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Interviews

This section is dedicated to the lived experiences of audience members with disabilities willing to share how speaking professionals sometimes leave them behind. So we can all learn to do better.

Kim Auclair is a French speaking communication coach and entrepreneur, who’s passionate about helping other entrepreneurs finally “get on the map” by sharing their story and their unique expertise with the media and influencers, so that they gain visibility, notoriety and credibility. She also loves to create communication tools to help raise public awareness about deafness, and has a special fondness for pandas.

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Interview with Kim Auclair

Last updated on January 1, 2023
by Denis Boudreau
  • InklusivComm Interviews

Inklusiv Interviews - Helping speaking professionals become truly inclusive. Sunday January 1st, 2023. Kim Auclair.

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 Kim, an audience member who is deaf

So, without further ado, let’s dive right into this week’s interview with Kim Auclair (she/her). Kim is deaf, and comes to us from Quebec, 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?

I am deaf and I’ve been hearing with a cochlear implant since September 17, 2019. I have a single cochlear implant in my right ear. Before that, I had a hearing aid in that ear. My left ear can’t hear. I was born into a hearing family. I don’t speak sign language.

The main challenges for deaf and hard of hearing people are all related to communication. Some people do a lot of lip reading and it’s really difficult it is to hear everything that is being said. Some people also have a knack for quickly guessing what is being said based on context. The lack of subtitles (not always accurate) or interpreters in most online conferences is also a problem I deal with regularly.

For in-person events, my challenge is to capture everything that is said. I still do a lot of lip reading. If I can’t see a speaker’s lips because I’m in the back, that doesn’t help me. Especially if he has no visual support to give an idea of what he is saying. The fact that there can also be a lot of noise in a room requires me to concentrate more. I tend to sit with people I know instead of choosing a seat that would allow me to better understand the speaker. Often, too, I will rely on the conference event hashtags, as it allows me to grasp the essence of what was said, and fill in what I did not understand.

In virtual events such as when using Zoom, what is not obvious is the lighting of people. I can’t see their lips. Multi-person events on Zoom are also difficult to follow. It takes a lot of concentration to really understand what is being said. Until now the subtitle functions offered by Zoom and Team are not yet ready. It’s a shame, because I think it would help me a lot.

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?

During in-person events, I find it difficult to follow a speaker who moves around a lot and has no visual support. Again, it’s very difficult for me to understand what’s being said. During online events, what’s difficult is when multiple people are talking at the same time, and I can’t see people’s mouths because there isn’t good lighting. I also need to have a visual cue before and after to better understand the discussions by spotting certain key words. It helps me focus and concentrate.

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?

Visual aids help a lot during in-person events. I attended a conference where there were subtitles on the screen. It was much appreciated. It allowed me to dedicate less effort on the act of listening and facilitate the understanding of the words being spoken. I like using FM systems too (hearing loops) because it allows you to hear only what the speaker is saying without being distracted by the noises around me.

During online events, I love when there’s an actual human producing live captioning. The results are so much better. I once attended a zoom conference where there was a sign language interpreter and a professional captioner. It was such a great experience!

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?

Commit to offering captions and live transcripts. This is by far what is missing the most. It is useful for everyone, whether for online videos or in-person events.

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.?

Not all deaf people can understand and read sign language. While having sign language interpreters is a great way to support those who are deaf, it cannot be the only accommodation for people who have hearing disabilities. Captions and live transcripts are also incredibly important.

Connect with our guest on social

Interested in knowing more about our guest this week? You can follow Kim 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!

Denis Boudreau

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 ​h​elped leading brands like Netflix, Salesforce, Victoria’s Secret, and many more embed disability inclusion into their ​business strategies, empowering ​t​hem to break down barriers and create deeper, more meaningful connections​ with their target audiences while also meeting legal obligations.

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Every day, millions of employees feel unseen, unheard, and unsupported because leadership fails to recognize and address their diverse needs.

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At Inklusiv Communication, we help leaders move beyond “inclusive-ish” to champion diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) in everything they do. By embedding inclusive leadership into your organization, you can unlock the full potential of your workforce, increase engagement, and drive long-term success.

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“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. Who else, besides speaking professionals, are in a perfect position to do that?”

~ Denis Boudreau, InklusivComm

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