How to Tag Gifs for People with Epilepsy: A Masterpost
Hello Tumblr! I’m here to talk about something near and dear to my heart: tagging gifs that could trigger an epileptic seizure. This is a huge issue (google SUDEP if you don’t believe me), and yet it doesn’t seem to get much attention from the community at large. Very often I see people claim “I don’t know what to tag!” and so they either tag every gif or none at all. That’s why this post was made. I’m here to educate you and spread awareness.
If you follow the ‘read more’, I’ve gathered a whole army of gifs with the help of the lovely eyelash that will help you understand what should and should not be tagged. WARNING: If you are a photosensitive epileptic or bothered by gifs in general, please do not click the link below. The gifs within are many and quite triggering.
Feminist works and whatnot
I was talking to a girl at my school about I-forget-what but eventually it gravitated toward the Vagina Monologues and Eve Ensler. She asked me if I had read I Am An Emotional Creature. Before I could think about it, I blurted out “yeah, it was terrible.” We were both surprised (I usually try to be more polite, and I don’t think she had ever seen me be that curt) and I clarified my answer by describing the things I found objectionable - mostly the fact that none of the characters had any real depth and all the stories come off as inauthentic (example - would a Chinese factory worker really care about the body image problems barbies cause in the US to the point that that’s their entire monologue?). And I won’t even get into the stereotypes of the Latina girl.
She agreed with the points I made but responded with something to the effect of, “But Eve Ensler got me into feminism. People need to read works that are basic and accessible before they tackle the hard stuff.” Which I agreed with. I wouldn’t send my best friend, who is intimidated by academic jargon and has no background knowledge of poststructuralism, to read Judith Butler to learn about feminism, for example. Feminism SHOULD be accessible and relate-able or else we risk being stuck in the ivory tower without creating change “on the ground.”
But why are writers like Eve Ensler and Jessica Valenti considered accessible? And for whom?
I was also introduced to feminism* through the Vagina Monologues. I saw it when I was 13. It was a fun show but it didn’t particularly resonate with me. It felt like it was trying so hard to be shocking and in-your-face. It reminded me of the kids in elementary school who yelled “vagina” and ran away giggling because they said a naughty word - I wasn’t sure how it was helping women. I liked the fact that it had many different stories written by different kinds of women, but I learned later that Eve Ensler wrote all of them. Now my critiques of the VagMons are different but the fact remains that it does not speak to me.
When I was in high school, I read The Feminist Mystique because my history book said it started a movement and the idea of starting a movement with a book was fascinating to me - much more interesting than fill-in-the-blank history worksheets. Yet again, it didn’t resonate with me because it was obviously dated (and I got the impression Friedan didn’t like gays, which, lo and behold, she didn’t. Which was a huge turn-off for me because I was out in high school). I had much the same response to the essays I read by Gloria Steinem my first year of college - I understood why they were inspiring to some, but they weren’t personal. Last year I read The Purity Myth, which I enjoyed but a white straight woman talking about a largely white straight phenomenon did not personally resonate with me (understandably). I didn’t have much of an emotional response to any of these books - the books that are supposed to be primers and introductions to feminism. And accessible.
On the other hand, when I read The Color Purple, by Alice Walker, when I was 15, I cried because of how it touched me. As silly as it may sound, I did not know it was possible to be a woman of color and a lesbian at the same time. It was after reading that that I came out as a lesbian - I was too afraid of “becoming white” previously. (That feeling did not entirely go away for many many years afterward). Last year, after reading Audre Lorde and Angela Davis, I finally decided that feminism was relevant to me and I proudly took up the label of feminist for myself.
In other words, the “inaccessible” “challenging” black feminist writers were the ones who influenced me the most, even when I didn’t know much about feminism, even though Jill Filipovic of Feministe claimed that “Angela Davis… bell hooks… are [not] particularly good starting points.” Really? Because they were for me.
So when I talk about accessibility in feminism, I’m not just talking about conversational tone or lack of jargon - I’m talking about experiences. When we say that white, straight, implicitly middle class feminist experiences are the most “accessible” and everything else is “not a good starting point,” that makes a statement about who should be accessing feminism.
*By “feminism” I mean feminism-that-explicitly-calls-itself-feminism, which doesn’t include the implicitly feminist egalitarian and anti-oppression exposure I got from my mom, Tamora Pierce books, zines, punk rock, etc.
HEY EVERYONE FOLLOWING ME
YEAH, THAT’S RIGHT, I’M TALKING TO YOU
Okay, capslock off. Could you all do me a big favor? Go to your customization page, go to the theme CSS tab, search for {Photoalt}, and replace it with the word image.
The reason is that for people who can’t load/see images, this is the default, uneditable alt text on Photoposts:
Anyone who uses a screenreader or can’t load images basically has to read/listen to the entire text-content of the post twice. On several — most? — themes, any unicode characters also get turned into gibberish like “&” instead of “&”. This is very silly, and ideally we’d be able to edit alt text on Photoposts in order to put something descriptive (like I did here, because text posts allow it); however, since we can’t edit and Tumblr has consistently ignored requests to change this, at least we can get rid of the doubling.
ARL Issue Brief: MOOCs + Libraries = ???
Research libraries have a stake in MOOCs - who owns the course content, what kinds of materials are incorporated into the virtual classroom and assigned for outside reading, what happens to the data they generate about online learning, whether the courses are accessible for all kinds of learners, and on and on. The laws that shape how we use content in traditional courses may apply in new and unusual ways to these courses, further sharpening the need for active library engagement.
In a relatively short Issue Brief (PDF), I’ve outlined some of the legal questions relevant to library collaboration in MOOC teaching, as well as the related policy issues these new courses raise. A discussion draft was circulated to ARL members prior to the fall membership meeting, and benefitted substantially from their input during the meeting. The draft was also revised in some key places to reflect holdings in the wonderful HathiTrust fair use decision. We hope this will be helpful for anyone in the library world who is thinking about how research libraries fit into the MOOC landscape.
Accessibility statement generator
disabled.cusu.cam.ac.ukThis is a really detailed list of accessibility questions for event planners, so that they can make it clear to people with disabilities whether the event will work for them or not.
It’s awesome. We need more stuff like this.
The Invisible Backpack of Able-Bodied Privilege Checklist
Written by a “twenty-something, vegetarian, disabled Canadian woman,” from the blog, B-TCH on Wheels.
I love how she begins by saying that all lists of ableist privileges she’s seen were written by able-bodied people…anyone with privileges is ultimately blinded by them. Let’s listen more and talk less.
There are a couple of these already online, but they are written by able-bodied people, and seem to miss some major points of privilege. I decided to write my own.
1. I can, if I wish, arrange to attend social events without worrying if they are accessible to me.
2. If I am in the company of people that make me uncomfortable, I can easily choose to move elsewhere.
3. I can easily find housing that is accessible to me, with no barriers to my mobility.
4. I can go shopping alone most of the time and be able to reach and obtain all of the items without assistance, know that cashiers will notice I am there, and can easily see and use the credit card machines. I also don’t have to worry about finding a dressing room I can use, or that it’s being used as a storage room.
5. I can turn on the television and see people of my ability level widely and accurately represented.
6. I am not called upon to speak as the token person for people of my mobility level
7. I can advocate for my children in their schools without my ability level being blamed for my children’s performance or behaviour.
8. I can do well in a challenging situation without being told what an inspiration I am.
9. If I ask to speak to someone “in charge”, I can be relatively assured that the person will speak directly to me and not treat me like I am stupid.
10. I can belong to an organization/class/workplace and not feel that others resent my membership because of my ability level.
11. I do not have to fear being assaulted because of my ability level. If am abused by a partner I will have a safe place to go if I wish to leave.
12. I can be reasonably assured that I won’t be late for meetings due to mobility barriers.
13. As I grow up from childhood I will not feel that my body is inferior or undesirable, and that it should be “fixed”, allowing me to feel confident in my current and future relationships.
14. When speaking with medical professionals, can expect them to understand how my body works, to answer my questions, and respect my decisions.
15. My neighborhood allows me to move about on sidewalks, into stores, and into friends’ homes without difficulty.
16. People do not tell me that my ability level means I should not have children. They will be happy for me when I become pregnant, and I can easily find supportive medical professionals and parents like me. Note: I have heard of one support group for parents with disabilities within my community. See article
17. I can be reasonably sure that my ability level will not discourage employers from hiring me
18. I know that my income can increase based on my performance, and I can seek new and better employment if I choose; I do not have to face a court battle to get an increase in my income.
19. I can choose to share my life with someone without it being seen as a disadvantage to them
20. If people like me have been discriminated against in history, I can expect to learn about it in school, and how that discrimination was overcome.
21. All people like me are seen as living lives that are worth living
Tips on *Writing* Image Descriptions
The purpose on an image description is to get across the same point that the image does. The point is not—necessarily—to literally describe everything that’s happening in the image.
My main blog’s theme puts a heart before the number of notes each post gets. If the theme’s developer were to ever get around to adding in alt text for the heart images (HA! ACCESSIBLE CODING! AS IF!), it would be silly to write “a small, stylized black heart.” Instead, they would probably write “note count.” Similarly, online textbooks that use signs like the caution symbol would do well to put “caution!” as the image text.
Of course, a lot of images on tumblr aren’t “functional” as much as they are decorative. If that’s the case, then it’s generally a good idea to summarize what makes the photo so breathtaking/funny/distinct/profound, and leave out the nonessential details. It’s important to replicate the meaning of the image, not necessarily the experience of seeing the image.
The above can be especially helpful for some people with learning/processing disabilities who still want to describe their images. Sometimes, I try to write a quick description and wind up cataloging dozens of little details that aren’t really all that interesting or important. Taking a step back (some tumblr-ites recommend switching tabs so that you don’t get caught up in all the little details) and focusing on what’s really important in the image can help you write an informative, but not too taxing, description.
And if you can’t, of course, then you can’t.
App that finds wheelchair accessible parking and toilets
Find wheelchair-accessibletoilets and parking spaces
Finding clean, accessible toilets and parking spaces when on the move can be a real challenge for wheelchair users. WheelMate is designed to change that.
Also available as a smartphone app, WheelMate gives you an instant overview of your nearest wheelchair-friendly toilets and parking spaces. WheelMate is powered by wheelchair users who add and verify every single location themselves, ensuring it works the way it should.
- Add toilets and parking spaces in the app or here on the site
- Rate and comment on locations listed by others
- Plan trips in advance by creating a printable list of locations where you’re headin
Click through to link below
what I have tried to learn
What I have been trying to teach myself, with only partial success, is that being functional will in all likelihood mean not seeming functional. It’s a peculiar and necessary tradeoff— for me, right now.
Being functional means doing things in your own predesignated order, at your own methodical pace. It means, quite often, a five-hour period spent rocking and replaying the same song over and over, staring straight ahead loose-jawed or moving your hands in time. It means your speech is a minefield, often plagued by a choppy, halting rhythm, often slurred and studded with strange turns of phrase. It means sometimes not talking at all, and not giving a shit when your mouth emits cackly squirrel-like sounds instead of words, or can only reproduce those words you’ve recently read or heard. Actually, it means a lot of not giving a shit, because the few things you do care about will require 101 percent of your energy.
Being functional means you can do your chem lab but not decipher the seating chart they give out at the beginning. So you turn and ask the kid next to you, “Excuse me, I can’t interpret this. Could you tell me where I’m sitting?” It means that when you’re in the student center on your lunch break, reading a scientific paper about bacteriophages in root canals, you’re rocking and tapping your feet and flapping your hands in a new configuration every few sentences, just to process the information before you. And the students who sit down across from you leave prematurely, but that’s okay, too. It means swallowing a lot of pride, or what they call pride, because at almost 21 years old you’re not supposed to be like this anymore.
Being functional means asking the same professor the same four questions thrice each, and repeating back the answers. It means reading in detail the parts of your syllabi and lab manuals that most people ignore: entire schedules, rubrics, rules and procedures. It means wearing the same clothes Monday through Friday, getting progressively more disheveled, and showering only on the weekends. It means hardly ever looking presentable, or smiling, or making small talk. It means knowing and using the words “I can’t”. It means laying the impossible to rest, and taking up in its place the just-barely-possible: because there is a difference.
Being functional means, almost invariably, not being the person the world wants you to be.
You want me to be “high-functioning”? Let me.
Accessibility Check - http://achecker.ca/checker/index.php
I'm Sick of Your Tiny, Tiny Type
Your tiny type is hard to read – no, not hard to read, impossible to read. I carry my phone with me everywhere, but I always seem to forget my magnifying glass. I tap the Safari Reader button, but that’s not a solution to the problem. That’s a band-aid for your bad typesetting.
Sometimes I’m on my computer, and Reader doesn’t work on your web app. I hit CMD + two or three times so that my dyslexic brain can make sense of the musty 14px Helvetica your servers regurgitated all over my screen. Then the layout falls apart. Words start smashing together. Ads bleed into my emails. And I find myself scrolling up, down, left, right, left, right – what in the hell is this? The Konami code? I don’t need 30 extra lives. I want to read your content.
And I know I’m not the only one who hates your tiny type. How many times have I heard users complain about fonts being too small? More times than I’ve heard them complain about fonts being too large – wait, I’ve never heard a user complain about that. Your users aren’t asking for a faster horse – they’re struggling to read your content. Surely that isn’t what you’re going for, and surely that isn’t a good experience.
Further reading:
The Typography and Layout behind the new Signal vs. Noise redesign
