How to build empathy �for strangers �with special needs
About me: Kai Katonina
What’s empathy and why we need it?
Empathy is our ability to see the world through other people's eyes, to see what they see, feel what they feel, and experience things as they do.
Why should we design for PWD?
Why we might not have it already?
What can we do?
Parasocial relationship
Parasocial relationships are most common with celebrities, organizations (such as sports teams) or television stars.
We’re going to apply that to disabled youtubers to make it personal.
It’s not inspiration porn
Disclaimer
My examples don’t describe all of the experiences of PWD.
It is heavily biased through:
But it’s better than nothing and a working a starting point
Vision
People with low vision, blind and colorblind can struggle with:
Molly Burke
Molly is a blind youtuber who makes videos about her life and covers topics from how having a guide dog affects her mobility through how she shops for makeup to funny challenges
https://www.youtube.com/user/MollyBurkeOfficial
What I learned from her:
Blind people can enjoy makeup and shopping
Colors are important even for a blind person
2:33
The Tommy Edison Experience
Tommy is blind since birth. In his videos he shares how he does everyday things like using paper money or braile typewriter. He also has videos comparing his experience with other people or sharing how he dreams.
https://www.youtube.com/user/TommyEdisonXP
What I learned from him:
How blind people navigate and a ton more facts
James Rath
Legally blind filmmaker, accessibility activist, speaker. On his channel, he shares accessible technology and his experiences as a person living with blindness through films and vlogs.
What I learned from him:
What’s legally blind
How a legally blind person can be a filmmaker
How blind people travel alone
2:18
And more
MEET PEOPLE WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS
Hearing
Deaf and hard of hearing people can struggle with:
Rikki Poynter
Rikki Poynter is a 27-year-old deaf vlogger on YouTube. She makes content about deaf awareness, accessibility/closed captioning awareness, mental health, feminism, and more.
https://www.youtube.com/user/rikkipoynter
What I learned from her:
How (some) deaf people enjoy music
“Craptions”
Jessica Kellgren-Fozart
Jessica is a deaf YouTuber who makes videos about her life with disabilities and chronic illness in a positive uplifting way, LGBTQ+ awareness and vintage fashion.
https://www.youtube.com/user/MissJessicaKH
What I learned from her:
It’s important to give visual clues in addition to the tone of voice (i.e. sarcasm or joke)
You can touch the speakers to detect sound
And more
Mobility
People with limited mobility can struggle with:
Isabelle Weall
Isabelle is a quadruple amputee who doesn’t let her disability to stop her from doing trampolining, makeup and much more. She started her youtube to show others how she continues to live her life to the fullest.
What I learned from her:
She does makeup better than I do
I shouldn’t assume what people can and can’t do
0:46
Squirmy and Grubs
Shane and Hannah share their experiences as an interabled couple and how they are shattering the misconceptions surrounding the ability for disabled people to have a love life.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdomP1JqhnyBQGaBmfDl4KQ
What I learned from them:
People can use smartphones to control laptops
They’re adorable
Andrea Lausell
Andrea is a twenty-six-year-old Disabled Latina creating content on Disability rights, Latinidad, Spina Bifida, sex education and much more.
https://www.youtube.com/user/AndreaLausell/
What I learned from her:
Mental health and disability
Disability and sex
Cognitive and more
People with cognitive disabilities can struggle with:
Things not to say to … series from BBC
People from different groups talk about their most hated questions and statements - because they are annoying, or impolite, or get asked way too often. You wanted to ask it too - now you know the answer.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL64ScZt2I7wGxZlXAu0r0UPqpvzF23mgc
Special books by special kids
o
Chris Ulmer travels around the world to meet people of all ages that live with different conditions. I admire how Chris finds a way to connect with all of them even when communication is hard.
There’s much more
That’s just some creators that I happend to like.
Find yours.
Fighting for accessibility is tough
If you're not personally invested in the topic, it can be hard to do your daily fight for more accessible products.
But if you’re fighting for a friend, you won’t stop.