Why giving back should be the obligation of everyone who has had the privilege to be successful. The better part of three decades ago, I was a UNIX geek in Calgary, Alberta, with a couple of part-time jobs — CS…
Types of discrimination women with disabilities face while looking for work
Women are 20 % more likely to have a disability than men. Workforce discrimination of any form impacts us more. Note: every “bad” HR behavior listed in this article, I have had personally happen to me, or heard about first-hand…
Why US law effectively mandates all software design be responsive
Your employer/client can spend a lot of time and money on lawsuits and rework if you don’t follow this one simple rule. Smashing Magazine defines “responsive design” as an approach where design responds to the user’s behavior and environment based on…
Accessibility is not an “add-on” service
It is not possible to be a “contact center” which also provides high-quality accessibility services. It just doesn’t work that way. Every week I get a handful of unsolicited LinkedIn messages from people/companies I’ve never heard of, almost always from…
The US Pharmacy System — A cautionary tale
This is what I had to go through to get my Rheumatoid Arthritis medication reinstated post-COVID, and the costs in time, money, and pain Starting point: I have been on a cocktail of four medications for rheumatoid arthritis, each one for…
What one wheelchair user thinks about being called “wheelchair-bound”
The phrase is still in widespread use and needs to be banished, just like the “r” word If you’re not disabled and you don’t have the lived experiences of your colleagues with disabilities, there’s a non-zero chance you’re going to…
Are you Disability Compliant? Or Disability Competitive?
There is a world of difference (and a lot of sales) between these two states. Disability Compliant is asking people to identify whether they are disabled on a questionnaire anonymously. Disability Competitive is conducting an annual disability self-identification campaign, training managers on…
ADA 30 Report Card
The ADA turns 30 on July 25th. In some areas, people with disabilities have made significant advances. In others, not so much. Unless you are someone with a disability or work in the disability/diversity/ inclusion/equality/belonging/accessibility space, you probably don’t think…
Job Hunting while Disabled
PwDs are 18 % of the population and 9.5 % of the workforce. Here’s how not to illegally jerk them around during the recruiting process. Note: every “bad” HR behavior listed in this article, I have had personally happen to…
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…
