Michele Mashburn

Sep 11

2017 ADA Complaint Letter to the City of San Jose

I was going through old papers and found this letter that I wrote in November 2017 to complain about an art exhibit, the Sonic Runways, that imposed accessibility barriers. Sadly, this complaint went mostly unanswered and in 2022, the exhibit was reinstalled with some improvements but also still many problems…

Ada Complaint

3 min read

Sep 5

Your Input is Needed — SCC Office on Disability Affairs

Santa Clara County is pleased to be planning the launch of its Office on Disability Affairs in Fall 2022. …

Santa Clara County

1 min read

Your Input is Needed — SCC Office on Disability Affairs

Aug 3

In Memory of Keith May (1978-2022)

I wrote this statement to be delivered to Keith May’s family at the San José Peace and Justice Center on August 3, 2022. For Keith’s obituary and information about his life, see the Spangler Mortuary website. I am not sure when I first met Keith at the San Jose Peace…

In Memorium

3 min read

Jul 11

Harm…

Capitalism and its toxic structures harm EVERYONE! Division serves only the ownership class. Who do you serve when pointing at someone else’s mistakes and flaws? Please stop the division and agree to disagree on elements of strategy and seek discourse on elements of opinion. When we disagree with strategy and/or…

Transformative Justice

2 min read

Jul 11

Listening Sessions for the Office of Disability Affairs — Rescheduled dates

These sessions were previously scheduled but due to the limited outreach period, it was decided to postpone the earlier dates. Now the sessions will be on August 2 (English), 3 (Spanish), and 4 (Vietnamese), 7–8 pm. See below for more details. Please join World Institute on Disability and Santa Clara…

Disability

3 min read

Jul 8

Disabled during COVID-19

I wrote this at a time that I was feeling less confident overall. The world continues to try to find ways to “save the economy” during COVID-19. Many states are reaching hospital capacity with some states setting eugenic-like practices based on perceived value to prioritize care for those “most likely”…

Human Needs

1 min read

Jul 1

Office of Disability Affairs Listening Session July 2022 — Postponed

These sessions are postponed. Please see https://michelemashburn.medium.com/listening-sessions-for-the-office-of-disability-affairs-rescheduled-dates-2b66b46012b7 for the new days and times in August. Please join World Institute on Disability and Santa Clara County for another listening session to help steer the creation of an office of disability affairs. This is close everyone! …

Disability

3 min read

Jun 12

GoFundMe Gone

I have shifted my GoFundMe (link embedded) fundraiser to GiveButter (direct link embedded) because fees stink! I need extra support until I can get a full-time job that will support me adequately. I am looking toward October 2022 to have a full-time job. So I will post regular monthly updates…

Mutual Aid

2 min read

Jun 4

A Barrier Wednesday June 1, 2022

As a disabled person who uses a power wheelchair, it is more common to encounter barriers than days without any. So I am not surprised when I encounter 1 or 2 in my day-to-day activities. On Wednesday, I was surprised by the number of barriers I encountered. …

Disability

6 min read

Jun 4

Accessibility best practices for screenreader testing

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Sheri Byrne-Haber, CPACC

Do you have work arounds for low vision and blind users to have access to your stories and articles…

Do you have work arounds for low vision and blind users to have access to your stories and articles on Medium? Community members have told me they cannot easily access this site due to the frame used that doesn't let all screen readers function correctly. Thanks!

1 min read