Category Food For Thought
Shared on Instagram and archived here, this section highlights some of our favorite – and hopefully insightful – quotes that might inspire you to become a more inclusive communication professional.
“Stigma isn’t just about overt discrimination; it can range from subtle microaggressions to glaring prejudices, contributing to an environment where people with disabilities consistently feel unsupported and isolated.”
More details about Food For Thought #074“If you’re an event planner or speaker who is truly committed to inclusion, identifying and proactively addressing accessibility barriers becomes the essential first step toward creating an experience that welcomes everyone.”
More details about Food For Thought #073“Accessibility barriers can manifest in various ways, from physical obstructions to digital issues, ultimately leading audience members with disabilities to feel isolated, marginalized, and unable to fully engage in events.”
More details about Food For Thought #072“As we venture into the realm of digital accessibility and disability inclusion, it’s critical to remember that every event and every user is unique. Consequently, any approach deeply rooted in one-size-fits-all inclusion thinking is doomed to fail.”
More details about Food For Thought #071“By being more inclusive, businesses attract a more diverse customer base, which opens up new markets and opportunities, and leads to more sales, repeat business, and positive word-of-mouth recommendations.”
More details about Food For Thought #070“While it’s important for event planners to champion the cause of inclusion, it’s also beneficial for allies, staff, and speaking professionals to step in and also support the representation and inclusion of speaker peers with disabilities.”
More details about Food For Thought #069“Steps can be taken to address discrimination in live events by providing training and education on disability inclusion and promoting a culture of inclusion, respect, and acceptance for attendees with disabilities.”
More details about Food For Thought #068“Accessibility barriers mean that audience members with disabilities can easily find themselves excluded from certain parts of the venue, or enjoy certain activities or components of an event, leading to feelings of isolation and marginalization.”
More details about Food For Thought #067“If you care about doing better by your clients, your prospects and your visitors, then you owe it to them to look into web accessibility guidelines and get started fixing some of the barriers that probably get in their way.”
More details about Food For Thought #066“Companies that don’t take steps to be inclusive and accommodate the needs of people with disabilities and the ageing population risk alienating these groups, which irremediably leads to decreased customer loyalty and market shares.”
More details about Food For Thought #065“There’s no doubt in my mind that by making inclusion a priority, we all can help create a more compassionate, understanding, and equitable society. And speaking professionals are in a perfect position to do that.”
More details about Food For Thought #064“Neurodiversity inclusion is one of the most powerful tools that businesses have to challenge the status quo, and change the face of what is considered ‘normal’ in today’s work environment.”
More details about Food For Thought #063“Through the creation of inclusive workplaces, we as leaders get to promote diversity and inclusion, reduce stigma and discrimination, and create a more equitable and just society. That sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me.”
More details about Food For Thought #062“Communication challenges often lead to all sorts of misunderstandings, misinterpretations, stigma, and feelings of exclusion among neurodiverse employees, and may often be at the root of conflicts between different individuals.”
More details about Food For Thought #061“There’s still so much that needs to be said, so much that needs to be claimed, before speakers truly understand the diverse perspectives of their audience members, so they can successfully create inclusive experiences for everyone.”
More details about Food For Thought #060“By introducing and examining accessibility barriers, inclusive communication considerations help raise awareness and inspire you to make intentional efforts to create more inclusive and accessible environments.”
More details about Food For Thought #059“The more you acknowledge the diversity of needs and expectations of your audience members, the more you’ll discover that you have an incredible amount of power over ensuring that your events are enjoyable for everyone.”
More details about Food For Thought #058“Do yourself and everyone else a favour, and don’t wait! Break down barriers in your events, so that every attendee gets their chance to fully participate and feel valued, whether or not they have a disability.”
More details about Food For Thought #057“When the needs of all attendees are considered, including those who live with disabilities, you create a more inclusive atmosphere that ensures everyone gets to connect, and enjoy the experience to its fullest!”
More details about Food For Thought #056“Failing to actively prioritize disability inclusion in your planning only perpetuates a systemic culture of stigma and discrimination that leaves behind the 20% of our audiences who identify as such.”
More details about Food For Thought #055“Every time speakers decline or forgo the microphone — or whenever they find themselves guilty of any of the other sins of professional speaking — someone in the audience pays the price of exclusion.”
More details about Food For Thought #054“How many of the great diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in organizations also protect age and disability? Can we truly talk about DE&I, if our definition doesn’t systematically also factor in disabilities and declining abilities?”
More details about Food For Thought #053“Inclusive speaking and accessible communication principles may be very simple, but they involve a lot of moving parts, which is what makes these topics so challenging for most people.”
More details about Food For Thought #052“Granted, design and aesthetics are subjective, but you must still make sure that your content is accessible, and devoid of stereotypes or elements that make others feel under- or misrepresented.”
More details about Food For Thought #051“Making your content inclusive to everyone means making sure it is not ableist, ageist, misogynistic, racist, skin-tone biased, heteronormative, cisnormative, xenophobic, classist, confusing, unethical, etc. “
More details about Food For Thought #050“Making your content accessible to everyone in the audience should be the bare minimum. Not just for the average audience members, but also for those living on the extremes of the human experience.”
More details about Food For Thought #049“Your assets and materials might pass you own tests, but if your audience struggles to find what they are looking for and complete their tasks, then to them, your content will still essentially be broken.”
More details about Food For Thought #048“It’s amazing what you can discover when you acknowledge audience members who are different from you, don’t look like you, don’t think like you, or have different lived experiences than yours.”
More details about Food For Thought #047“There can be no real gains in terms of diversity, in terms of equity, or in terms of inclusion, unless equivalent efforts are also invested in the realm of disability and access.”
More details about Food For Thought #046“Unequivocal access to information is perhaps one of the key challenges that we will face as a society in the future and we as speaking professionals have an important role to play.”
More details about Food For Thought #045