#15: September 2021

Disability isn't a dirty word

Sep 7, 2021

Two weeks ago, I started anti-anxiety meds. This is the first time in my life that I’ve taken any sort of medication to help me manage my mental health issues. I’ve been pretty open about the entire process on my personal social media, and have gotten several responses along the lines of, “Thank you for being open about this.”

It’s made me realize that there are taboo topics that shouldn’t actually be taboo. We’re taught at an early age that you shouldn’t talk about politics or religion—things that people can choose and give up—in polite company, but it goes unspoken that most people don’t want to talk about things like mental health, disability, sexuality, or race either.

We need to talk about these things though. We need to stop acting as if something that is inherently part of someone’s existence—something they can’t choose or give up—is off-limits. That sort of mentality gets people hurt or killed. That sort of mentality prevents people from getting adequate care. That sort of mentality divides and destroys people.

So let’s talk.

Alexa

PS: Yes, I know this month’s issue is a day late…again. But yesterday was a holiday in the U.S., so I’m pretending that today is Monday.

The Good Stuff from August

Twitter Spaces Getting an Update

The bird app announced that the latest iOS release makes a few updates to Twitter Spaces including captions having a dedicated space at the bottom of the screen.

Twitter Accessibility @TwitterA11y

Some great improvements to captions for @TwitterSpaces in the latest iOS release: - Captions now have a dedicated space at the bottom - Ability to scroll back (up to 10 captions) - Captions now honors iOS caption style settings Try it out and let us know how you feel! #a11y

New Regulation to Provide Automatic Student Loan Discharges

This regulation from the U.S. Department of Education will provide more than $5.8 billion to over 323,000 borrows who have a disability.

U.S. Department of Education @usedgov

News: Today, ED announced a new regulation that will provide more than $5.8 billion in automatic student loan discharges to over 323,000 borrowers who have a total & permanent disability (TPD). go.usa.gov/xF7cx

University of North Texas Creates Inclusive Fight Song Video

I work in higher education, so this was definitely a win for me. The University of North Texas (UNT) teamed up with one of their Integrative Studies students to create an ASL version of their fight song.

University of North Texas @UNTsocial

We’ve got #MeanGreen spirit! Yes, we do! Integrative Studies student Elizabeth shares her #ASL version of the #UNT Fight Song. Go, Mean Green!

Snoop Dogg Down With Captions

I love Snoop Dogg. No really, he is a delight, and I love that he actively listens to his fans, especially when they suggest something like captions. Thanks, Snoop!

Ebony R. Gooden @Ebonyrgooden

Y'ALLLLLLL!!!!! LOOK AT WHAT @SnoopDogg DID ON @tiktok_us!!!!

Screenshot of comments on Tik Tok.

Deafmute666 * Friends
Snoop I am a longtime deaf fan of yours and would appreciate if you added captions, King!
3d Reply
256 Hearts

Snoopdogg * Creator
Got you (handshakes emoji)
3d Reply
225 Hearts

Instagram Adding Text-to-Speech Feature for Reels

I love that Instagram is shamelessly copying features from TikTok without hesitation now. The text-to-speech feature on TikTok is great because it allows you to narrate your open captions.

Alessandro Paluzzi @alex193a

#Instagram continues to work on the text-to-speech (TTS) feature for #Reels by adding the possibility to choose different voices 👀

Inclusive Olympic Swimming Moment

I did not watch the Olympics or the Paralympics, so I love that my friend Katherine tagged me in this post. Spain’s artistic swimming team tried to make their routine more inclusive by learning and including sign language. You can learn more about their routine on the Olympics website.

Katherine Alexander @ImKatherineAlex

ARTISTIC SWIMMING BEING INCLUSIVE WOW @HashtagHeyAlexa I just found your new favourite moment in sports

Hip-Hop Gets First-Ever Audio Music Video

Audio descriptions are becoming pretty standard for television shows and movies, but not so much for music videos…until now.

BlindNewWorld @BlindNewWorld

"... You have absolutely no idea what this means to me. I have finally enjoyed a music video - 100% #blind man has watched and enjoyed a music video, just listen to how that sounds. Truly amazing.” #AudioDescription

Hip Hop Just Got Its First-Ever Audio Music Video For 2.2B Visually Impaired People Around The GlobeWith over 2.2 billion visually impaired people across the globe, music videos haven’t been something they can enjoy — until now.hiphopdx.com

The Bad Stuff from August

I’m going to talk about two distinct moments for the Bad Stuff from August, the Twitter design update and the Lollapalooza interpreter who went viral.

Twitter Design Update Misses the Mark

Our favorite bird app decided to do a major design overhaul that involved a completely new font, layout adjustments, and color theme updates. These changes were all created with the intention of making the platform more accessible.

Twitter Accessibility @TwitterA11y

Today we release updates for colors & typography! See @TwitterDesign post for full details. The A11Y updates are: - Higher color contrast of buttons, links, focus - Easier reading with left-aligned text & more space between text - Fewer distracting gray things What do you think?

An iPhone, Android, and laptop computer showing the same screen: the Twitter timeline displaying visual updates with left-aligned text, more space between lines of text, and higher color contrast of buttons.

Conner Kerrigan @connerkerrigan

@MsPackyetti Chirp (the name for the new font) is designed to make it easier to read while scrolling, with more space in between the characters. They also changed the color scheme to feature more contrast. I wrote about it here

Everything you need to know about Twitter’s font changeOn Wednesday, Twitter made Chirp the official brand font of the company and rolled it out on the software.connerkerrigan.wordpress.com

Unfortunately, the one-size-fits-all approach that Twitter took didn’t work for everyone. Many users complained about migraines and difficulty reading the new typeface, making it obvious that the platform hadn’t thought through their redesign enough. The disabled community was quick to suggest that giving options for things like colors, fonts, and contrast would be a better way to make Twitter accessible for everyone, and I’m 100% in agreeance.

TechCrunch @TechCrunch

Twitter's web redesign isn't as accessible as it should be, experts say tcrn.ch/37G9Gch by @asilbwrites

Twitter’s web redesign isn’t as accessible as it should be, experts say – TechCrunchAfter teasing its new font in January, Twitter made some major changes to its website and app design this week. But while Twitter framed these updates as making the platform “more accessible,” some accessibility experts say that these changes missed the mark. Most noticeably, tweets now appear in “C…tcrn.ch

Viral Interpreter Sparks Audist Reactions

Did you catch all the buzz about the interpreter at Lollapalooza who went viral after a video captured her signing Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP”? I admit I was one of the many, many people whose immediate reaction was, “This is so cool.” I had it quickly pointed out to me that this sort of reaction is in fact audist. The interpreter is simply doing her job, and gawking over someone signing is actually offensive. It’s a language, a form of communication, not something meant to entertain people.

Quinn 🦻🏽✨ @Quinns_quirks

If you watched this video and did any of the following, you are audist 1. “She’s throwing up gang signs” 2. “Well NOW I gotta learn sign language” 3. “Why is a deaf person at a concert?” 4. “I always love to see interpreters signing songs” 5. “She’s hot” Am I missing any??

Alexa Lisitza @AlexaLisitza

EXCUSE ME BUT THE SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETER DURING MEGAN’S PERFORMANCE OF WAP MUST BE SEEN https://t.co/6p590p5YS2

What’s more is that so much focus was put on the interpreter and almost none on the actual signing or who created it. Hint hint, it was a Black woman named Raven Sutton. Sutton has created several ASL covers of popular songs, which you can check out on her YouTube channel.

The Root @TheRoot

Bring a Bucket and a Mop for This Sign Language Interpreter's Translation of 'WAP' With Megan Thee Stallion—and the Black Woman Who Created It dlvr.it/S52dtv

Have you recently spotted a major digital accessibility win or fail 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!

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!

kait ‘crisp’ sanchez @crisp_red

in case ya missed it! wrote about the ways people with low vision are excluded on social media, even when sites have accessibility options

‘May be an image’: what it’s like browsing Instagram while blindAccessibility on social networks like Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok hasn’t fully caught up, and the results can sound ridiculous. Automatic alt text based on machine learning doesn’t quite cut it.theverge.com

Adobe XD @AdobeXD

“Imagine if 90% of the websites or mobile apps you use today locked you out." (@reg_inee) Here are 4 key checkpoints that will help you design for accessibility, so no one is left out: adobe.ly/3ASmCYY

An illustration depicting a person in a wheelchair, a visually impaired person with dark glasses and a cane, and the ear of another person with a hearing aid in it.

Silktide @silktide

Feeling overwhelmed by all the information about #Accessibility guidelines? We've got you covered with an overview and breakdown of the main principles of accessibility.

How to actually understand WCAG - SilktideThe Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are a tough read. Let’s break them down.silktide.com

Quinn 🦻🏽✨ @Quinns_quirks

Anyways, required reading for those who feel attacked. I need a 250 character summary on what you learned from this article and how you will be changing from this learning experience. This will count for 100% of your final grade.

Twista ASL interpreter’s viral moment misses the point | CNNEvery employee at this newly opened coffee shop is fluent in American Sign Language in order to better serve the large deaf community in Washington, DC.cnn.com

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

Scroll Stoppers

These bits of wisdom and insightful reads made me immediately stop scrolling. Hopefully, they get your brain fired up as well.

CNET @CNET

I use subtitles for every TV show I watch and so should you

I use subtitles for every TV show I watch and so should youCommentary: Even when the show is in English, I’m using subtitles. Forever.cnet.co

Quinn 🦻🏽✨ @Quinns_quirks

ASL does not exist for hearing people to ogle at. ASL exists for communication. ASL interpretation is not performance art, it’s just another means for communication. If you’re going to truly appreciate a language, appreciate the people who use it first. Appreciate deaf people.

Imani Barbarin, MAGC | Crutches&Spice ♿️ @Imani_Barbarin

About 30-50% of all people kïlled by police have a disability.

CLG✨ @Valeriee_OvOxO

Imagine having to do this https://t.co/G6w9iS53JP

Crystal Preston-Watson @ScopicEngineer

Accessibility will not be tweeted. For digital accessibility to become ingrained. We need to teach kids about it and disability. Many start to learn to code in junior/high school and even grade school. Accessibility needs included in the curriculum in their tech classes #a11y

Gregory Mansfield @GHMansfield

Architectural, communications, visual, sensory and virtual barriers are not benign. Barriers exclude disabled people.

Ben Andrews @BenAndrewsINC

Everyone’s different, disabled or not, most will acknowledge that. Referring to disabled people as differently-abled implies that their difference is so much beyond the realms or normality or acceptability that it needs to be explicitly pointed out. Not nice, or right. Stop it.

Derek Featherstone @feather

The best time to get started on accessibility for your project is before it started. The second best time is now.

One Last Chuckle

Captions failing isn’t really a laughing matter, so hopefully, this one was easily fixed by reloading the video, but I can’t help it, I got a chuckle out of the screenshots this user tweeted. It feels oddly appropriate that GASPS would be the only caption showing up for Sense & Sensibility.