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#18: January 2022
accessiblesocial.substack.com

#18: January 2022

Rest is part of being a good advocate

Alexa Heinrich
Jan 6
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So as you may or may not have noticed, I completely forgot this newsletter existed in December. Between the holidays, the end of the semester at the college I work for, having the worst sinus infection ever, launching an online store for Social Media Tea, and winding down from a year filled with numerous speaking engagements, I was mentally and physically depleted. I didn’t even realize I had forgotten to do a December issue until halfway through the month. At that point, I knew I needed to prioritize my mental health and resting over anything else, so I quietly skipped sending out a newsletter last month.

I’m still getting back into the groove of things which is why this issue is coming to you on a Thursday instead of Monday. The exhaustion I’ve been feeling has admittedly been hard to shake.

It cannot be stressed enough that everyone should place more importance on rest and mental health, especially if they work in social media or digital marketing. The amount of vitriol and bad news we’re exposed to every day is astounding and can take its toll on you. The desire to hustle and always be working on literally anything can also be incredibly draining.

And if you’re trying to be an advocate for any cause, you cannot give your all if you’re running on empty. Rest is vital and necessary. You cannot be a good advocate if you don’t advocate for yourself first and foremost.

Since I skipped last month, this month’s issue will be a round-up of November and December. Thanks again for sticking around and letting me rest, folks. The understanding is much appreciated.

Alexa


News and Updates

CVS withdraws Supreme Court case

Remember in my last newsletter where I mentioned that CVS was attempting to dismantle anti-discrimination protections under Section 504? Yeah, they finally gave up and dropped their case.

Twitter avatar for @maria_m_townMaria Town 🍁🍂 @maria_m_town
“As a result, we will not pursue the matter further before the Supreme Court.” CVS is withdrawing its cert petition to SCOTUS for the CVS v Doe case, which could’ve gutted section 504. When the disability community pushed back, CVS listened. #CripTheVote
aapd.com/press-releases…
CVS HEALTH WILL WITHDRAW ITS CASE BEFORE THE SUPREME COURT A BLUE BACKGROUND WITH YELLOW LETTERS

November 11th 2021

80 Retweets217 Likes

Discord makes meme sharing more accessible

I’m not very familiar with how Discord works, but it’s nice to see that they’re working to make their platform more accessible!

Twitter avatar for @vergeThe Verge @verge
Discord now lets you send up to 10 (accessible) memes at a time
theverge.com/2021/11/19/227…
Image

November 19th 2021

17 Retweets140 Likes

Facebook takes page from TikTok’s book

Are you familiar with TikTok’s text-to-speech feature? Yes? Well so is Facebook apparently, and they’re working to emulate it. It’s admittedly a great feature that every platform should implement.

Twitter avatar for @alex193aAlessandro Paluzzi @alex193a
#Facebook is working on the Text-To-Speech (TTS) feature 👀
Image
Image

November 22nd 2021

12 Retweets60 Likes

Twitter introduces auto-captions

This was an exciting update, and I like the bit of shade that Twitter threw in its announcement graphic. However, many users have reported that the feature is kind of buggy and doesn’t work that well when a video has embedded captions (open captions). Hopefully, Twitter will continue to tweak and improve its auto-captions feature because it’s certainly a nice one to have!

Twitter avatar for @TwitterSupportTwitter Support @TwitterSupport
Where are video captions when you need them? They’re here now automatically on videos uploaded starting today. Android & iOS: auto-captions will show on muted Tweet videos; keep them on when unmuted via your device's accessibility settings Web: use the "CC" button to turn on/off
A cat speaking with auto-captions appearing that read, “Twitter now has auto captions for videos. About time, am I right?” The screen turns blue with text overlay that reads, “@ movie theaters, your turn 👀”.

December 14th 2021

345 Retweets899 Likes

British Airways adds BSL to passenger experience

Travel and transportation can be a huge hindrance to individuals with disabilities if there’s no effort being made to have it be accessible. British Airways has become the first UK airline to trial a new video service that includes British Sign Language (BSL) to make the passenger experience more accessible for Deaf and hard-of-hearing customers.

Twitter avatar for @debraruhDebra Ruh @debraruh
#BritishAirways adds British #SignLanguage option to assist in passenger experience - Economy Class & Beyond #accessibility #PwD #disabilityinclusion #accessibletransit #transportation
buff.ly/3mkS11k
Image

December 22nd 2021

2 Retweets2 Likes

Learning Moments

Disability isn’t a costume or a prop

Once upon a time I found Ellen DeGeneres funny. Now I mostly just cringe at how willfully ignorant she seems to be at just about every turn. The on-screen stunt she pulled for Halloween last year was horribly ableist and offensive. Someone’s disability or the assistive technology they use isn’t a costume.

Twitter avatar for @emily_ladauEmily Ladau @emily_ladau
You know, when I played dress-up as a kid, my wheelchair wasn't part of my costume because hey, I actually use a wheelchair and it's not a toy. This is wildly ableist and just all-around in poor taste.

Ellen DeGeneres @TheEllenShow

A look into my future… and @Official_tWitch’s too. Happy Halloween! https://t.co/4DrIKn1qGe

November 4th 2021

26 Retweets168 Likes

Think beyond your own existence

It’s sad how selfish and careless some people can be, and so often at the expense or inconvenience of the disabled community. Just like the digital world, think about how your actions impact the physical world for people besides yourself.

Twitter avatar for @emswheellifeEmily Morison @emswheellife
This is my street, and a common sight. There is no way to get around it and it’s too heavy to move. If something that’s supposed to be good for a community makes it less accessible, I don’t think it’s good for that community at all.
Image

November 23rd 2021

95 Retweets529 Likes

Accessibility shouldn’t be extra

Why is accessibility frequently treated like an afterthought or something you need to pay extra for? Something as simple and impactful as creating accessible PDFs should absolutely be free for everyone! It would make such a difference in digital communications, especially within higher education and marketing.

Twitter avatar for @merylkevansMeryl Evans, CPACC 🦻 speaks at #PCMACL & #AxeCon @merylkevans
It bugs me that creating an accessible PDF @AdobeAccess requires Adobe Acrobat Professional. This is not realistic for many self-employed and small businesses. A lot of them don't want to pay for cloud services or $$$ for software. This is an #accessibility issue. Limiting #A11y

November 8th 2021

14 Retweets47 Likes

Have you recently spotted a major digital accessibility win, update, or learning moment on social media? Send it to me! I might just feature it in my next newsletter. Feel free to email me at hello@therealalexa.com or you can DM me on Twitter. My inbox is always open!


Alt Text Practice

I previously ran a weekly exercise on Twitter called #AltTextTuesday. Due to my increasing workload, I decided to move the exercise here, to my newsletter. Each month I’ll choose a different image from Pexels, and I encourage you to practice writing your best alt text for it. If you have questions or want feedback on your image description, feel free to email me!

Rows of blooming lavender bushes under a pink and purple sky.
Photo by David Bartus

Excellent Resources

I find some of the best tips, resources, and insights on Twitter from other creators and advocates, and I want to share them with you, too!

Twitter avatar for @TwitterBusinessTwitter Business @TwitterBusiness
Want to make your content on Twitter accessible for all audiences? We've got you covered. Our head of Global Accessibility @GurpreetKaurSW, and Accessibility Content Designer Amber James share their tips and best practices.

December 17th 2021

16 Retweets35 Likes
Twitter avatar for @CatchTheseWordsConnor Scott-Gardner @CatchTheseWords
Here's what happens when you post a photo with no alt text on Twitter, because I think some of you don't understand what I have to do in response. First, it depends on what device I'm looking at it. 1/

November 12th 2021

2,548 Retweets5,552 Likes
Twitter avatar for @FrankElavskyFrank ⌁ @FrankElavsky
"What are examples of accessible, effective chart descriptions?" I get asked this question a LOT, so I am going to make a thread here to easily link to later. (This thread covers both simple and complex use-cases for human-authored descriptions.) Feel free to share/bookmark!
This is a screenshot of NCAM's guidelines. It is more accessible at their site (later in the thread).

Bar Chart - Horizontal

Title: How people who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, blind or have low vision are alerted to emergencies.

bar chart

Guidelines:
While most bar charts should be converted into accessible tables, this simple chart can be presented as text in a list.
Provide the title and labels.
It is not necessary to describe the visual attributes of the bars unless there is an explicit need.
This is a screenshot of NCAM's guidelines. It is more accessible at their site (later in the thread).

Description:
The figure is a bar chart that has been converted into the following table. All data are approximate.
How people who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, blind or have low vision are alerted to emergencies.
Table:
  Response  	  deaf/hard of hearing  	  blind/low vision  
  Don't Know  	  70  	  79  
  Friend  	  59  	  62  
  Family  	  65  	  64
  Co-worker  	  33	  38
  TV  	  102	  65
  Radio  	  30	  80
  Email  	  36	  5
  Web  	  16	  4
  Landline Phone  	  25	  53
  Cellphone  	  8	  11
  Pager  	  17	  10
  Smartphone/PDA  	  18	  8
  TTY  	  47	  0
  Video relay service  	  4	  0
  Phone relay service  	  8	  0
  Other  	  7	  9

December 9th 2021

75 Retweets220 Likes
Twitter avatar for @SuenJonathanJonathan 君劭 Suen @SuenJonathan
Here’s a friendly reminder to conduct an Accessibility check on your Power Point (PPT) presentations using the built-in feature & thru following some design principles! More here: 🔗
support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/m… via @Office #DisabilityTwitter @HashtagHeyAlexa
A screenshot from a PPT presentation’s overview showing that an accessibility check rated the slides as: “Good to go”. The screenshot is annotated with this point emphasized through highlighting and adding a check-mark emoji.

Jonathan 君劭 Suen @SuenJonathan

…If I’ve hooked your curiosity today at @JHSPH_Hearing about the principles & lessons learned thru #R3ISEnetwork’s #SciComm webinar program, then check out our recordings here: 🔗https://t.co/c1Twlx98LZ via @JohnsHopkinsMMI #ScienceTwitter #AcademicTwitter @R3_GSI https://t.co/IK9Qm6IUjE https://t.co/diMT6IEnXn

December 13th 2021

6 Retweets5 Likes

Are you looking for an online community where you can learn more about accessible social media practices? Join the Facebook group I created! Accessible Social is a group dedicated to helping anyone working in social media, marketing, public relations, communications, or advertising learn more about accessibility best practices for digital content. All are welcome!

Join the Group


Recommended Reading

Longer pieces that are definitely worth reading through and learning from.

Ableism at COP26 Shows Disabled People Are Still an Afterthought

Rachel Charlton-Dailey | VeryWellHealth

“The conference was plagued with allegations of ableism after Israel’s Energy Minister Karine Elharrar, who has muscular dystrophy, was unable to enter the events compound in her wheelchair-accessible vehicle. The distance from the vehicle to the building was too far for her to travel in her wheelchair.”

Bojana Coklyat in Conversation with Shannon Finnegan: What can alt text learn from poetry? What can poetry learn from alt text?

Amy Berkowitz | The Believer

“Writing alt text tends to be viewed as a chore—something that must be done for compliance. Alt Text as Poetry rejects this idea and instead celebrates the expressive potential of alt text, encouraging people to explore writing image descriptions as a creative practice.”


Scroll Stoppers

Bits of wisdom, thoughtful moments, and maybe a few pointed remarks that made me immediately stop scrolling. Hopefully, they get you thinking as well!

Twitter avatar for @Imani_BarbarinImani Barbarin, MAGC | Crutches&Spice ♿️ @Imani_Barbarin
I’m happy for Britney, but to her supporters: if this is where your advocacy for people in conservatorships end, then what exactly were you fighting for. 1.3 million people remain at the mercy of this institution. Anyone can be under threat of one.

Pop Crave @PopCrave

🚨 BREAKING: After nearly 14 years, Britney Spears’ conservatorship has officially been terminated. https://t.co/PiTDTLO6UB

November 12th 2021

5,484 Retweets15,368 Likes
Twitter avatar for @claudiaalickclaudiaalick @claudiaalick
@Imani_Barbarin The meta verse was not designed with disabled people in mind and replicates so much of the inaccessibility of physical design. Dystopia dysfunctional design that will serve the dominant class.

November 3rd 2021

57 Retweets423 Likes
Twitter avatar for @mattmayMatt May @mattmay
Alt text has a thing I call the Mona Lisa problem. The Mona Lisa's alt text could be its name, a reasonably detailed description of her face, or of the artistic strokes, even of the crowd around it in the Louvre. Lesson: alt text can be VERY different in different contexts.

November 29th 2021

42 Retweets188 Likes
Twitter avatar for @lingerie_addictCora Harrington @lingerie_addict
What is one thing that when you learned it, changed your perspective forever? Mine was learning that many of the gadgets I saw on late night TV commercials were made with disabled people in mind, but had to marketed to abled folks as well to stay in business.

November 2nd 2021

1,040 Retweets7,948 Likes
Twitter avatar for @GHMansfieldGregory Mansfield @GHMansfield
Disability rights are civil rights. Disability rights are human rights. Disabled people must be included in diversity efforts. If anyone has a problem with these statements, they are mired in ableism.

December 4th 2021

130 Retweets287 Likes
Twitter avatar for @norarahimiannora rahimian @norarahimian
It’s not underrepresented. It is systemically excluded. It is institutionally oppressed. Accountability starts with language.

December 6th 2021

6,589 Retweets26,205 Likes
Twitter avatar for @blindandb0ujeeCarys @blindandb0ujee
Designing for accessibility only seems hard because you’ve spent so long in an industry where exclusionary design is the default.

December 6th 2021

161 Retweets647 Likes

One Last Chuckle

Both of these made me laugh pretty hard, especially the tweet about counting in ASL.

Twitter avatar for @hayxsmithHay Smith 🌈 @hayxsmith
I can confidently tell anyone who asks that I can count the men I've slept with on one hand. Ideally, they also don't know how counting and numbers work in ASL.

November 21st 2021

341 Retweets5,528 Likes
Twitter avatar for @signingmangophelan • ᜉᜌᜎᜈ᜔ 🏳️‍🌈 @signingmango
In the effort to promote accessibility, here are the latest CDC guidelines in ASL:
GIF Description: Phelan turns around in an office chair, sipping iced coffee. They do a glance-over, puts their tumbler down, and signs, “NOT-MY-PROBLEM”. Phelan is wearing a gray sweater with black-rimmed glasses.

December 28th 2021

136 Retweets652 Likes
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