Holly Cohen’s TED Talk: Occupational Therapists as Hackers and Makers in Accessible Design
Bill Gates and Steven Spielberg were in the audience as an occupational therapist talked about accessible design. The forum was TED2016, where Holly A. Cohen, OTR/L, ATP, SCEM, CDRS, program manager at NYU Langone Medical Center, adjunct professor at New York University, as well as the co-founder of DIYAbility, an organization that focuses on the […]
An Open Letter to Restaurateurs and Restaurant Staff
I love eating out! I really do. Eating out lets me experience flavors, sights, and sounds from around the world. If the staff and restaurant have made for a good experience, I leave feeling satisfied, enriched, and even a little bit pampered. But, as an individual who uses a wheelchair, I find that many of you have […]
Shane’s Inspiration playgrounds: a boon to ALL kids
A well-constructed playground is much more than a place for kids to play—it is a place to develop skills and physical fitness as well as an area to socialize and make new friends. I recently became aware of an organization that is filling the needs of normal, developing children as well as those with disabilities: […]
The Culture of Inclusion Is a Culture of Kindness
We all have certain styles and habits, skills and abilities. In teams, social circles, family units, workplaces, etc., these differences naturally complement each other to form cooperative and supportive environments. The community works together essentially to balance each other out and to support each other based on their specific strengths, talents and styles.
‘Disabled’: Just #SayTheWord
Last Friday, I noticed this posting on Facebook by Lawrence Carter-Long: “If you ‘see the person not the disability’ you’re only getting half the picture. Broaden your perspective. You might be surprised by everything you’ve missed. DISABLED. #SayTheWord” I understood intuitively the thought that many people with physical limitations wouldn’t want to have this part […]
‘In Darkness And In Light’ | Modern Love 7
Nicole Kear seems like any other young mom — balancing career and family, rushing from activity to activity, and working to keep her marriage strong. But Nicole has another challenge. She’s slowly going blind. This week, her Modern Love piece, “Together Always, In Darkness and in Light,” is read by Tony Award-winning actress Patina Miller.
New Technology and the evolution of accessibility
Back in September I was speaking at a conference in Madrid. I was asked about the future and my thoughts as to what trends would have the greatest impact upon people with a disability. My answer was a little complex, firstly that we are seeing a wave of innovation, often described as “disruptive technologies” that […]
Tommy Hilfiger Launches Adaptive Collection for Children With Disabilities
Now, children of all abilities can wear Tommy Hilfiger clothing. A nonprofit organization called Runway of Dreams worked with the brand to launch an adaptive version of select styles from its children’s line, which will be on sale starting Tuesday.
Mobilizing the Human Experience
Mobile is the lifeline to the world we live in today. We wake up in the morning and addictively check our devices. Before falling asleep, we cuddle up next to them. When experiencing some uncomfortable moment or loneliness during the day, we find solace in our mobile surrogate. By 2020, 70 percent of the world […]
The Neglect of Disabled Representation in Advertising and Graphic Design
Though policies have helped in many ways there is still a visual disparity when it comes to the representation of the disabled in the industry of graphic design. This paper spotlights the problem by showing exclusion, specifically against wheelchair users in several areas where graphic design is used as well as advertising. The evidence posits […]