The ADA requires you to litigate. Why isn’t there an office where I can just file a complaint? The ADA turned 30 on the day I published this article. Anyone who views the ADA as a complete success doesn’t understand…
Performative Disability Allyship
Are messengers seeking to disrupt ableism or just seeking praise for “taking a stand” that will never result in substantive change? Performative followed by any word implies that the messenger is acting in a performance. The messenger might think they…
How to discuss accessibility during a design/UI/UX interview or portfolio review
There are a gazillion articles on how to do a good job reviewing your design portfolio. None of them talk about accessibility. Portfolio reviews are the penultimate step in the design/UI/UX interview process. It’s a chance to show your work,…
Why ERG volunteer work is both important and masochistic
ERG roles can contribute to the fatigue/burnout that *every* underrepresented minority experiences at least once (and sometimes continually) in their lives It’s July. And if you aren’t in the US or don’t eat, live, breathe, and sleep disability as I…
Online Mentoring
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…
