The internet is biased. Generative AI is based on the internet. Therefore, Generative AI output is biased. People crafting queries to input into to Generative AI (like ChatGPT, Gemini, Bard, or Co-pilot, just to name a few) must explicitly include…
Accessibility is Never Accidental
Accessibility is always intentional. It does not happen by accident. Here is a non-exhaustive list of some very intentional steps any organization can take to improve its accessibility. Plan from the beginning: Accessibility needs to be part of the initial…
Accessibility Meme: People often talk about “AI” in absolute terms
People often talk about “AI” in absolute terms, as if it’s a single entity: “AI is great!” “AI is the future” “AI is terrible!” “AI should be banned!” But AI is definitely not a single thing. AI is based on…
Compliance is a checkbox. Inclusion is a mindset. if your goal is meeting the standards, you are not truly accessible or inclusive
Compliance is a Checkbox, Inclusion is a Mindset. Compliance means following the law. True inclusion is about creating a space where everyone feels valued and included. If your goal stops at “meeting the standards” you’re not truly accessible or inclusive.…
Accommodations Fail: How Lack of a Sign Language Interpreter Led to EEOC Filing Discrimination Charges Against Amazon
Introduction Another day, another multi-billion dollar company fired an employee instead of providing a sign language interpreter. The EEOC takes a specific interest in discrimination against employees with hearing loss, which is the most common disability in the workplace. In…
Accessibility Meme: funding for disabled-led startups.
Startups and disability inclusion: Let’s talk numbers. For every $1 million invested in startups: $975,000 goes to startups without disabled leadership. $25,000 goes to a startup with a disabled voice. It’s time to change the narrative and ensure everyone has…
Never give up on disability advocacy. Doing so allows ableist voices to win and perpetuate an inequal society
On any given day, I have to choose which disability injustice I want to write about: Is it the blind person forced to allow someone else to vote for them? Is it the airline that broke or lost yet another…
The More we Focus on What Makes People ‘Different’ The More We Feed The Cycle of Bias and Exclusion
This seems like an appropriate topic of conversation after the recent election in the US. As we reflect on the outcomes and their very real impact, it’s a timely reminder that focusing solely on differences can widen the gaps between…
Accessibility Meme: When Your Accessibility Strategy Meets a Shoestring Budget: A Train Wreck Waiting to Happen
Imagine crafting a brilliant accessibility strategy is like operating a sturdy bus. What happens when this robust bus meets a shoestring budget? Like a bus getting hit by a train, the impact is devastating. In the context of accessibility, that…
The ADA focuses on the needs of people with disabilities, not their medical diagnosis
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) embodies the social model of disability by shifting the focus from a person’s medical condition to barriers erected by society that those people experience. The ADA does not list specific disabilities but instead uses…
