Let’s talk Accessibility.
What does it look like in your life?
Maybe it is not a thought or maybe it’s something you need in your every day.
Is your world accessible and do you have everything you need?
If you asked me this two years ago, I would have said yes! Today it’s a hard no.
I became legally blind in 2020 and quickly realized how inaccessible the world is for anyone with a disability. It’s time for spaces and places to match the current lives of those of us who are disabled. Did you know that the disability community is the largest community every single one of us will be a part of at some point in our lives?
I know, that stopped me in my tracks too.
But we can make our environments beautifully accessible now for all to use.
The first place I learned to maneuver with less vision was my home and second was the digital space (internet and social media). So many posts on IG became too difficult to see: font was too small, reels were too fast and some photos were really hard to make out. Interesting fact,not all blind people are completely blind. Only 11% of the population sees nothing, the rest of us are on a blind spectrum and still see something. For me I have tunnel vision and very little peripheral sight so you will see me with my white cane sweeping the floor for anything that could get in my way.
I studied from other VIP’s (visually impaired people) and numerous classes on how to make more digital and physical environments Accessible and now I share it with businesses and foundations to create more Accessibility and Inclusion in our world.
Join me in making social media accessible again by writing photo descriptions. This action is a huge help for my community and also those in the dyslexia community. When an image is hard to make out, the description in the post tells us exactly what we need to know.
At the end of your post, type Photo Description for #Accessibility (and describe what’s in your photo or reel). You don’t have to describe the entire thing, pick the three top things you would want someone to know about the image you are posting.
Here is an example of the image in this blog-
Image Description: A blonde haired woman, wearing a brown hat, laughing and standing with her white mobility cane next to a mural of Frida Kahlo drinking a cup of tea.
Writing photo descriptions invites my community to your page for the long term.
Inclusivity matters.
Welcome to TEAM VISION.
For more examples of photo descriptions follow my instagram handle @bigsightmk.
Or send any questions you may have or if you are curious about Accessibility at your office or next event, send me an email breathebigmk@gmail.com
