I will move on but I'm hugely pissed off that the reason my name wasn't called at graduation is because the grad team put a mark next to my name to indicate that I'd be slow (something they assumed) and the person reading names thought it meant I wasn't there. Not the fault of the person reading the names. Completely reasonable to guess that's what a mark next to the name means. Completely fucking unacceptable of the graduation team who pushed back when I asked for access, then let their prejudice ruin it for me.

Oh my god stop pretending to give a shit about accessibility when it suits your agenda. Blind people, and others who rely on alt text, have had pretty in depth discussions about this already.

https://twitter.com/16286419/status/1537028703112286208

For those who actually care, here's an interesting post about the difficulties of identifying both race and gender in alt text image descriptions thebodyisnotanapology.com/magazine/we-ne…

Americans are all "but spaz isn't an offensive term, it just means out of control." And where exactly do you think that meaning comes from? Spaz, a shortened version of spastic, is used to describe muscle spasms, especially those associated with conditions like cerebral palsy. It might now be slang for erratic and hyper behaviour (which can also be a disability-related insult by the way) but you can always trace the roots of the word back to descriptions of disabled bodies.

Hot take but accessibility doesn't have to be cool or appealing to non-disabled people for us to talk about it. Stop trying to dress it up as something cute, instead of teaching it as something which creates a more equitable experience. Get your marketing departments away from it There's an argument to be made that better access, whether physical or digital, helps everyone. And that's absolutely true and we should always strive to build using an understanding of universal design.

I'm so tired. I emailed disability services a week ago or so about an adjustment which is specifically listed on my DSA needs assessment report. They told me giving it to me would violate university policy. 1/ I've spent the last week trying to finish my work, as well as digging through the policies as well as all of my higher education docs which list the support I've been provided, to gather evidence. I emailed them back today with the info. 2/

I believe that the role of disability services should be to challenge inequitable university policies that disadvantage disabled students, not to quietly comply with them. I, and other disabled students, shouldn't have to be pushing them to provide a reasonable adjustment, they should be the ones advocating for us. But once again, it's left up to the disabled student to fight for an adjustment they specifically need as a result of their disability.

I've often felt guilty as an activist because I don't oppose specialist education, whereas many disabled people do, including those who I personally admire and respect. 1/ There are campaigns to end segregated schooling for disabled children, and it's completely understandable and often the right thing to do. Disabled children have been abused, denied the opportunity to learn, and effectively institutionalised for no good reason. 2/

Worked so hard when I went climbing this evening. Often I feel like I'm coasting and don't really push myself, so I chose a couple of routes that I haven't been able to climb before now Part 2

I wish Twitter would visually indicate if an image includes alt text, with a button you can click to see it. Alt text benefits more than just screenreader users and would help people to know they're retweeting accessible content. I'd also love an indication for screenreader users that a video includes captions. At present I've no way of knowing so I can't make a choice about retweeting a video based on its accessibility to deaf people.

Here's what happens when you post a photo with no alt text on Twitter, because I think some of you don't understand what I have to do in response. First, it depends on what device I'm looking at it. 1/ If I'm using my phone, I have to open up the photo, then hit a button which will open up various share options. I have an app on my phone called SeeingAI which amongst other things can recognise photos, so I open up the photo in that app. 2/

Please academics don't laugh at me, but what actually happens on your first day of a PhD? How do you know where to start? What you should be doing? Do you get instructions? For context I start in February so not with a big group (I think). My supervisor(s) are very nice, but I really like clear rules and this is very different from anything I've done at university before. Do I just...show up? I'm also aware this is 3 months away (I like to plan).

TW sexual abuse, a thread. In June of this year, the World Blind Union (WBU) announced the early resignation of their president Dr Fredric K. Schroeder, due to "personal circumstances." What they don't mention in their announcement is that those personal circumstances are that he has been accused of inappropriate behaviour towards women over at least a 30-year period, possibly longer.

As the news of my case against the Student Loans Company has reached the media, there are a few specific things I would like to touch on that are currently being missed. A thread. The Student Loans Company had an anticipatory duty under the Equality Act to ensure that disabled people could access their service. This means considering in advance what adjustments to make for disabled customers. It’s not just about providing access when it is requested.

Thread: Some thoughts on making lectures and seminars more accessible to blind students, that hopefully don't require too much extra work. Both for online and in person. These are based on my own experiences. #AcademicTwitter I like it when the professor sets the expectations re social etiquette from the start. Do you want students to call out their questions? Do you have a raising hands policy? Will you call on students or do you expect them to volunteer to answer, or indicate if they have a question