We Have Different Definitions of Accessible: The Digital Age Needs a Serious Accessibility Upgrade
By Jason Hahr
According to Georgetown law school, digital accessibility is defined as “the inclusive practice of removing barriers that prevent interaction with or access to websites or digital tools and technologies by people with disabilities.” When I read the above quote, I immediately asked who determines what is “accessible?” As much as I hate to say it people with disabilities live in an able-bodied world. What the able-bodied community calls accessible is often far from accessible. This inequity is especially evident in the digital world. By discussing what my personal experience is with accessibility in the digital age, this essay will highlight not only where the digital world stands in terms of being inclusive for all but will also suggest that the best way to improve accessibility for all is to involve more people with disabilities in designing the digital world.
My name is Jason, and I have severe cerebral palsy. I have authored another piece for this publication in which I mentioned that I need a tremendous amount of assistance to function daily. I did not mention that I am a journalist, blogger, disability advocate, and amateur screenwriter in that piece. As such, I spend most of the day connected to the digital world. In my experience, the digital world is not keeping up with changing times as far as accessibility is concerned. Throughout this essay, I will discuss two pieces of technology: Dragon NaturallySpeaking and the screen reader program built into Windows. My experience with these pieces of assistive technology will point out common accessibility issues that we all face.
An excellent place to begin is with Dragon NaturallySpeaking. For those who are unaware, Dragon is a voice-recognition program that was first introduced to the public in 1997 by Dragon Systems. It was the first program capable of recognizing continuous speech. There were other attempts at speech recognition as early as the 1800s; however, these were simple machines that could only record a few words at a time. The NaturallySpeaking franchise has been around for almost 25 years. And I have been using it since the early 2000s. You can practically say that NaturallySpeaking and I grew up together. Even though it has made significant progress throughout the years, there still is room for improvement. What follows is a breakdown of three critical areas in which Dragon needs to improve to keep up with the digital age.
1. I still must write almost all my digital content in a Word document first - Dragon is excellent when writing in Word, but everything falls apart once you enter the digital space. Maybe it’s just me, and I have not figured out how to make it work. Still, when I do anything on the web that involves writing, whether it be sending an email, filling out a survey, posting on social media, or writing a proposal for a new freelance job, the ability for me to edit my work is nonexistent unless I write it in Word first.
2. I am forced to change the browser I use every so often for some reason I have not yet figured out; every so often, I have to change the Internet browser I use because of the latest update to the Dragon software. For example, I used to use Firefox because I liked their interface, but now I am forced to use Microsoft Edge.
3. Some essential functions of Dragon still require me to use the mouse/keyboard - when I am writing a document or browsing online, there are some instances where I still have to use the keyboard as a mouse. I have limited dexterity in my hands, and to compensate for this lack of movement, I use the keyboard as a mouse more often than not. For those unaware, you can use the keyboard keys (tab and space bar) to navigate a web page. If a webpage is coded correctly, this can significantly improve accessibility. However, if you use your voice to work the keyboard, you cannot say (tab) and get the same result. You’re in the same boat with the space bar key. Overall, I believe Dragon is a great tool, but it’s not quite perfect. If I had to give the score, I would give it a 70 out of a possible 100 points. Now that we addressed Dragon and where it needs improvement, we can move on and discuss the second piece of assistive technology that is vital for me to participate in the digital world.
There are many forms of cerebral palsy. Some people can walk; others are in wheelchairs, while still others have cognitive impairments. I was lucky enough not to have CP affect my mind. I use a wheelchair to get around and have poor vision. It is my vision that we will examine for the rest of this essay. Due to my impaired vision, I either have to magnify things to see them or use some form of a screen reader. Most of the time, I use the screen reader that is built into Windows. However, similar to Dragon, my screen reader presents a unique set of challenges. For the purposes of this essay, I will discuss two areas that present difficulties for me:
1. If a website’s code is not written correctly, i.e., with accessibility in mind, this will present difficulties for my screen reader - this goes back to what I said earlier; it’s all about the code. If the code is not properly broken into segments, a screen reader will read all the text on a website verbatim without pausing for emphasis or let the listener know where one sentence stops and the next begins.
2. As a result of a website not being coded correctly, I have to highlight specific portions of text and transfer it to a Word document - seeing as most websites are not written with accessibility in mind; I often have to highlight a particular part of a website and move it to a word document so that my voice recognition software can read it to me, which can be very time-consuming. If someone like myself has little patience, it might dissuade them from visiting a particular website. As I did with Dragon NaturallySpeaking, if I had to rate the screen reader built into Windows, I would give it a 70 out of a possible 100 points as well.
In closing, it is clear that the digital world has come a long way, but it still has a long way to go before it can be deemed fully accessible for all. Although this piece focused on two specific pieces of technology, there are other equally important pieces of technology to consider when developing one’s website. I hope this essay will serve as a starting point to improve accessibility in the digital world. If someone with a disability read this and decided to become an accessibility consultant, that would be awesome. I would, but I don’t know all the technical stuff. I will end by borrowing a slogan from the disability rights movement when I say remember this, “Nothing about Us Without us!”
Name a Female Disabled Business Leader. I’ll Wait…
Ableism is the discrimination against individuals who have a physical or mental disability.
It stems from a belief that people who have a disability need to be fixed and are inferior to the non-disabled. The discrimination of disabled people permeates many facets of life, including the workplace. They are often not given the same opportunities and treatment as the rest of society. There are many limiting beliefs society holds about the disabled. They see them as inferior and incapable of taking care of themselves.
The disabled are often forgotten and overlooked. According to an article from Partners for Youth with Disabilities, only ⅓ of New York City subways are accessible to wheelchair users and people unable to use the stairs. Lack of accommodation often causes those limiting beliefs to become a reality. If not given adequate opportunities to succeed, the disabled population cannot flourish.
Most roles occupied by the disabled are front line contributors with no upward mobility. I’ve had to stop some executives in their tracks when their hiring starts to talk about individuals as tax breaks.
Disabled individuals are less likely to be considered for a position of leadership. In a survey conducted by Timothy Cornelius from P3 Technology using QuestionPro about female leaders, only 18% of the participants said a leader in their organization has a disability.
Only 0.01% of the US population could name a disabled female leader on the world stage as a whole.
A census conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) revealed persons with a disability were less likely to work in management, professional, and related occupations than those without a disability (36.1 percent, compared with 43.3 percent). Instead, most disabled workers held jobs in service, production, transportation, and material moving. Without adequate representation in leadership roles, the inequality between the disabled and able-bodied will continue to grow.
Due to COVID-19, many disabled workers lost their jobs or had to take a pay cut. According to the census from BLS, in 2020, 17.9 percent of persons with a disability were employed, down from 19.3 percent in 2019. Subsequently, the unemployment rates for persons with a disability increased from 2019 to 2020 to 12.6 percent. Of those employed, 29 percent of workers with a disability worked part-time, compared with 16 percent for those with no disability. However, this was not for lack of trying. Many disabled workers said they could not find a full-time job that accommodated their needs. All of the data mentioned previously paints a clear picture of inequality and discrimination toward disabled individuals.
When interviewed, those with disabilities often feel they are not taken seriously or treated like normal human beings, and the lack of representation of the disabled in leadership roles proves their point. During the pandemic, many disabled people could not find work, and those that did had trouble finding full-time employment opportunities.
For progress to happen, the disabled must be allowed a voice to flourish. It starts with awareness and empathy from the able-bodied population and for the most of the leaders reading this article, that means YOU.
Without the help I received from the Office of Disability Services at The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, I would be just another statistic. I went from being an average C student to 4.0 GPA president’s list award winner.
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Sources Survey from QuestionPro
Survey from BLS
Timothy@P3technology.io
There is More Than One Way to Teach: Overcoming Ableism to Find the Teacher Inside
Jason Hahr
P3 contributor. Although most of my work has covered the disability rights movement, I am passionate about many topics. I have a dual bachelor’s degree in history and drama from Edinboro University. I also have a Master’s in education.
According to the Centers for Disease Control over 61 million American adults have a disability. Does that number surprise you? I know it surprised me, and I am one of those 61 million people. After taking a breath and rereading that number, it got me thinking. Since more than 25% of Americans have some form of a disability, has disability become the norm, or is Ableism in America more pervasive than ever before?
My name is Jason Hahr, and while my experience does not speak for all, you will soon see why I believe that Ableism still plays a significant role in American society. To set context for this conversation it is important to note that Merriam-Webster defines ableism as “discrimination or prejudice against individuals with disabilities”. You may be wondering what gives me the authority to speak on the subject? Since that is a fair question, let me tell you a little bit about myself.
I am a 35-year-old male with a rather severe form of cerebral palsy. I use a wheelchair to get around, and I need help with everyday activities such as eating, getting dressed, and even taking care of personal hygiene. That being said, given the various effects cerebral palsy can have on people, I am pretty lucky. Those who know me will tell you that if it weren't for my inability to drive my chair without running into almost everything, I would have already taken over the world. They say this with love as they try to avoid losing their toes when I role by. I was lucky enough to be blessed with amazing family and friends. I have even had those on the outside who see the way I act with my family and friends say to me something to the effect of "you act like you don't even notice your disability." I consider that to be the biggest compliment anyone could give me. I honestly believe that it is because of the environment I was raised in that I was so "green" and not ready for the major dose of Ableism I faced during graduate school.
I have always been intelligent and have always enjoyed learning as I believe that it is in our nature to be constantly curious. Maybe that is why I was drawn to the teaching profession. I fell in love with history and anything to do with the past from an early age. My goal after high school was to go to college and become a history teacher. I obtained my bachelor's degree in history and theater (yes, I was one of those goofy kids going around constantly quoting musicals or TV shows). After graduation, I took a semester off to focus on myself. I quickly realized that I needed to get a teacher's certification in history to become a teacher. It's funny, no one mentioned that during my undergraduate career. Oh well, better late than never, right? In the summer of 2010, I reenrolled at Edinboro University in Pennsylvania. I did not think there would be an issue, the least of which being ableism, seeing as this was the school where I completed my undergraduate work and for the most part, did not experience discrimination. However, I would soon realize that not only can ableism happen when you least expect it, but sometimes ableism can change the course of one’s life.
As I have said earlier in this piece, I need help doing pretty much everything physically. I can't even type on a computer without the assistance of either someone else or voice recognition software like I am using to dictate this piece. Since I had no background in education, I decided to get my master’s degree in education as well as a history teacher certification. Everything was going just as smoothly as my undergraduate work had, that was until I reached my final two courses required to get my teacher's certification. Apart from the classwork, you are also required to have classroom experience before graduating. For those unfamiliar with the process this pretty much translates into a full year of free labor. This is a simplistic but accurate way of looking at the two semesters of fieldwork every prospective teacher must perform. Approximately three months before what is known as "Junior Field," you meet with your advisor, who starts the process of finding two different schools – one for you to do your Junior Field at, as well as one for your second semester of student teaching. The process begins early to provide the best potential match for each student.
Given the challenges my disability presents daily, I knew that my experience with student teaching would be different. Although at the time Edinboro University was known for providing opportunities for people with disabilities, surprisingly enough, they had never placed a student with a disability as severe as mine in a school for student teaching. I knew they had placed others with less significant disabilities, but I would be the first to bring a personal care aide with them as far as I knew. Without getting into the exact language they used, they decided they would not be able to find a school willing to accept me and my aide. Without even looking for a school, they shut me down. I was determined not to be turned away. I attempted to find a school that would have me on my own, and what do you know, I was able to find that said school. They then chose to hide behind the excuse that "your aide will have to manage the classroom for you." Just because I can’t physically pass out papers, that does not mean I cannot create the material or ensure that the students comprehend the content. There is more to teaching than just the physical aspects, if that was the case couldn’t a robot do it? The University’s unwillingness to think outside of the box is a clear example of ableism in action. I ended up trying to fight with the University for almost a year, but eventually I had to move out of state due to circumstances beyond my control.
As the title of this piece says, there is always more than one way to teach. Although I'm not currently teaching in a classroom, I have turned a negative situation into a positive one. I focus on disability advocacy as a whole. I often refer to the disability rights movement as the last significant civil rights struggle in America to gain mainstream attention. I am not trying to diminish other civil rights movements at all. I see the disability struggle as a companion to other groups such as African Americans, women, and other minorities.
When I was denied the opportunity to prove to my school that I could manage a classroom, they unknowingly inspired a lifelong passion for advocacy. I believe that only through our trials and tribulations can we become powerful advocates. As a result of the blatant ableism I faced, I decided to refine my focus in life. It took me a while, but about four years ago, I found the perfect opportunity to increase my role within the world of disability activism.
In 2016, the American Association of People with Disabilities launched a nationwide campaign to increase the political involvement of people with disabilities. The program is REVUP (Register Educate Vote use Your Power). I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to start an affiliate chapter of the initiative in 2018. My colleagues Deborah Dietz and Tony Depalma realized that Florida needed to jump into action and join the movement. We are doing great work, but much more work needs to be done. While my work with Access the Vote Florida (ATVFL) continues, I understand that we must attack it from multiple angles to eradicate ableism. That is why it is essential for the stories of people with disabilities to be heard. While the disability vote is important, there are other ways to impact change. In that vein, this coming May, I plan to go back to school to get my Master's in screenwriting. I not only have a love for movies, but I also understand the power that the entertainment industry has in American society. Through the medium of film and television, the disabled community can reach a larger audience. I am not saying that I will win over hearts and minds overnight, but every little bit of progress is a victory.
In closing, it is clear that the struggles for an equal place in society for disabled people are far from over. Disabled people must continue to make their voices heard, and perhaps one day soon, we will no longer be a "Voiceless Minority."