Disabled Association Pros & Accessibility Allies

On Friday morning a volunteer published a panel since they are on a conference committee at the United Nations building in Vienna for the Zero Project Conference whose mission is to find and share solutions that improve the daily lives and legal rights of all persons with disabilities.

We did not know, we did not agree to sponsor, nor did our Managing Director agree to be on or facilitate the panel. All of that is because our organization has a very clear governance statement and a joint-statement with the European Disability Forum about the dangers and damage that accessibility overlays pose to disabled people and their conflict with truth in advertising.

The dynamic of a volunteer stepping outside their role isn't the point of this story. That's a different issue. But the crisis communications work because someone decided to applaud overlays (including the one ASAE has chosen to implement) caused international outrage.

People around the globe and from nearly EVERY disability advocacy group were ready to string us up for this conflict in commitment to disability inclusion.

Let me repeat that again. 

The suggestion that the association for accessibility professionals would sponsor and participate in a panel that spoke to the benefits of accessibility overlays caused such an uproar that we will be working to diffuse the damage for weeks if not months.

From one of the most highly respected attorneys and structured negotiation legal minds, Lainey Feingold.

Lainey Feingold's LinkedIn: Accessibility & Ethics post  featuring a link to her blog post Overlays and Ethics: a conference panel that hurt my heart

Comments in Facebook groups for accessibility professionals from our members:
"So now IAAP is openly supporting the dark side."

Comments in open accessibility professional slack:

• 3 overlay vendors on the panel. All dudes. Nobody from the affected communities.Anyway, I am already not going to this conference and I have no IAAP membership to revoke, but be aware the efforts to normalize the harms of overlays as quick-fix solutions continues unabated, shepherded along by IAAP.
• Ugh. Another day, another IAAP decision that does not reflect me, as a member. 
  
  

When the global audience of disability advocates and accessibility professionals that deliver digital accessibility and have established the digital accessibility standards raise outrage and threaten to remove their membership for their professional organization supporting a panel discussing the benefits of overlays.... 

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