"The disabled want what all of us want: the opportunity to contribute to our communities, to use our creativity, and to go as far as our God-given talents will take us." – President Ronald Reagan, National Decade of Disabled Persons Proclamation. In this blog, I focus on the critically important subject of communication access … Continue reading Deafblind people and 21st century communications
No “America First” without disabled Americans
Since the election of Donald J. Trump to a second term, there has been heightened anxiety about what this means for the disability community. Indeed, many argue that Trump’s policies during his first term do not bode well for disabled Americans. Others have cited Trump’s recent rhetoric, in which he called VP Kamala Harris “mentally … Continue reading No “America First” without disabled Americans
40 Years of Deafblind Awareness Week: What have we learned?
“He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.” – The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Do Deafblind People Matter? Fourteen years ago this month, Congress was considering enacting a … Continue reading 40 Years of Deafblind Awareness Week: What have we learned?
Celebrating global accessibility
May 16 is Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). As the founder of iBraille, this day resonates with me personally and professionally. My company is all about advancing global accessibility so that more than one billion disabled people can live with equality and dignity. In celebration of GAAD, I dedicate this post to two of … Continue reading Celebrating global accessibility
When there is no accountability, accessibility suffers
In 2010, Congress passed the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA). This law set aside $10 million for the establishment of the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program (NDBEDP) which “provides equipment needed to make telecommunications, advanced communications, and the Internet accessible to low-income individuals who have both significant vision loss and significant hearing … Continue reading When there is no accountability, accessibility suffers
On the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act
Thirty years ago today, July 26, I was a little boy living in Asmara, Eritrea. I was living my life in the shadow of what would become a thirty-year armed struggle for independence from Ethiopia, with the safety and security of my family still under constant threat amid a near-daily cacophony of sound and vibration … Continue reading On the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act
Living While Deafblind in the Age of Coronavirus
There has never been a moment in my life like the current global public health crisis. Although I was born in a country during a long-running armed struggle for independence, in which countless lives and livelihoods were both destroyed and under constant threat, I have never witnessed anything like what the novel coronavirus has caused … Continue reading Living While Deafblind in the Age of Coronavirus
When Washington priorizes politics over access, American kids pay a hefty price
The Trump administration recently unveiled the budget for 2020, showing a roughly 10% cut for the Department of Education. I know that such proposals are that, proposals, and that Congress has the discretion over whether to enact into law or not, in accordance with its constitutional role to appropriate money. But too often, political consideration … Continue reading When Washington priorizes politics over access, American kids pay a hefty price
Brands are not human beings: a call for greater awareness
Recently, the CEO of National Beverage Corp., which makes La Croix soft drinks, compared people with disabilities to brands. More specifically: according to the BBC, the company's billionaire executive, Nick Caporella, said that taking care of brands is the same as taking care of disabled persons. "Brands do not see or hear, so they are … Continue reading Brands are not human beings: a call for greater awareness
The State of the Union is — not accessible to all
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress. While parsing the address, there was one thing that especially stood out for me: the President’s due acknowledgement of women’s progress in the workforce, as evidenced by the historically high number of female members of Congress. This … Continue reading The State of the Union is — not accessible to all