First and foremost: I use what is known as "people-first language". I'm no social justice warrior or super involved activist: I just believe good use of language helps beat back stigmas and stereotypes about people. Throughout this article, when referring to people who have a disability, I will use... Well that exact term: A "person with a disability". See, people-first. It's not that hard, is it?
Anyway. A part of my work is discovering, recording, and addressing transportation needs for people with disabilities. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why transportation resources would be important for these folks: Wheelchairs, walkers, and lack of sight or hearing don't make well for independent driving.
As part of my AmeriCorps VISTA* work I did lots around said above topic. So I met this person a while back, and they just joined our team to help implement the 1-Call/1-Click Transportation Resource Center (1/1 TRC).** Today they were testing out the website, and giving some feedback and looking for bugs and user experience issues.
We talked before about anything they may need to better help their volunteer work at the office, and eventually we agreed it'd be best for them to bring a personal laptop since it's already setup for their circumstances. And today I learned all about those awesome alternative setups for computers, usability, and work.
First off: A Dvorak keyboard layout-
As you can see, it's a little different. This is the "Right-Handed version, which works wonderfully for the volunteer because they can only use their right hand.
I was showing said volunteer the website I wanted them to test, and I kept slipping up and just automatically going to my QWERTY keyboard layout that I had learned on. Every little automatic result that I was trying to do h7z wq orbune un 7 ay.quen wswicq tswicq ya uwb8s7 cy.qwg***
After that, I was hunting-and-pecking typing, feeling like I was back in grade school.
Another observation/privilege check I discovered was navigating the web and technology in general. I was able to fly through Google Maps and directions, opening tabs and searching things to my hearts content. On the other side of the equation, the volunteer had to take their time navigating through the web. One hand would only get you so far when whizzing around the Windows GUI.****
Not realizing this yet, I was quite surprised when they asked for a phone book to look up addresses with, instead of just directly searching for the resources in the community via the web. Of course we found them one, and they went about their volunteer shift.
But who would have known, right?
I took the rest of the day after the volunteer left to think about my abled privileges and how they put on the blinders and shielded my view from a full 114° of reality. I took a moment to think: "Wow. I haven't even remotely considered any of what I learned today."
And then I sat back and was reminded of a line from a poem I heard once read aloud at an open mic:
"It takes all kinds lord. It takes all kinds."
*VISTA = Volunteers in Service to America
**This has basically been the last two years of my life. If you want to know more about it, just ask sometime.
***See? I just changed the keyboard to a Dvorak layout and that's what came out. Put's your QWERTY perspective in check doesn't it? (The actual thing I meant to type was this: "had me typing in a foreign mumble jumble of impsua lorem."
****GUI = Graphical user interface. Also, the volunteer could use a little bit of their left hand, but their disability prevented them from using it for complex and taxing tasks such as navigating a QWERTY keyboard and/or the web.
