Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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Accessibility Interview (self.Blind)
submitted by vonkleist
Hey, everyone! I am part of a new startup aiming to help businesses be more accessible—and publicly provide local/digital accessibility information to help people with disabilities navigate those spaces every day.
We are looking for people who would be willing to have a quick 10 minute chat with us about what some businesses get right about accessibility for people with visual impairment. And of course what they get wrong. As well as other info about what it's like to navigate the world not designed for people who are blind and visually impaired.
We'd love to speak to you and get all your thoughts. Let me know if you're interested in the comments and I'll reach out to you. Again, this would only take about 10 mins of your time and could be really helpful for a lot of people.
Thanks and have a great day!
Steve
We are looking for people who would be willing to have a quick 10 minute chat with us about what some businesses get right about accessibility for people with visual impairment. And of course what they get wrong. As well as other info about what it's like to navigate the world not designed for people who are blind and visually impaired.
We'd love to speak to you and get all your thoughts. Let me know if you're interested in the comments and I'll reach out to you. Again, this would only take about 10 mins of your time and could be really helpful for a lot of people.
Thanks and have a great day!
Steve
MostlyBlindGamer 6 points 2y ago
My minimum billing is by the hour. Does that work for you?
Winnmark 2 points 2y ago
If I had reddit coin you'd get an award.
MostlyBlindGamer 3 points 2y ago
That's OK. I'm sure that's included in Steve's budget.
Superfreq2 5 points 2y ago
Will I get a bit of payment for my participation? 10 minutes is short and I know you guys are knew and it's hard right now with covid, but you're still a business and it doesn't set a great precedent. I mean disabled people don't generally have allot of money either, and if we felt obligated to give our time away for free to everyone regardless of funding, that would be selling our selves out.
vonkleist [OP] 0 points 2y ago
Hey! Good and totally fair question. Short answer: No we are not offering payment at this time.
Going to copy and paste a bit of what I said below about why we're reaching out.
The purpose of these preliminary interviews is to put together different user profiles from different disabled populations. We want to make sure we are addressing the needs of people with different physical, mental, hearing, and visual abilities, and even those who are ESL and Trans and face other hurdles with every day interactions. The word "accessibility" carries a lot of annoying baggage. We are trying to look at it more from a perspective of equal experience for all people.
My partner recently went through a medical condition that changed his physical ability and prompted him to start working on this idea. He is an experience designer and was slapped in the face with how little the physical and digital world is designed for people with disabilities. Something I sure everyone on this forum feels every single day. Which is what we want to help change.
All that said, if someone is really interested in being a part of the project long term as a consultant, or with other digital skills (such as knowledge about designing digital spaces for the visually impaired), we would love to talk more about how we could work together. This project is very much still in its infancy—we ourselves are not going to make a dime from this for the foreseeable future (and then some)—but we are always open to people with new perspectives who can help us create a better product and world. And that would come with payment once the project gets off the ground. It's just gonna be a bit.
Going to copy and paste a bit of what I said below about why we're reaching out.
The purpose of these preliminary interviews is to put together different user profiles from different disabled populations. We want to make sure we are addressing the needs of people with different physical, mental, hearing, and visual abilities, and even those who are ESL and Trans and face other hurdles with every day interactions. The word "accessibility" carries a lot of annoying baggage. We are trying to look at it more from a perspective of equal experience for all people.
My partner recently went through a medical condition that changed his physical ability and prompted him to start working on this idea. He is an experience designer and was slapped in the face with how little the physical and digital world is designed for people with disabilities. Something I sure everyone on this forum feels every single day. Which is what we want to help change.
All that said, if someone is really interested in being a part of the project long term as a consultant, or with other digital skills (such as knowledge about designing digital spaces for the visually impaired), we would love to talk more about how we could work together. This project is very much still in its infancy—we ourselves are not going to make a dime from this for the foreseeable future (and then some)—but we are always open to people with new perspectives who can help us create a better product and world. And that would come with payment once the project gets off the ground. It's just gonna be a bit.
Superfreq2 1 points 2y ago
Well, your research area is really broad so I doubt it's only going to take 10 minutes, but that's okay. I sent you a PM and hopefully we can set something up.
MostlyBlindGamer 1 points 2y ago
>And that would come with payment once the project gets off the ground. It's just gonna be a bit.
By then you'll hopefully also have done some research. Feel free to post with more details.
Edit: By the way, what I mean is there are lots of books and papers out there you can and should read. If you'd searched this very sub, your reading list would have kept you from posting for weeks. It's very entertaining and engaging to got the ground running and get out there and talk to people, but you can't ask them to do your preliminary research for you.
vonkleist [OP] 2 points 2y ago
Fair enough. Will definitely do that. Not asking for preliminary research (which we are doing, and which I will certainly continue to comb this forum for), just looking for more of a first-person account of the day-to-day hurdles that impact quality of life.
That said, totally get why it might seem like we're being lazy. We are very much \*just\* getting started and were hoping to get some grassroots discussions going. We'll do better.
Very much appreciate all the feedback, positive and negative. Everything helps!
That said, totally get why it might seem like we're being lazy. We are very much \*just\* getting started and were hoping to get some grassroots discussions going. We'll do better.
Very much appreciate all the feedback, positive and negative. Everything helps!
MostlyBlindGamer 1 points 2y ago
OK, good luck.
CloudyBeep 4 points 2y ago
Are you appropriately qualified to perform this kind of work? If you were, you would not need this kind of foundational interview.
vonkleist [OP] 0 points 2y ago
This is a very fair question. I have 10 years of marketing experience, with quite a bit of experience conducting consumer/user base interviews. No, they have not focused on the visually-impaired community before.
The purpose of these preliminary interviews is to put together different user profiles from different disabled populations. We want to make sure we are addressing the needs of people with different physical, mental, hearing, and visual abilities, and even those who are ESL and Trans and face other hurdles with every day interactions. The word "accessibility" carries a lot of annoying baggage. We are trying to look at it more from a perspective of equal experience for all people.
As I mention below, my partner recently went through a medical condition that changed his physical ability and prompted him to start working on this idea. He is an experience designer and was slapped in the face with how little the physical and digital world is designed for people with disabilities. Something I sure everyone on this forum feels every single day. Which is what we want to help change.
We know that we are coming from a place of ignorance, which is why we are reaching out. Wouldn't it be much worse if we assumed we knew what your everyday experiences were like? We want to learn and we are open to all ideas and comments.
No shade at all. I just want to say that we are open and here to learn.
The purpose of these preliminary interviews is to put together different user profiles from different disabled populations. We want to make sure we are addressing the needs of people with different physical, mental, hearing, and visual abilities, and even those who are ESL and Trans and face other hurdles with every day interactions. The word "accessibility" carries a lot of annoying baggage. We are trying to look at it more from a perspective of equal experience for all people.
As I mention below, my partner recently went through a medical condition that changed his physical ability and prompted him to start working on this idea. He is an experience designer and was slapped in the face with how little the physical and digital world is designed for people with disabilities. Something I sure everyone on this forum feels every single day. Which is what we want to help change.
We know that we are coming from a place of ignorance, which is why we are reaching out. Wouldn't it be much worse if we assumed we knew what your everyday experiences were like? We want to learn and we are open to all ideas and comments.
No shade at all. I just want to say that we are open and here to learn.
Winnmark 2 points 2y ago
Oooo.. you're getting eaten alive out there bro.
Don't take it personally though, this sub is just jaded by now. We've had more than a few threads about this in the community, and a new one pops up every so often. Yours truly might have accidentally pushed the community over the edge within the recent few months--I doubt I'm the first though, obviously.
But damn. Lol. You're ganna need some Preparation H for that fire they lit on your ass lol
Don't take it personally though, this sub is just jaded by now. We've had more than a few threads about this in the community, and a new one pops up every so often. Yours truly might have accidentally pushed the community over the edge within the recent few months--I doubt I'm the first though, obviously.
But damn. Lol. You're ganna need some Preparation H for that fire they lit on your ass lol
CloudyBeep 3 points 2y ago
I think scepticism is justified. If a business hires a consultant to suggest ways that the business can be more accessible, the business owner probably does not expect that the consultant's only education is a few interviews.
vonkleist [OP] 1 points 2y ago
Lol it's fine. I totally understand the skepticism of an outsider coming in and talking about accessibility. My partner is a recently disabled experience designer, which prompted him to start working on this idea.
I totally get it though. That said, we are really not trying to be preachy and I want to be super respectful of the BS different communities deal.
I totally get it though. That said, we are really not trying to be preachy and I want to be super respectful of the BS different communities deal.
siriuslylupin6 1 points 2y ago
I would be happy to help but I am a very different kind of blind person. Very capable and physical and stuff of that nature so I dont have much trouble but I can give you my perspective for sure. Very pragmatic person myself.
TheBlindCreative 1 points 2y ago
I would be happy to help. Just send me a PM.
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