FW: [WebAIM] Elderly and self identification as having a disability

FYI  - forwarding this thread from WebAIM with a link to a good article on audience literacy and word recognition. The assertion is that when people have low literacy skills they may be able decipher all words correctly but because of the cognitive resources necessary for that decoding to occur they can not understand the meaning behind the sentence.  I can imagine from personal experience that this could cause a similar effect in people with low vision.  That is -- even though you can read something -- the cognitive load it takes to decipher what is written may impact ability to comprehend the content.

http://contentsmagazine.com/articles/the-audience-you-didn%E2%80%99t-know-you-had/


Also in the thread is a good article from Thad C. about accessibility and inclusion on the web for people with anxiety challenges.

Jonathan

Jonathan Avila
Chief Accessibility Officer
SSB BART Group 
jon.avila@ssbbartgroup.com
703.637.8957 (Office) 
Visit us online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Linkedin | Blog
Check out our Digital Accessibility Webinars!


-----Original Message-----
From: WebAIM-Forum [mailto:webaim-forum-bounces@list.webaim.org] On Behalf Of Tyllick,Cliff S (DADS)
Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2016 11:59 AM
To: WebAIM Discussion List
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] Elderly and self identification as having a disability

Thad, that is wonderfully written.


Even when reading such a compelling piece, sometimes folks never let go of the "us" and "them" mentality--as in "making this easy to use is just another thing I'm having to do for them." (I won't repeat the way one developer phrased that. Let's just say I couldn't believe it didn't get him ordered to repeat civil rights training.)

When I encounter that attitude, I make the point that these issues affect everyone at least some of the time. An article that makes that clear is Angela Colter’s The Audience You Didn’t Know You Had: http://contentsmagazine.com/articles/the-audience-you-didn%E2%80%99t-know-you-had/


It usually works.

As for when it doesn't work, I'll loosely paraphrase that developer's comment: some people just refuse to be helped.



Cliff Tyllick

EIR Accessibility Coordinator

Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS)

512-438-2494

cliff.tyllick@dads.state.tx.us





-----Original Message-----
From: WebAIM-Forum [mailto:webaim-forum-bounces@list.webaim.org] On Behalf Of Gillen, Lori
Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2016 9:56 AM
To: WebAIM Discussion List
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] Elderly and self identification as having a disability



Thank you for writing this article, Thad, and sharing it with us. I always find it brave when people who suffers from some type of mental affliction has the courage to stand up and tell their story. As for me, I have been very open about self-identifying as someone with hearing loss, but not so much about self-identifying as someone with anxiety and depression. It's a real shame, because these illnesses are still stigmatized and people are afraid that self-identifying is going to be used against them.



I applaud your ability to work in an area where you are so passionate. For me, I would love to become an accessibility professional (yes, I am taking that webinar tomorrow), as I am very passionate about it, but when I read posts from people currently working in this area, in this forum (for example), I feel that sense of confusion, uncertainty, and lack of control that you talk about in your article for new users. I wonder if we can apply some of Thad's suggestions here as a start.



Lori Gillen

McKesson Corporation



-----Original Message-----

From: WebAIM-Forum [mailto:webaim-forum-bounces@list.webaim.org] On Behalf Of Thad C

Sent: Tuesday, May 24, 2016 8:39 PM

To: WebAIM Discussion List

Subject: Re: [WebAIM] Elderly and self identification as having a disability



Hi Lori,



It is interesting that you bring up self identification today. I just had the follow piece published. It was one of the most satisfying projects I have worked on.



https://modelviewculture.com/pieces/designing-better-experiences-for-people-facing-anxiety






On May 24, 2016 8:01 AM, "Gillen, Lori" <Lori.Gillen@mckesson.com<mailto:Lori.Gillen@mckesson.com>> wrote:



> Hi Jim-

>

> I'm not sure this is relevant but it is my hope that people in my

> company self-identify as having a disability so that they can reach

> out for the help they need to do their job to their optimum capacity.

> I think that I may be planting some seeds, but for the most part those

> with invisible disabilities, such as depression and other mental

> illnesses still have a stigma. Perhaps that is what is going on with

> the elderly. They came from a time when no one talks about those

> subjects, or maybe they are in denial about getting old and the disabilities that come with it.

>

> Lori Gillen

> Specialist Technical Writer

> McKesson Corporation

> Newton, MA

>

> -----Original Message-----

> From: WebAIM-Forum [mailto:webaim-forum-bounces@list.webaim.org] On

> Behalf Of Jim Allan

> Sent: Tuesday, May 24, 2016 10:32 AM

> To: WAI-IG; WebAIM Discussion List

> Subject: [WebAIM] Elderly and self identification as having a

> disability

>

> Hello,

> I have used, written, and repeated what I thought was a truism, but I

> don't recall when I first heard this ...

>

> Some/many elderly (aged) folks do not self identify as having a

> disability, they respond that they are just old and things don't work

> as well as they used to.

>

> Based on conversations with elderly relatives and others (aged and

> people in the disability field)...I found this to be true. Perhaps it

> was the way the question was asked.

>

> Be that as it may, I was trying to verify/research this truism. When I

> searched on "self identification" and other terms -- of course I found

> forms to self-identify, demographics, services, etc. all about folks

> who have self-identified.

>

> What I could not find is anything that verifies that elderly do not

> self identify because in their view they are not disabled, they are just old.

> There may other subsets of folks who would/could be considered

> disabled but for whatever reason choose not to self-identify.

>

> Do you have any insight/ideas...anything?

>

> --

> Jim Allan, Accessibility Coordinator

> Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired

> 1100 W. 45th St., Austin, Texas 78756

> voice 512.206.9315    fax: 512.206.9264

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Received on Thursday, 26 May 2016 16:30:28 UTC