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Mar. 10th, 2021 09:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Difference Drives Innovation & Disability Inclusion Benefits All of Us
She is a lawyer from Harvard who is both deaf and blind
Key Takeaway - important accessibility feature is descriptive transcripts - for the defa blind community this is essential access - i can't see what is in the video and i can't see the captions. Descriptive transcripts should include the words, but also descriptions of what is being seen. The vast majority of videos don't have captions, and even those with captions they don't include descriptive transcripts.
Difference Drives Innovation & Disability Inclusion Benefits All of Us
Haben Girma
She is a lawyer from Harvard who is both deaf and blind
Key Takeaway - important accessibility feature is descriptive transcripts - for the defa blind community this is essential access - i can't see what is in the video and i can't see the captions. Descriptive transcripts should include the words, but also descriptions of what is being seen. The vast majority of videos don't have captions, and even those with captions they don't include descriptive transcripts.
Closed captions
"The dominant narrative here in the United States and in other places around the world is that disability is a burden on society. That narrative is incredibly harmful, I had to learn to resist that narrative and create my own narrative of what it means to be a daughter of refugees, a black woman and disabled. "
Ableism comes up in many ways it comes up in language; includes where disability is used as a negative. For example such and such a person is blind to reason. If someone is a hiring manager and using that kind of language I'd be concerned that they are discriminating against blind applicants and that they are carrying assumptions that there is a disconnection between blindness and ignorance. That is just one example of how ableism comes up in our language.
It also comes up and policies, and schools and technology. These beliefs and biases get built into our technology and we end up with technology that does not fill the needs of all people. I faced a lot of barriers going up and then I reached the point where I decided, I'm no longer willing to put up with these barriers and tolerate these barriers. I want to do something about it.
--- I'm now an advocate for people with disabilities, but I was not born an advocate; it took time to reach that point. Part of the transition was shifting the narrative from seeing disability as something burdensome to seeing it as an opportunity for innovation. We need to increase awareness of how disability drives innovation and I will give an example. --- Braille was devised by a blind teacher who wanted his students to have access to text, books, articles; lots of people know braille is a tool for blind people to have access to the written word. But how many people know that it was developed by a blind person? --- That's one of many different examples of disabled people coming up with their own solutions to help others in our community. I'll give another example. --- Play this video please. >> [Video] >> HABEN GIRMA: Before the pandemic traveled around speaking with students at universities and we have a video of a university in Mexico, instituto tecnologico de Sonora, and in this video I am in a gymnasium signing with the young man and he watches my hands and facial expressions as I signed him and then I hold my hands over his hands to feel his signs. He wants can't hear spoken language one can create a visual language and that's what deaf communities have done all over the world. The dominant sign language in the US is American sign language. In France, French sign language. Across the pond in the UK they have a completely different language and it makes no sense to me. They call it British sign language. ---
The deaf blind community is also innovative. If one can't see or create language one can create tactile sign language which is used by many deaf blind people. In the video I am using tactile sign language to communicate with him. He was a student back then, but he is now a teacher in Mexico. That is one form of communication. --- There are many other forms of communication. Next video. Another form of communication is salsa dancing. This is also before the pandemic. I'm salsa dancing at a club in New York City; I live in the San Francisco Bay area and I found many wonderful dance communities in the Bay Area. At one time the bouncer would not let me in the dance club, you can't come in, no dogs. I explained the dog with me was a service dog, a well-trained, well behaved seeing-eye dog. He kept insisting you can't come in, no dogs. I explained the American with his abilities act prohibited this combination and wherever public goes Seeing Eye dogs can go. And the manager kept saying you cannot come in. ---
Ableism is also connected to racism and sexism. When racist -- Not to put down a group of people -- they use ableist language among other things, such as this group is less capable, less intelligent, less emotionally able. That's ableist language. Sexists engage in similar arguments and that is harmful, problematic and we need those working on racial justice to also help end ableism and those working on gender inequality should help address ableism. And people working in disability accessibility also need to address racism and sexism.
---
Several years ago I was part of a disability organization and I brought up the fact that many disabled people are killed by law enforcement and racism multiplied by ableism incredibly dangerous. In organizations only we don't talk about race and we do not have the time to address these issues and I did my best to explain the connections. But at that time they were not willing to address the intersection of racism and ableism, eventually left the organization. That's not unique. It comes up a lot in advocacy. And we need more people to be aware of intersectionality.
In technology a lot of people don't always remember these connections. If you are working on disability issues, remember to increase her presentation of the different groups. Make sure there is racial diversity in the work that you do, and in the data you collect for project you work on in the technology field.
---
So that is another dimension to ableism. Many other barriers I faced are due to people not taking the time to work on removing the barriers, but when I have been successful it has been because people around me have chosen to do the work to remove the barriers. Sometimes it is really difficult work; other times it is quite easy. One of my favorites was a high school teacher who approached me and asked, do you want to go surfing? At that time I did not know any blind people who surfed. I did not know a black woman who surfed but I told the teacher sure, let's give it a try and she introduced me to a program in Santa Cruz called Ride a Wave, and we did serving. Video please.
---
In this video we have tandem surfing, which is larger board, I'm near the front of the board, the water guide is at the back of the board and he helped steer as we ride the wave.
>> [Video]
>> HABEN GIRMA:
I love the experience of feeling the surfboard beneath my feet, the sun, the water. I started asking myself, where exactly are my limits? Can I test those limits?
---
That specific program did not do surf classes. so I asked surf schools in California, cannot take surf lessons? And they said they never heard of a blind person surfing, and another school said they had never heard of a deaf blind person. Let's find a way.
>> [Video]
>> HABEN GIRMA:
In this video I am in Mount surfboard, beside me on a separate surfboard is instructor and he is nearby so he can help steer around the surface.
And around the sharks. There aren't any sharks in the video but this is in California.
---
So many people tell me, oh, this specific tool can't be made accessible or the specific activity can't be made accessible. That kind of negative thinking is limiting. If we bring more people with expertise to the conversation we can come up with a solution.
---
Technology starts off as one's and zero's. Technology is converting these ones and zeros in technology that everyone can use, video, audio, braille, touch, maybe even smell and taste. So many possibilities.
---
Ableism is incredibly limiting and we need to be aware of ableism and all the different ways it comes into our technology. I am going to pause here and invite Laura to come back on screen. Laura, do we have any questions?
>> LAURA: First, we are getting a lot of great comments. Thank you for talking about the intersection of this ability and racism as it relates to police, violence and murder, thank you for raising the importance of that And we have attendees from all over the world, Australia, Canada, Mexico, the UK, they all want to say hi.
>> HABEN GIRMA:
I was nodding and appreciating that people from around the world are saying hi. Hi people from Canada, Mexico and other places.
>> LAURA: they are all saying hi.
Also people ever inspired by you and they want to thank you for sharing your experienced in the loved your killer dance moves in the video.
>> HABEN GIRMA:
I miss dacning so much. I haven't danced for a year and I used to dance every week. Many of my friends are from the dance communities. It is one of the things I am looking forward to when the pandemic ends and we can go back to gathering in groups.
>> LAURA: Great, I'll give you one question from the chat related to that.
Someone asks, how has the pandemic affected the deaf blind community especially social distancing?
>> HABEN GIRMA:
Excellent question. So during the pandemic, deaf blind people and also blind people have faced increased stigma around the fear of touch.
deaf blind people at least among my friend groups have developed safe communities of people we trust to communicate and interact with and support us and within those communities will use tactile sign language, pro tactile and make sure we have support and communication and opportunities for relaxation within those communities, and outside of those committees I want to send out a reminder to everyone, make sure you are not achieved without consent. There is still a lot of grabbing of blind people and sidewalks and in public places, supposedly to offer help but it is not helpful when it is not wanted.
---
So just a reminder, check in. It is great to want to help people but ask
Apex. And by reading the menus I would know which of the stations.
---
When I advocate, I help other people. If we tell ourselves it is just a small barrier, there are bigger problems to worry about, the small barriers add up. When we take the time to adjust we build up the skill to deal with larger obstacles. The experience with the cafeteria inspired me to advocate for other people, other disabled people, and I wanted to build up the skills to advocate her instead of looking into law schools, Harvard law told me they had never had a definite student before. I told the, I've never been to Harvard Law school before. We did not know what the answers would be; however did not know all the solutions that we engaged in an interactive process to find solutions and make it work.
---
It was a long process. People often ask me, what was the hardest part at Harvard Law school? The hardest part was ableism. Ableism keeps coming up over and over again; it is the biggest challenge I have faced and continue to face. I'll give an example of how it came up in law school.
---
During the first semester, we had a networking event where we would meet with the lawyers from the Boston community so the school brought in a bunch of lawyers and there were drinks, music. I was standing at a table with my braille computer keyboard, my guide dog on the floor; across from me was my interpreter and she was typing descriptions of what she was seeing around the room. And I told her I am ready to talk to people. Let's bring over this attorney so he came over to the table. And he started, not talking to me, but only talking to the interpreter. He told interpreter, tell her she is very beautiful. It's inspiring to see her. What a smart dog! Does a dog go to class with her? And I jumped in and said, I'm deaf blind and everything you are seeing is coming into the keyboard and I am reading it in braille. It might make more sense to you about what is going on if you try typing. Do you want to try typing? That might help to understand what is happening here.
He said, oh no, he was enjoying watching us and he told the interpreter again, only talking to the interpreter not talking to me to tell me that I was very inspiring. He was not inspired to offer me a job.
---
Often times disabled people are called "inspiring." It is a word that people cling to when they are feeling uncomfortable, awkward. If "inspiring" is used towards a positive action then it is something positive. I like it when people say I am inspired to make my website accessible. I'm inspired to try salsa dancing.
Those are positive ways to use the word. But please don't just call disabled people "inspiring" because you are uncomfortable or awkward.
If you're feeling uncomfortable or awkward ask yourself why. Investigate that emotion.
That is how we unearth ableism and work to address it.
---
Incidents like that kept coming up in law school and they continue to come up, post law school.
---
I graduated in 2013 and I have a photo to prove it. Photo please. Silvia, do you have a photo of the graduation? The Dean is handing me my diploma and my guide dog is standing beside me wearing a fancy coat. What I did Is called image description and it provides access to blind individuals and have also described videos throughout this presentation. I hope people watching this will remember to add image descriptions to photos you share on your website, your apps, social media, same thing with videos, describe the key visual details in videos so blind people have access.
---
I graduated in 2013 and started working in a law firm and worked on cases applying the ADA to technology. There is a myth that the ADA did not apply to technology but it does; I've worked on cases and the defendants were not happy about that. It is much, much easier to choose inclusion, to choose to invest in accessibility rather than dealing with lawyers.
---
I'm emphasizing education and training. I want to teach people about ableism. It comes up in so many ways, intersecting with other forms of oppression such as racism and sexism. And if we can learn to address ableism we will be removing so many barriers and forms of oppression.
---
Many of you who are watching this know about the importance of accessibility; but sometimes you encounter stubborn, difficult people who don't get it. So I offer you some argument you can use to convince those stubborn, difficult people why to invest in accessibility. Argument one: you will reach more people. There are over 1 billion disabled people around the world.
Bring up the slide with the arguments.
---
Argument 2: digital access accessibility increases content discovery; if you add captions and transcripts to your videos, image descriptions or alt text to your photos more text is associated with your content and search engine optimization.
---
Third argument: investing in a facility drives innovation. When you address a disability challenge you come up with a solution to help many people.
In the sixties and seventies the kids in the city of Berkeley demanded access to the sidewalks and the city install curb cuts and ramps to the sidewalks so wheelchair users had increased freedom and mobility when the city installed curb cuts.
---
Parents with strollers appreciated the curb cuts. Travelers with luggage enjoy the curb cuts. Kids with skateboards love the curb cuts an d now in 2021 autonomous cars use the curb cuts. Back in the sixties and seventies I doubt the city of Berkeley imagine autonomous robots benefiting from the curb cuts.
---
When you come up with the challenge you come up with a solution that benefits the community and ways you can barely imagine. Those are some of the arguments you can use to convince people to invest in accessibility. If the stubborn, difficult person is still not convinced, tell them about legal requirements. And again, the ADA does apply to technology, including autonomous robots.
---
I'm going to invite Laura to come on again let me know how everyone is doing, and if we have any questions.
>> LAURA: We have a lot of questions if you would like me to dive into those.
>> HABEN GIRMA:
Go for it.
>> LAURA: so the first question I have here is asking, what new or emerging accessibility tools are you most excited about?
>> HABEN GIRMA:
>> (chuckles)
I get that a lot. I'm actually more interested in making mainstream technology more accessible rather than new accessibility specific tools.
MainStreet apps, mainstream websites, we need those to be more accessible and that is what I am most excited about.
>> LAURA: Great.
Another question here.
What do you think the biggest misunderstanding is around accessibility? With either laypeople or folks working in the accessibility space?
>> HABEN GIRMA:
Some people treat it just as a checklist and forget one critical part of accessibility. It is having disabled people, people who use specific accessibility features whether it is screen readers, captions, transcripts, actually test out using the website or app or other service.
It would be great if more organizations increased hiring of disabled people.
That would make sure that more accessibility services were fully accessible.
>> LAURA: Thanks.
I have another question here.
What is the most common frustration you encounter when you are navigating the website?
How can we make our websites better for deaf blind users?
>> HABEN GIRMA:
A problem I encounter both on mainstream websites and apps and websites and apps by disability organizations is a lack of transcripts. I need to be able to have a textbased transcript to have access to videos; videos have become super popular for expanding information, whether it is healthcare information or other kinds of information.
A lot of deaf blind people are denied access to that information because there aren't transcripts that go with those videos. So just a reminder to everyone. Add captions to videos and also add transcripts.
>> LAURA: Great.
Another question here.
I've heard argued referring to inclusive design as a catalyst for innovation that benefits everyone is damaging because it erases the story about his ability and makes it about everybody. This is done to sell a disability to an organization. Do you have a perspective on this?
>> HABEN GIRMA:
What is said is absolutely true.
Any story when it becomes all-consuming is damaging and harmful. Everything should be done in moderation; the disability community should not have a single story just like this other group should not have a single story which is damaging. We are diverse, we are many stories. Disability can drive innovation but that should not be the only way to see disability.
>> LAURA: great point.
Another question here.
Do you have a technique to recharger spirits when you experience ableism?
How do you recharge yourself you can keep up the work?
>> HABEN GIRMA:
Excellent question, advocacy fatigue is something I struggle with another people struggle with that as well. I have a variety of things that I do that help me reset my spirits: Eating dessert. I have a sweet tooth. Going on walks with my dog; before the pandemic it was dancing, I used to go dancing about once a week. Those are some of the things. Talking with friends and that brings me joy. Every advocate should find something that brings them joy and make sure that is a part of their life to recharge and reset.
>> LAURA: Another question here for you.
What are some new skills or experiences you plan to conquer?
>> HABEN GIRMA:
(Laughing). So, hmm.
I've just become a parent of house plants. About two years ago I got Jasmin plants out outside, and they are easy to grow and they did not make it. I'm hoping to do a better job this time and I am nervous and worried about it but I will do my best and I will do my research so that is one thing I'm working on.
>> LAURA: someone in chat mentioned they love the plans behind you.
I'm sure you will keep up the great work.
>> HABEN GIRMA:
If anyone has recommendations for a new house plant owner please do let me know.
>> LAURA: I have another question for you is we have a few minutes left.
What has been the most rewarding change that you made after you engage with someone on disability rights?
>> HABEN GIRMA:
I really appreciate when people listen to my feedback about accessibility and implement it.
There have been several organizations that have started mentorship programs. So a lot of organizations talk about the importance of increasing hiring of disabled people. That is true, that is absolutely important. The next piece is making sure the workplace is a safe place for disabled people to grow and to advance. A lot of people end up leaving the organization's especially tech companies because of racism, ableism, sexism and the intersection of those three.
---
So mentorship programs where leadership helps provide advice and invests in the success of the disabled person, is one way to address ableism in the workplace, not the only place.
>> LAURA: Excellent. Just switching gears. What are your thoughts on accessibility overlays?
That is a hot topic now.
>> HABEN GIRMA:
There have been a lot of adds lately regarding easy AI-based solutions to make websites accessible. Personally I have tried testing some of those and experience was absolutely terrible. So I find such claims extremely frustrating since my personal experiences with such services have been very negative.
>> LAURA: what great accessibility project are you working on?
How is it going?
>> HABEN GIRMA:
(Lauging) Gosh, it's tricky to answer those questions. A lot of those things need to stay confidential. I do consulting with different organizations on making sure services are accessible and also making sure the story is not accidentally ableist. Ableism is ableism even if it is unintentional; and unfortunately it comes up in many projects. So it is important even if you don't think your project has ableism, to bring in someone to help review the story. And I work with artists, writers, filmmakers and people working in technology and tech-based projects on making sure there is accessibility.
>> LAURA: we have come to the end of today's session. I want to thank you Haben again for such a great presentation and I want to thank everybody who joined us here today and I hope you have a great rest of your conference.
>> [End of session]
