Interview with Patrick Sturdivant
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 Patrick, an audience member who is blind
So, without further ado, let’s dive right into this week’s interview with Patrick Sturdivant (he/him). Patrick is blind and comes to us from Texas, USA.
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?
My name is Patrick, and I am blind (no light perception). I live in a world of listening with no visuals unless you describe them. I won’t be able to see your slides or other materials you may hand out during the presentation. Logistics in new and unfamiliar physical environments may pose a challenge to me.
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?
Some of the worst things presenters can do to affect my experience attending their session includes presuming that I can see their slide deck, visuals or demonstrations, or using words such as “here”, “this”, or “that”. Other things include, but are not limited to, playing a video as a part of their presentation that is not described (with music only), not be prepared for a participant who is blind, conducting activities that I can’t participate in without prior preparation, and speaking with an accent that is difficult to understand or comprehend.
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?
Consequently, I’d say that describing visuals to include photos or graphics/charts that they are using for their presentation and asking at the beginning of their presentation if anyone needs an accommodation can go a long way towards making me feel welcome. Also, providing accessible copies of their materials to me in advance so I can review, asking for help when you don’t know how to accommodate a person with a disability, and being open to new ideas on how to get your message across to someone with a disability can be game changers in terms of creating a positive outcome to someone like me.
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?
I would say make sure to use accessibility checkers on your digital content to ensure it is usable by the widest audience and make materials available in advance of the presentation to the participants. At different points during the presentation, ask whether everyone is able to understand the materials and content. As feedback comes up, be open to suggestions on how you could adjust the presentation to include more perspectives.
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.?
Don’t be afraid to learn a little bit about the challenges each major disability community faces and work to ensure you are inclusive of those audience members, even if you aren’t aware they will be in attendance. Chances are, some of them will be, every single time.
Connect with our guest on social
Interested in knowing more about our guest this week? You can follow Patrick on LinkedIn.
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, and speaker specializing in digital accessibility and disability inclusion. He works with organizational leaders who want to equip their teams with the skills to create accessible websites and digital products – so no one is left behind. A Certified Professional in Web Accessibility (CPWA), Denis has trained thousands of web professionals over the past 20+ years and delivered hundreds of workshops in both English and French. He has helped leading brands like Netflix, Salesforce, and Victoria’s Secret embed accessibility into their digital strategies, empowering them to meet legal obligations, improve user experience, and connect with more people, more effectively.