Re: Content Usable pronouns and Tal

Hi John,

Thank you for the followup questions.

*Regarding tokenism:* this is an excellent point. I know the task force has
been working quite hard to keep the document as slim as possible (which is
not slim at all), but including this line at the end of each persona
introduction may be a reasonable request and feels like a good solution.

*Regarding cultural sensitivity: *while I appreciate your concern, I have a
few thoughts on this. The individuals coga is most actively trying to
include are the most historically unheard and left out. I feel that it is
worth including and acknowledging who these individuals are, and I feel
that the way this persona is written has a nice subtly that doesn't make it
feel like we are forcing cultural change. For those cultural spaces that
don't yet have mental space for diverse gender identities, my feeling is
that they are more likely to simply read this framing as "unusual" but not
put too much more thought into it.

I also want to add that I'm learning a lot from this conversation, and am
very aware that I am new to the group and don't have the same overall
background. Thank you for inviting me to be an active part of this
conversation.
Rain

On Thu, Mar 25, 2021 at 10:15 AM John Foliot <john@foliot.ca> wrote:

> Hi Rain,
>
> Thanks for this research!! It is quite interesting.
>
> As an additional "option" (consideration?), if we *DO* continue to include
> the statement that Tal prefers to be identified as they/them/their, what if
> we include this for *all* of the personas: make it a standard bit of
> information about all of the personas, not just the one. I think that would
> help a little in reducing my impression of 'tokenism' ("Look, we've got one
> of those too!" - yes, that comes off as insensitive, and I do not mean it
> that way - it's simply an observation that it could be interpreted that
> way).
>
> I also continue to be concerned about cultural sensitivity - not every
> culture is as accepting of gender diversity as our increasingly secular
> Western society, and I believe we need to be mindful of that as well.
>
> Thoughts?
>
> JF
>
> (Related: editorial note - the text currently reads "Tal like to be
> referred to (pronouns) as they/them/theirs" - should it not be "Tal like
> *s* to be referred to (pronouns) as Tal/they/them/theirs" - i.e.the
> addition of the "s" on "like")
>
> On Thu, Mar 25, 2021 at 12:26 PM Rain Michaels <rainb@google.com> wrote:
>
>> 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
>>>
>>>