Interview with Alicia Jarvis, CPACC, CSM
Every week, we meet with audience members with disabilities who are willing to come forward and share a little bit about their own personal journey and experiences, attending live, in-person, or virtual speaking or training events. Through their unique and generous perspectives, speakers, trainers, facilitators, and other communication professionals can hopefully learn about some of the things that they do well, but also (and maybe more importantly) about some of the things they could improve to provide an experience that is truly inclusive of everyone.
Meet Alicia, an audience member who was born with TAR Syndrome
So without further ado, let’s dive right into this week’s interview with Alicia Jarvis (she/her). Alicia was born with TAR Syndrome, and comes to us from Ontario, Canada.
Introductions
QUESTION 01 Can you tell us a bit about yourself, and how your disability might impact your experience, as someone who attends live in-person and virtual events?
Sure. I’m a Senior Product Manager at Bell working on the Accessibility portfolio. If you ask me what that means, I would say I’m a diversity, equity, and inclusion strategist, researcher, and culture consultant, who is driven by a deep curiosity about the interactions between humans and technology. I study behaviour and trends to help teams deliver innovative products and services that create delight.
I was born with TAR Syndrome, which is characterized by low levels of platelets in the blood (thrombocytopenia) and absence of the long, thin bones of the forearms (radii). My disability generally does not impact my access to events. I use a standard keyboard and mouse to navigate virtual events. For in-person events, I do have a few extra considerations to think about, like remembering to pack my dressing stick, eating foods that are higher in iron, and getting a good night’s sleep the night before.
Things that ruin the experience
QUESTION 02 Thinking back on some of your experiences attending in-person or virtual events, what are some of the worst things speakers, trainers, and other communication experts can do to ruin your experience as an attendee?
Relying too much on visuals and not having clear and concise key points or objectives.
Things that make a positive impact
QUESTION 03 Can you share some of the great things speakers, trainers, and other communication experts sometimes do that make a positive impact on your ability to fully enjoy your in-person or virtual event experiences?
Telling a really compelling story that clearly articulates the key messages.
Sharing a piece of advice
QUESTION 04 If you had one piece of advice to give speakers, trainers, and other communication experts, so their content became more inclusive of people who have disabilities, what would it be?
Understand that your audience may have a variety of different communication and learning styles; so, be flexible in your delivery, and remember that you are not your audience.
Wrapping up
QUESTION 05 Thank you for sharing some of your insights with us today. As we wrap up our conversation, is there anything that you’d like to add, such as another thought, another piece of advice, another perspective, etc.?
A few things come to mind:
- Don’t assume what people can and cannot do. We may surprise you!
- Be open to different perspectives and different lived experience; and….
- Learning new skills and developing your craft is a fundamental part of being an effective leader; so, don’t ever stop learning.
Connect with our guest on social
Interested in knowing more about our guest this week? You can follow Alicia on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Would you like to be featured as one of our next guests?
Are you a person with a disability who’d like to share their experience attending live, in-person or virtual events, in order to help speaking professionals learn from their mistakes, and become more inclusive in the delivery of their content? If so, fill out our interview questionnaire, and we’ll work together to feature your experience and perspective in the near future!
About Denis Boudreau
Denis Boudreau is a consultant, trainer, coach, and speaker specializing in inclusive leadership and inclusive communication. He works with leaders and executives who are no longer willing to overlook disability inclusion and want to transform their leadership approach from “inclusive-ish” to truly inclusive by championing accessibility. A Certified Professional in Web Accessibility (CPWA), Denis has trained thousands of professionals over the past two decades and has delivered hundreds of workshops worldwide in both English and French. He has helped leading brands like Netflix, Salesforce, Victoria’s Secret, and many more embed disability inclusion into their business strategies, empowering them to break down barriers and create deeper, more meaningful connections with their target audiences while also meeting legal obligations.