5 WAYS WE CAN ALL HELP

MAKE IT READABLE

“90% of people will look at accessibility and think it’s a ramp at the door, but it’s so much more,” explains Purple Sewing Cloud’s Samantha. “It’s things like making your documents available for PDF readers, so people with screen readers can view them. You can also increase the text size and make sure the text is suitable for people with dyslexia, cognitive conditions or other eye conditions.”

WRITE IMAGE DESCRIPTIONS AND USE ‘CAMEL CASE’ IN HASHTAGS

Rebecca explains, “It would be lovely if everybody paid more attention to inclusion, even simple things like ‘camel case’ in hashtags [#ToSeparateOutEachWord WithACapitalLetterAtTheStart, ensuring those using screenreaders will hear the words individually] or writing image descriptions. She also recommends avoiding "using those fun fonts that are actually mathematical symbols. If a text reader tries to read those it doesn’t read as words, it reads as symbols.”

BE INCLUSIVE

“The biggest thing a non-disabled crafter can do is to be inclusive,” says Stephanie. “When planning events, please make sure that it is accessible for all, to include devices or ways for the Hard of Hearing or deaf community to participate.”

PROVIDE SPACE

“One of the things that gets to be a challenge is taking classes in places because a lot of these places aren’t set up to be wheelchair friendly and I think that it can hold some people back,” Michelle says. “It would be nice if sewing shops or art shops or workshops had thought about that.”

DON’T MAKE ASSUMPTIONS

Anna says, “I have found the quilting community to be a very supportive and accepting space in general. I’d love for society as a whole to be more thoughtful about and accepting of individuals and their unique needs. Not making assumptions about a person’s abilities or needs because they have a visible condition or disability and, likewise, not assuming that because someone ‘looks fine’ that they don’t also have individual needs.”