We want to be spectators. Many of us want to be or are, participants. So why is it that we face so many freaking barriers? As a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan for more than four decades and compound archery 2024 Paralympic…
What do American employers owe their employees with mental health conditions
This situation will become more prevalent thanks to the pandemic. This article will start with a general discussion on accommodations and then move on to the specifics of a mental health condition. Is the employer required to provide accommodations? Unless…
Why I wrote “Giving a Damn About Accessibility” and why you should read it
I wrote the accessibility book I needed 17 years ago when I made my career shift to focus on disability and accessibility. In 2004, I was struggling with a miserable career. I finished law school in 1997. I spent a…
What does an “accessibility flywheel” look like?
Flywheels distill complicated sets of business processes down to the most critical inflection points, enhancing stakeholder focus. A business flywheel is an alternative to the more traditional “funnel” that graphically portrayed processes must follow to get and keep customers. The…
California Law AB 979 promoting board diversity does not go far enough.
AB 979 law has a much too narrow definition of “underrepresented communities,” leaving out many identities who deserve to be included. AB 979 was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom last year. This law requires that by the end of 2021,…
Are you ready to be anti-ableist in 2021?
Make a New Year’s Resolution to add anti-ableism to your skillset from 2021 going forward. As I start to think about the standard “year-end” / wrap-up articles related to accessibility, this one seems pretty obvious. We need more people to…
Inaccessibility is a disease. Why aren’t we doing more to cure it?
How many developers must know how to develop accessible code before “herd immunity” protects people with disabilities against inaccessibility? In the carbon-based lifeform world, herd immunity is achieved when the majority of a population is immune (either through infection or…
Accessibility issues that can’t be solved by tech
You can’t consider yourself accessible in the broadest sense of the word without considering non-technical factors that disproportionately impact people with disabilities There are two different categories of thought on the WCAG accessibility guidelines: WCAG is a goal, something that…
I’ve given up on the ADA to protect my rights as a person with a disability
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…
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…