Don’t count on being able to recoup those costs from someone else. This article is not legal advice. This is a general opinion article and should not be relied upon for any legal situation. Always consult an attorney who specializes…
This Week in Accessibility: First lawsuit filed over lack of captions in VR
This most recent accessibility litigation evolution has been predicted for the past couple of years by ADA legal experts. Dylan Panarra v. HTC Corp — Case 6:20-cv-06991, Filed 11/18/20 in the United States District Court, Western District of New York.…
Accessibility certifications: separating what IS good from what just sounds good
Certification is: a standardized method with a formal process that individuals use to demonstrate that they are qualified at a specific level in particular knowledge or skills. Hiring managers use certifications to identify candidates that possess the skills the organization…
“Anything else you want to tell us?” is not a valid substitute for “do you need an accommodation?”
Stop using conference registration forms, submission portals, and platforms that discriminate against people with disabilities. In the first of two articles I have recently published on accommodations, I addressed what accommodations are. The second focused on what can happen when an organization…
Transitioning from being a manager to an individual contributor
There are plenty of articles on how to move from an individual contributor role to being a manager. Not so many the other way around. Nine months ago, I was presented with a choice. My job responsibilities had grown beyond…
What people with disabilities hope to see in a Biden Presidency
After four years of ridicule and inattention to PwDs being completely normalized, the future is looking slightly brighter. My first presidential countdown clock started January 20, 2017, the day President Trump took office. My expectations of disability rights stagnating during his…
#DCX: Disabled Customer Experience
Anyone with a disability has endless stories about being treated differently SOLELY on their PwD status. #DCX tracks those stories. Having had a life-long mobility disability, I think I’ve heard it all, and then it never ceases to fail that…
Received an accommodations request? Think twice before turning it down.
This is Part 2 of a two-part article. Read Part 1, The Manager’s Practical Guide to Handling an Employee Newly Diagnosed With a Disability here. What are accommodations? An “accommodations request” is as simple as an individual communicating the following type…
Your first attempt at making anything accessible will be awful
Don’t use this as an excuse. Even awful is better than 98 % of what other people are doing. My primary goal in life is to convince people to make things accessible, which is defined as making products and services…
How people with disabilities can be ableist
TL;DR: They internalize the dominant paradigm: abled is good, disabled is bad. Exhibit #1: Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott Greg Abbott is a wheelchair user, only the third wheelchair-using governor in United States history. What happened that caused him to…
