• Your Access Copy has something in common with our workshop script. However, our scripts could imaginably accomodate a wider audiance. What are important questions to ask ourselfs? (Example of workshop script Solar Punk try out : https://github.com/hackersanddesigners/WifiZineThrowie_ScavengerHunt )
From a web accessibility perspective:
- headings are clearly assigned
- there are alt texts. These could paint a more interesting picture. For example, the undersea cable is shown to sighted workshop participants also because most people don’t know what they look like – so they could be described more.
From a workshop access perspective:
- In the introduction you could ask participants about their access needs.
- for the different activities in the workshop: what is required/assumed in terms of nondisability? for example is it necessary that people use only sight/only listening? What would alternatives to this be?
- What would two ways of accessing the same or similar information be for the workshop?
Other questions:
- For whom is this workshop sheet? An Access Copy is always to follow along while someone is speaking. This is more for people who want to hold similar workshops?
- name the purpose of the access copy
• Accessibility in event organzing:
• What are important things to include in an invite/open call?
From a web accessibility perspective:
- clear structure of the open call HTML-wise
- image descriptions
- if using .pdfs - tags on .pdf's so that they are screen reader accessible (can be either directly worked with in Word, Pages, InDesign, or added in Acrobat -- would be cool to check if Markdown editors also add them)
From an access-in-the-space perspective:
- a clear, honest and welcoming statement on the access of the space.
- also the accessibility of the location of the space
- more details on the granular (how wide, how long, etc...)
- For our studio space (http://commo-berlin.de), we write:
- Accessibility
- There are two high steps leading up to our door. The space can be entered via a mobile ramp of adjustable width and 210 cm length. We do not have a wheelchair accessible bathroom. The bathroom is gender neutral.
- Chairs with backs are available. Movement, stimming, taking breaks etc. are welcome. We have space to store walkers, canes etc. For public events, we will share more detailed access information in the event announcements. For example if there are ASL or DGS interpreters available. Or if we can pick you up at the subway station. Please come with no or low scent.
- If you wish to visit our space and/or have further access needs, please write us an email. Tell us what you need to participate. We wish to reduce barriers! Our email address is: mail(at)commo-berlin.de
- for online events this would mean stating if there are captions and what kind, if there are access copies, if there is a break, if the talk will be recorded and put online later
- being explicit about wanting disabled people to join. Often in diversity statements disability is not named or awkwardly named.
- There are also ways to think about crip-time in applications - this could mean that there are flexible turn-in moments for invites or open calls, rather than hard deadlines.
- Also, you could imagine allowing applications in a few different forms - as writing statements isn't everyone's strong suit -- so you could also allow for video submissions or other ways of applying as fit the call itself.
:: Welcome ::
Names, Pronouns, Access Check
Collective Conditions
Read Aloud & Agree/Discuss at the end
-- No "well actually's" --> don‘t correct others on minor mistakes "well ACTUALLY xx concept means..." (recurse center)
-- One diva one mic --> don‘t interrupt.
-- Privacy --> personal stories stay within the room.
-- Movement is good and taking care of your own needs is good. Leaving space for silence is good. Leaving the room and coming back in is good.
-- Be mindful of speaking times. Please make an effort to communicate.
-- No-isms --> this is a space that welcomes all genders, is decidedly anti-racist and anti-ableist, there is no room for -isms such as: classism, racism, ableism, misogyny, ageism, religious discrimination or any other form of discrimination and oppression.
-- Not all disabilities are apparent, please don't assume what is normal for other people.
-- There is as many teachers in this room as there are people in this space.
-- This is a multi lingual space. Please ask for clarification or translation.
-- Caretaking is a responsibility shared by everyone --> please feel free to check in with your neighbor, and neighbors feel free to say yes or no.
-- If you bring material into the space that might have an emotional impact on the people in the space, please share a content warning.
-- When someone accidentally breaks one of these rules (e. g. interrupting): Please kindly point out or DM us if a collective condition is not respected. Let's then take a moment to address and care for the space together.
-- When structural violence is replicated (e. g. ableist slurs): Let us make sure that people affected by this receive the care they need first. Let us set further conditions to make sure that this is not repeated. Moving from a harm reduction framework, we will try to address the harm done and share resources. As facilitators we may ban someone from this space if need be.
https://constantvzw.org/site/-Collective-Conditions,220-.html
• How can we manage a pracitce of "making more accessible" with an organization of our size (and budget)?
- Many access related issues can be done by investing some time instead of direct money (for example: writing image descriptions, or writing a text aboutt the accessibility of a physical space). If writing 1 image descriptions takes 10 minutes, and there are 20 images, it takes 200 minutes for 1 person, but if 5 people each write image decriptions for 4 images over the course of 4 days, it's 10 minutes per day per person and much more doable.
- Thinking about access from the beginning no matter what you plan. This means to also question the assumption that “everyone sees, speaks, hears, feels, and moves in the same (nondisabled) ways“ (Schalk 2013).
- Also acknowledging that not all access is possible to make all of the time.
- If possible connecting with disabled people and organizations, and using their materials to learn more :). Here some caution is in order because there are many organizations about disabled people not run by us. For example, this initiative is really cool: https://awnnetwork.org/webinars, from Berlin we like this group https://www.sicknessaffinity.org, and in terms of technology the Sozialheld*innen do cool stuff: https://sozialhelden.de/en/social-heroes/
- Possibly having members of Hackers and Designers write their own access riders, when there is space and time created to discuss disability you might be surprised what comes up and what expertises are alrady in your group.
• Using automated captions can often be much cheaper than hiring paid stenographers, but at what cost?
- An access copy can be a great addition to automated captions so that even if the captions "get it wrong" there is a place to read along.
• Having a sign language translator is always a great addition, but when is it really necessary and when is it just becoming to expensive?
- We read you about this, but on the other hand, everything that is expensive is a matter of choices. What kinds of communities are you trying to make a dedicated connection to? From this question you are conceptualising Deaf or Hard of Hearing people as "a great addition", where the default is hearing people. This attitude is perpetuating the kind of ableism that having a sign language interpreter pushes back against. There are a lot of ways of thinking of language equity -- using Access Copies, Automated Captions, Stenographers, Translation, Sign Language interpretation and collective note-taking can all be practices of access when brought together and engaged from a disability justice perspective. We had the experience that an institution hired a sign language interpteter for a talk of ours but that no Deaf people came to our talk. Rather than think about these things as "are they really necessary"? We would encourage you to think about what kinds of access you can make possible long term - and implement them consistantly. If you do this once, its already great, but longer term transformations are actually what's needed, and then over time when sign language interpretation is built into a budget, it won't be understood as "too expensive" but rather the costs of what is needed to produce an event, or work with someone.
• Who is responsible for all these costs
- You are, we are, funders are, but as a collective -- it is ultimately your responsibility. It is not a good solution that disabled people would take on these costs. Everytime from here on in, when you write a funding application -- think about what kind of funding would be needed to fund access? Write it into your budget. Move from here, so that these costs arent suddenly a lot, but carefully planned for over time.
• Accessibility in website making
• What are non-standard approaches to web design & development that take accessibility as starting point?
https://www.11ty.dev/
https://accessibleicon.org/
• (like, we are aware of the WAI-ARIA standards and will do our best to follow them, but standardization can be exclusive/extractive in these contexts)?
• Are there examples of “de-standardized” web-making practices that you are familiar with?
often in webdesign, accessibikity choices are hidden (this is ableist no?)
https://r-calc.net/accessibility-for-r-calcnet/
https://alt-text-as-poetry.net/
https://www.mapping-access.com
https://www.mapping-access.com/remote-access
https://catalystjournal.org/index.php/catalyst/article/view/29607/24771
https://exclusive-design.vasilis.nl/
https://opendyslexic.org/
accessibility
language (Dutch translations)
sustainability (make it less heavy)
more from MELT: https://pad.vvvvvvaria.org/fhm.how-about-access