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This is something that can happen so naturally that people don’t even realize they’re doing it. I’m standing right there, but someone turns to the interpreter and asks, “Can you tell her…?” Or they ask the interpreter a question about me while I’m sitting beside them. Sometimes it’s even something as simple as, “Does she understand?” I’m right there. I
This takes the last blog one step further, but it isn’t the same issue. The last one was about participation in the room. This one is about what happens when information is constantly passed to a Deaf person after the moment has already happened. I have heard some version of this many times throughout my life and work. “I’ll tell
Sometimes we think accessibility is complete once everyone is in the room. The interpreter is booked. Captions are available. The Deaf employee has been invited to the meeting. Everything looks accessible, so we assume the job is done. But being able to enter the conversation and being able to participate in it are two different things. I’ve been in meetings
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that most people genuinely want to do the right thing. When I walk into a workplace, museum, or organization, I rarely meet people who are intentionally trying to exclude Deaf people. Most are welcoming. They care about their staff, their customers, and their visitors. They want everyone to feel included, and I
One of the things I hear most often during training is, “I’m afraid I’ll say the wrong thing.” People worry about using the wrong words. They worry about offending someone. They worry they’ll ask a question they shouldn’t ask. So instead… They say nothing. I understand where that fear comes from. None of us wants to make someone feel uncomfortable.
Trust is something we rarely talk about when we talk about accessibility. Most organizations focus on providing access. They make sure an interpreter is booked, captions are turned on, or the room is accessible. Those things are important, but they’re only part of the picture. The bigger question is this: Do people trust that access will actually be there? I’ve
