Neurodiversity isn’t a “pick one” diagram, it’s often a radar map of severity and subtle nuances. In “A dyslexic and dyspraxic’s guide to accessibility” Ashley Graham-Brown talks about their experience of accessibility in the day to day as a Dyspraxic Dyslexic Non-Binary person.
In getting to know Ash over the last couple of years, I’ve learnt so much and they probably don’t fully appreciate how much of an inspiration they have been in my own journey into Accessibility. The first time we met was a learning experience from the outset. I learnt about #HashtagCapitalisation and screen readers. To read about that check out Access All Areas here. Every time I have spoken to them since has taught me something new, and opened my eyes a bit more.
There are two versions of this talk available on YouTube. One is a pre-recorded, and longer version, whilst the other was delivered live on the day at Scottish Summit 2021. The overall content is broadly the same, but it’s really worth watching both sessions as you get to experience some of the raw life with Accessibility tools – the good and the, let’s say “not-so-good”.
I’ve put the Live session down below, but the pre-recorded talk is available on YouTube here.
A brief diversion into an important point on Inclusion
Right at the beginning of Ash’s talk, there is a moment that caused me to facepalm in embarrassment. I had been asked to check out the office slide deck for Scottish Summit from an Accessibility perspective. In doing so, not only had I missed the colour-contrast issue Sancho Harker highlighted, but we’d missed a slide that excluded rather than included.
It’s the type of slide that is commonly used in infographics to present data split by gender. And that’s where it falls down.
As soon as Ash brought this slide on the screen in their session, I saw and knew where this slide failed.
Where do people who are Non-Binary or Gender-Neutral fit on this slide? Where is their data represented on this chart? The simple, but sad, truth is that they do not fit on this page. In fact when data is presented by gender in any format, or for any purpose, it will make this same mistake.
The start of this issue begins, of course, with the data collection. Many surveys and forms will have “Male”, “Female”, and “Prefer not to say” as the options when selecting gender. This is exclusive behaviour and doesn’t allow for accurate data capture. If the data capture doesn’t exist, then it can’t be presented.
As we strive towards building an inclusive society, we need to ensure that we use every opportunity we can to create inclusive content.
Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, and other Accessibility requirements
One point that I regularly make is that Accessibility does not mean Disability. People with no discernible needs still use accessibility tools. The example that I use is that of a ramp instead of stairs, and different people using that for different reasons.
Ash gives a really good demonstration of what accessibility is and why people will use the tools that are available. They also give a brilliant example of how things like colour vision deficiency, tinted lenses, or colour filters, can drastically change how content is seen.
For me this really highlighted the need to ensure that content is labelled, even if you are giving a verbal explanation. What is red to us may look blue to someone else, likewise what is blue may look green, and so on. In the past I’ve fallen into the trap of referring to things by colour in presentations, without ever considering this. As I’ve delved deeper into the world of accessibility I have tried to adapt, but there’s always something new to learn.
It’s that ongoing learning that makes sessions like this one invaluable. We get a glimpse of life through a different lens to ours, and see a very different perspective. The key thing is to ensure that we DO actually learn from it. We need to ask the questions, LISTEN to the answers, and then make the changes.
We’ll never get it 100% right. You can’t please everyone all of the time. The critical thing is to ensure we are doing everything that we can to make what we produce accessible for all, and as inclusive as we possibly can.
A dyslexic and dyspraxic’s guide to accessibility
Enough from me. Let’s crack on with the reason for this post!
You can find Ash as @DyspraxicRogue on Twitter and on their blog at DyspraxicRogue.co.uk. The live version of their session can be seen below or on YouTube. You can also watch the longer, pre-recorded, version there as well. As with all these videos they are also part of the Scottish Summit 2021 Accessibility playlist.
Don’t forget…
This post is part of a series of articles highlighting the amazing Accessibility sessions from Scottish Summit 2021. You can find the rest of the articles in the series by clicking here. They are also part of my wider look at Accessibility. If you head on up to the menu, you can find Accessibility under the Blog link or by clicking here.
Thanks for reading. Don’t forget to share, comment, and get in touch! I’m always interested to hear from people and to get new ideas, perspectives, views, and more. Use the links at the top and bottom of the page, or visit my LinkTr.ee page to get in touch.
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