Re: Content Usable pronouns and Tal

Hello all,

I'm hoping that my comments below don't further complicate or confuse this
conversation, but after reading the conversation that followed, I connected
directly with a researcher who has done a lot of work around the
intersection of cognitive and gender diversity in order to better
understand how important it is that we include a non-binary persona.

This researcher confirmed the following:

   - Choosing to use one's name instead of a pronoun (as Rachael proposed
   in option 3) is an approach that will be recognized and appreciated by the
   community we are trying to include, as it is both a personal preference,
   and also a self-protective preference that offers more subtly.
   - There is a higher than average prevalence of individuals with
   cognitive difference also identifying as non-binary; these individuals are
   left out in so many ways that it would be a small and positive gesture for
   us to include them in the Tal persona.
   - A good resource to help think of the importance of this single
move: Gender
   Dysphoria and People with Intellectual Disability
   <http://www.intellectualdisability.info/mental-health/articles/gender-dysphoria-and-people-with-intellectual-disability>


Additionally, given the link to the emerging style recommendation from EOWG
that Laura referenced
<https://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/wiki/Style#Personas_and_use_cases>, and given
that we do have many personas, including Tal as a non-binary individual who
prefers to be referred to by name feels like an important thing for us to
do.

Rain


On Wed, Mar 24, 2021 at 11:24 AM Laura Carlson <laura.lee.carlson@gmail.com>
wrote:

> Hi Rachael and all,
>
> I prefer option 1 and 3 combined.
>
> If specifying pronouns in our personas is going to help to promote
> diversity, equality, and inclusiveness, we should be doing it.
>
> It seems like the Education & Outreach Working Group (EOWG) may be
> working on persona pronouns for the WAI Style Guide:
> https://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/wiki/Style#Personas_and_use_cases
>
> Perhaps Shawn may have some guidance for us?
>
> Thank you,
>
> Kind Regards,
> Laura
>
> On 3/23/21, Rachael Bradley Montgomery <rachael@accessiblecommunity.org>
> wrote:
> > Hello,
> >
> > Thank you for the thoughtful discussion at today's meeting about the
> plural
> > pronoun used in Tal. A resource you can read if this is a new area for
> you
> > is https://www.mypronouns.org/
> >
> > We discussed the following options:
> >
> >    1. no change
> >    2. add it in 1 or 2 places in the main persona
> >    3. Tal like to be referred to (pronouns) as Tal/they/them/theirs
> >    4. change the persona to remove gender diversity
> >    5. use the pronouns as frequently as would be used naturally
> >
> > COGA had voted against 5 because of readability and translatability
> > challenges and compromised with using the minimal pronouns in option 1.
> I
> > have created a google document with all of the options at
> >
> https://docs.google.com/document/d/18FabK-X1AgOMPqG2YydOrcyl1d89rHxbcfqso2du1vo/edit#
> >
> > Please take a look and weigh in with your thoughts on how to proceed.
> >
> > Best regards,
> >
> > Rachael
> > --
> > Rachael Montgomery, PhD
> > Director, Accessible Community
> > rachael@accessiblecommunity.org
> >
> > "I will paint this day with laughter;
> > I will frame this night in song."
> >  - Og Mandino
> >
>
>
> --
> Laura L. Carlson
>
>