchair symbol on it attracting metallic cartoon figurines

Starting a Disability Employee Resource Group (ERG)

Last week, I wrote about how important disability-focused employee resource groups are to creating an environment where employees with disabilities feel comfortable disclosing them and in turn helping others. This week I’m going to describe some steps to take to…

Cartoon human cutouts grouped under signs with the wheelchair symbol under them

The Importance of Disability Employee Resource Groups

Do you bring your “authentic self” to work? Most people with disabilities don’t, especially those with invisible disabilities. Disability ERGs can help with that. First-class relationships are possible only in an atmosphere of total trust. ― Wu Wei, I Ching Life: Becoming…

Red wooden block labeled “ethics” in the center of a Jenga game, other blocks labeled morality, relationship, behavior, choice, responsibility, trust, reliability, principle

Ethical design and accessibility

Design is not about expressing yourself. Design is not about following your dream. Design is not about becoming a creative. Design is about keeping people from doing terrible things to other people — Mike Monteiro Ethical design means thinking about your product in the context of its users…

Cartoon rendition of dozens of various people of different genders, ethnicities, and ages protesting in the street

Captioning: It’s Time for a Revolt

What if every person who was deaf, Deaf, had hearing loss (plus those peoples’ friends and family) refused to do business with a company that didn’t caption its videos? I saw an article recently, which identified strategies that business people who don’t…

How the Gig Economy impacts People with Disabilities

Participating in the gig economy is a mixed bag and not even always available to people with disabilities For those of you who have been living under a rock for the last five years, a gig economy engagement is defined…

12 different caricature headshots of people of various sexes, ages, and physical traits

Personas with Disabilities

Some people love personas. Some people hate them. But if if you have personas, and they are 100 % able-bodied, you are doing everyone a disservice Most articles on personas fall into one of three categories: Some articles think personas…

Category: Deaf