Response to Regine Gilbert's Visit

The visit from Regine Gilbert was very informative regarding accessible technology. When judging whether or not a design was accessible, I found myself not realizing that a design that appeared effective was actually not accessible. It made me realize that as someone who hasn’t experienced particular disabilities firsthand, I cannot accurately describe which solutions are the best. As I discussed in class, I think this is an important thing to consider as we hire people for UX/UI design, we need to hire more people with disabilities in order to better cater to everyone’s needs.

Personally, I found myself shocked to see how many ways we still are not accessible considering we live in 2020. As Regine led us through exercises in class to brainstorm ways in which things could be more accessible, there were countless ways which came to mind. I was reminded of the recent election in which people who suffer from a hearing disability were unable to follow along with the first presidential debate. On social media, a young teenage girl posted about how frustrating it was for her to follow along with the debate because those who were signing were third party organizations which we’re not in real time. Regine’s discussion about how there are so many things that need to be improved just further shows how critical it is for society to make more inclusive platforms.

Overall, I really enjoyed working with other people in the class in breakout rooms as it enabled us all to step back and examine everything we use from a different perspective. It made us realize how difficult it can be for others to live their daily lives because we as a society have not been as accessible as we should be. The privilege that comes with not having a disability is one that should not be taken lightly. People do not choose their disabilities. No one should not be forced to suffer through hardships when we have the capabilities and resources to offer them the needs they should have access to.