911 + the Deaf, creativity test, and IDEO dirt
Emergency service accessibility, testing for creativity, and surviving IDEO
IN THE MARGINS
Before you say...
... “we need to start having these conversations” or “no one is talking about…”, stop to think if people ARE talking about it but maybe YOU’RE just not in those spaces. What is new to you might be daily news or a life’s work for others. This is especially true for social justice issues but can apply to many things. So pop your own bubble and let in the buzz. I've been learning a lot lately by listening before I speak.
ACCESSIBILITY
Emergency Service Accessibility
It’s the year 2021. Humans have a rover on Mars and a handheld device can instantly communicate with anyone on the planet. And yet most people can’t text emergency services. Ever wonder how a deaf person uses 911 in the U.S.? Usually, they can’t. (Yes, Video Relay Service is an option but it’s challenging enough using it for day-to-day needs, let alone in a dangerous or emergency situation).
It’s been left up to counties and local municipalities to make it accessible to call for an ambulance, firetruck, or the police. It’s estimated only 16% of the U.S. has access to text emergency services - even though the four largest wireless service providers are supposed to be helping since 2014 AND the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) passed 31 damn years ago!
Texting emergency services would be helpful for so many people other than the d/D/HH. What about someone in a domestic violence situation? A child that has been kidnapped? The employee hiding from robbers?
The emergency service system is riddled with other problems: from nonsense calls to being unable to locate a caller in need.John Oliver’s 2016 skit brought some of these to light with laughter.
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
Thought Leaders or Trauma Leaders?
Many companies co-opt movements and have the right buzzwords on their homepage. Those same companies might then land big clients or launch huge campaigns. But what’s below the surface? Do they practice what they preach? Are they worthy of the pedestal they have been put on? (Should we even be putting companies and agencies on pedestals?...) The tea is spilled on one of the big names in the creative agency world.
ART & DESIGN
10-Word Creativity Test
Some dude at Harvardthinks 10 words and 2 minutes can determine how creative you are. Take the "divergent thinking" test. My scores are below. I took it twice to tamper with the results and see how the system of "semantic distance" (or relatedness) works haha.
Signing off from the Starship SBLTN,
Laneen (Pronouns: she/they)
HEARD IN THE HALLWAYS
(Points for Pepsi and this clever bit of marketing)
🎧 Listening - Joe Hisaishi playlist (composer for Studio Ghibli films)
📖 Reading - Physics meets melanin in "The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey Into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred" by Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein