"When you go out of your way to describe your slides, it can feel othering, and now everyone is focused on me and my needs, in a way that can feel stressful for both of us."
How many of us in the presentation / service space are guilty of remembering suddenly that there is someone with specific requirements that hadn't been met up until that point? Maybe you forgot to bring out a vegetarian option, or you hadn't flicked the captions on for your presentation yet.
These are little mistakes that people make, and more often than not, someone with that requirement is going to understand this and not get too upset. However, these mistakes occur more often when you are changing your practices.
One of the greatest acts of accessibility and inclusion is normalising the requirements of others. Getting into the habit of describing your slides in a presentation means that you cater for the unknown person who requires these descriptions, instead of only doing it when you know someone needs it.
What inclusive practices have you made an every day part of your job or service?
#WorldMoreAccessible #NormaliseExperiences