Be your own best advocate
Jul. 16th, 2020 08:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kestrellLee Huffman, Editor-in-Chief of AccessWorld for the past ten years, has
a great letter
https://www.afb.org/aw/21/7/17108
in AccessWorld's Back to School issue.
https://www.afb.org/aw/21/7
I'm quoting two extended passages because, as both a disability and technology advocate and someone with a degree from MIT, these two pieces of advice are also the guiding principles for almost everything I post here.
1. You need to be your own advocate and, in order to be your best advocate, you need to be informed and prepared.
From Lee Huffman's letter:
For all of the students in our readership, we urge you to take personal responsibility for your education, and be your own advocate. It is very important to prepare in advance, speak to your instructors, and tell those you'll be working with exactly what types of accommodations, both in-person and virtual, will best meet your needs. Your education will have a tremendous impact on every aspect of your life, so it's crucial that you do everything you can to get the most out of your studies.
Acquiring and learning to use the mainstream and access technology that best suits your situation, registering as early as possible for classes, obtaining reading lists, and searching out accessible formats should all be done as soon as you can. You will also want to contact the student services office at your school to find out what types of support or resources may be available to you. Waiting until the last minute is a recipe for disaster. ...
2. Technology is always evolving, and you need to evolve your skills along with it.
From Lee Huffman's letter:
If there is one thread that runs through every issue of AccessWorld, it's that technology is the key. Technology is the empowering force that will allow you to live your best life, whatever that means for you. Technology, in whatever form you prefer, whether it be magnification, speech, refreshable braille, or a combination, can provide you access to information, education, employment, independence, and leisure. It can provide you the latest COVID-19 information, access to a history textbook, the ability to compose a resume and submit it online, summon a ride share car and access audio description on your favorite movie streaming service. In other words, technology offers you access to the world.
I have said it many times before, and I will leave you all with this challenge: stay current with technology. Do not allow yourself to fall into the trap of relying on old or outdated technology. When people do, and are then forced to move up, the learning curve can be daunting. I’ve been there; I know. Stay current and keep looking for the next best thing. Technology is always moving, and you must move with it.
One of the most consistently useful resources I have found for increasing my knowledge of disability and technology is the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) itself
https://www.afb.org/
and they don't just focus on resources and technology for kids: they also have a lot of resources for seniors
https://www.afb.org/research-and-initiatives/aging
One of their newest resources discusses transportation options for seniors. They also make available statistics about seniors with vision loss, and have initiatives relating to aging and vision loss.
AFB also has a blog
https://www.afb.org/blog
and it's most recent posts are about a fashion designer who makes brailled beaded clothing, and considers the question of whether the post-pandemic world will result in a more inclusive workplace.
a great letter
https://www.afb.org/aw/21/7/17108
in AccessWorld's Back to School issue.
https://www.afb.org/aw/21/7
I'm quoting two extended passages because, as both a disability and technology advocate and someone with a degree from MIT, these two pieces of advice are also the guiding principles for almost everything I post here.
1. You need to be your own advocate and, in order to be your best advocate, you need to be informed and prepared.
From Lee Huffman's letter:
For all of the students in our readership, we urge you to take personal responsibility for your education, and be your own advocate. It is very important to prepare in advance, speak to your instructors, and tell those you'll be working with exactly what types of accommodations, both in-person and virtual, will best meet your needs. Your education will have a tremendous impact on every aspect of your life, so it's crucial that you do everything you can to get the most out of your studies.
Acquiring and learning to use the mainstream and access technology that best suits your situation, registering as early as possible for classes, obtaining reading lists, and searching out accessible formats should all be done as soon as you can. You will also want to contact the student services office at your school to find out what types of support or resources may be available to you. Waiting until the last minute is a recipe for disaster. ...
2. Technology is always evolving, and you need to evolve your skills along with it.
From Lee Huffman's letter:
If there is one thread that runs through every issue of AccessWorld, it's that technology is the key. Technology is the empowering force that will allow you to live your best life, whatever that means for you. Technology, in whatever form you prefer, whether it be magnification, speech, refreshable braille, or a combination, can provide you access to information, education, employment, independence, and leisure. It can provide you the latest COVID-19 information, access to a history textbook, the ability to compose a resume and submit it online, summon a ride share car and access audio description on your favorite movie streaming service. In other words, technology offers you access to the world.
I have said it many times before, and I will leave you all with this challenge: stay current with technology. Do not allow yourself to fall into the trap of relying on old or outdated technology. When people do, and are then forced to move up, the learning curve can be daunting. I’ve been there; I know. Stay current and keep looking for the next best thing. Technology is always moving, and you must move with it.
One of the most consistently useful resources I have found for increasing my knowledge of disability and technology is the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) itself
https://www.afb.org/
and they don't just focus on resources and technology for kids: they also have a lot of resources for seniors
https://www.afb.org/research-and-initiatives/aging
One of their newest resources discusses transportation options for seniors. They also make available statistics about seniors with vision loss, and have initiatives relating to aging and vision loss.
AFB also has a blog
https://www.afb.org/blog
and it's most recent posts are about a fashion designer who makes brailled beaded clothing, and considers the question of whether the post-pandemic world will result in a more inclusive workplace.
no subject
Date: 2020-07-16 09:55 pm (UTC)Thanks for the AFB/Access World plug.
The American Printing House for the Blind (a really venerable institution funded by a weird quasi-currency called "quota dollars") has finally caught up to the world of blogging.
https://visionaware.org
Is their user-facing site, which also has some good general info. Explores learning to use a smartphone as an adult who's flip phone just drowned
no subject
Date: 2020-07-16 09:57 pm (UTC)