Digital Accessibility and Switching Up Social Change Roles (SBLTN Lab Notes 036)
Digital accessibility for online communities, Native North American Type conference, and roles in a social change ecosystem
IN THE MARGINS
As we head into the end of the year and the “let’s circle back after the holidays” emails, just remember that you don’t have to do anything a certain way just because. You don’t have to have certain food on a certain holiday. You don’t have to go into power planning mode for your business. You don’t have to make any promises to yourself for the new year. However the pandemic has affected you, there’s no denying the collective trauma that has taken place. On top of that, life as “usual” has kept on ticking and the holidays themselves can bring mixed feelings for people.
If nothing else, take these last 2 months to check-in with yourself. How are you really doing? What do you need to make space for? Who can you talk with to work through some things? Are you drinking enough water? When’s the last time you laughed so hard your sides hurt?
ACCESSIBILITY
DEIB In Online Communities
I got to partner with 3 awesome people to create a 3-day sprint about how to address diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) in online community spaces.
Check out all 3 video replays and worksheets so you can start taking action right away!
Day 1: ACTION PLAN CREATION with host Abbiola Ballah (@pherneducationstudios) - The sprint kicked off with taking action! We talked about how you can structure a community that is welcoming to people and how you can think about saying and doing the “right” things.
Day 2: DIGITAL ACCESSIBILITY IN ONLINE COMMUNITIES with Yours Truly -
From alt text and transcripts to taking action on captions, you’ll get takeaway tips and an interactive quiz to test your skills.
Day 3: SELF-REFLECTION AND ACCOUNTABILITY with Nivi (@soapboxproject) and Kriselle Gabriel (@empoweredincolor) - We wrapped up with our no holds barred speaker panel about neurodiversity and disabilities, sharing of lived experiences, and grounding one final time in the "why” of it all. To set you up for success, we shared accountability structures to keep your momentum up!
While geared toward online community facilitators, moderators, managers, and decision-makers, the information can honestly be used by anyone so feel free to share the link!
Shoutout to Burb, an automation and analytics platform for communities, for having us!
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
Social Change Roles
Care work, such as social justice initiatives, can be exhausting… especially when it's reactive. To be constantly responding to harm wears you down and can sometimes make the effort seem pointless.
To recover or rejuvenate both yourself and your dedication to a cause, sometimes you have to shift gears into a different role. This can look like going from always being at protests to helping fundraise behind the scenes. Activism comes in many forms and is truly a long-game - thus why you need to rest. (Stepping away entirely as rest is also okay too!)
Deepa Iyer has a great map for roles in a social change ecosystem.
Download the full guide (the map, the roles, and reflection questions) OR check out the video series.
I’ve seen this graphic making the rounds and so am excited to dive into Deepa’s upcoming book “Social Change Now: A Guide for Reflection and Connection”.
ART & DESIGN
Native North American Typography Conference
Registration is open for EZHISHIN, the first-ever Native North American Typography Conference!
Named after the Ojibwe word for ‘s/he leaves a mark’, Ezhishin will host today’s leading Native designers, educators, and researchers*.
*Scroll down the event page for an audio recording of how to pronounce the word! Yay for cultural inclusion and education :)
Starting November 11, see inspiring graphic design and lettering projects. Learn about different regional histories and traditions. Find out from leading type practitioners what it takes to create working fonts centered around Native needs. Hear cross-talk about how the existing typography succeeds and fails, and what’s needed in order to better address the communities.
The conference is all virtual to better accommodate the range of our talented speakers and those wanting to participate in these vital conversations. Tickets are $35-$90.
Bonus! Here’s a list of Native North American Type & Type Designers.
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Signing off from the Starship SBLTN,
Laneen (Pronouns: she/they)
HEARD IN THE HALLWAYS
Women Talk Design (WTD) is an organization that believes everyone's voice needs to be heard —especially those we don’t hear from enough. I received a scholarship to attend their 8-week program about public speaking. It was packed with practical info that I immediately applied, the other members were incredibly supportive, and being there gave me the needed push to get serious about my public speaking journey. They are now making that course way more accessible by turning it into a book! 📚
“Present Yourself” is their public speaking book on a mission to encourage more individuals to share their ideas, stories, and expertise. In addition to practical tools and advice, this book will feature the stories of over a dozen experienced speakers and their approach to getting ideas out in the world.
Whether you know you want to speak publicly, need to present for work, are curious if you have something to say, or want to support others in having their voices heard, this book could be for you.
WTD has chosen to self-publish to show what's possible: you don’t need to wait for a publisher to validate your idea. Your perspective needs to be heard. In order to bring this project to life, WTD needs your support. Pre-order a book on Kickstarter!