3/18/25 - Wheelchair repair, accessible fonts, and Miss Manners
Some less dire content today. After all, smaller disability issues and experiences continue and are worth thinking about, even when the foundations of our lives threaten to crumble.
Profit shouldn’t take precedence over health and safety
Editorials, Altamont Enterprise - March 5, 2025
"Thompson said, 'It’s a devastating thing when your wheelchair breaks down.' ... He also said, 'I will try to fix my chair if something goes wrong' but he needs access to parts and manuals. If he had that access, and could make a quick repair, Thompson said, 'I don’t have to cancel everything on my calendar for a month.' ... The proposed law would allow Thompson to do those repairs himself."
Reducing restrictions on how wheelchair repairs can happen is a good example of what we might call a "narrow but deep" disability issue. It affects a relatively small portion of the broader disabled population – those who regularly use wheelchairs. But the impact on those people is potentially huge. And it's such a specific, technical issue that it seems like is should be possible to fix, even in a bitterly polarized political environment.
Inclusive typefaces that we know and love
Kristian, The Accessibility Apprentice - March 17, 2025
"... what other features make a typeface accessible? What fundamental rules of inclusive typography should designers considers when choosing their next favourite sans-serif? Finally, are there typefaces, specifically designed for increased legibility, and what characteristics set them apart?"
I don't fully understand everything in this article. I may need to read it again a few times and follow all the internal links. But even a basic read got me thinking about typefaces or fonts, and how their aesthetics and accessibility relate. The piece also has me thinking about the typefaces I use here. I'll be looking into them.
Miss Manners: Was hearing-disabled friend rude when interrupting, or was co-worker who pointed it out the rude one?
Judith Martin, The Oregonian - March 12, 2025
"I know hearing loss can be hard to see and sometimes difficult to predict, depending on the nature of it. But I wonder if this other friend, who insisted on calling me rude even after I explained that I couldn’t hear, knows how bad that sounds for folks with a disability."
Interesting. I think that the advice given here is probably right if the only goal is to get past a low-grade social misunderstanding. But it doesn't really address the question of when and how to inform people when they have done or said something ableist. It's not always essential to correct people's disability etiquette. But sometimes maybe it is, even if you don't have to do it for practical or emotional reasons. This hearing-impaired woman may not need to confront her friend. But if she can do it tactfully, maybe she should. Or not. What do you think?
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