I used to have a blog about 10 years or so called AccessTechGeek that talked about technology and its impact on people with disabilities. In light of the recent events such as the pandemic and ongoing dialogue around diversity and inclusion, I have decided to start a new blog that touches on technology, but mainly focuses on day-to-day experiences navigating life with disabilities, rather than the technology type itself.
I just learned recently that July is Disability Pride Month, and that there is a flag that represents disability pride. It was recently updated in November 2021. I think it looks a lot better with the muted colors. I am sensitive to bright colors due to the nature of my vision loss. For me, Disability Pride provides the opportunity to provide awareness of how disabilities and perceptions of them impact daily lives.
While my vision and hearing impairments have shaped a lot of my life’s decisions and overall direction, I think that there is still a lot of room for awareness and education about individual need. Disability, like many other issues that fall into the black and white trap, exists on the spectrum. Each individual with disabilities has different needs and preferences. For example, one visually impaired person may prefer to use a screen reader, but another may prefer to use enlarged text via magnification.
I graduated from college in 2007. That year was a revolutionary year for the blind community because that was the year that the iPhone and Kindle were released. Both devices offered the ability to enlarge text and included speech-to-text capabilities. Apple in particular has led the way with accessibility for multiple disabilities because they incorporate accessibility settings into their devices. Case in point—I am currently writing this blog post in a Google Doc on an iPad that I can zoom in the text as needed. I also use my Apple Watch as an alarm because it has a vibration alert setting. Not having to worry about a separate alarm clock was a game changer. Also, Dark Mode (white text on black background is the best.
The biggest takeaway is that technology has become a lot more flexible since mobile became a thing. This flexibility allows individuals to adapt the technology for their own needs, rather than the other way around.
Going forward, posts will focus on creative ways to navigate restaurants, healthcare settings, transportation (plenty of amusing stories there), and others. Hopefully these posts will help inform, provide useful resources, and encourage more inclusive and creative workarounds for day-to-day activities.