Author: Blake Watson

So with this in mind, I began to reach out to people of this marginalized community to get to know them more. And then I had epiphany number 2: These people are brilliant and amazing. Actually that doesn’t encompass it well enough, the are BRILLIANT and AMAZING. Yes, all caps is needed here.

The people I met are super intelligent, creative, patient, passionate and compassionate. They have discovered methods and tools to accomplish many of their goals, which are usually the same as yours and mine. Yet, despite being able to prove the desire and skill to do what drives them for a living, they are denied employment.

That’s the dream: To build a design and development agency comprised primarily of people that have the skills but are denied the opportunity because something allows the government to call them “disabled”, because they are not.

I’ve been thinking of something like this in the dark corners of my mind. But this is the first time I’ve seen it written down. And you know what that means? It’s more likely to happen! Read more about Gregory’s idea.

Jan 27, 2012 9:50 pm by: Blake Watson

Leave a comment →

“Life Rolls On” in review: Two atrophied thumbs up as high as I can muster

Jan 12, 2012 10:39 pm by: Blake Watson

As a person who has SMA, I can attest to the honest and real story of Duane Hale, a man with SMA type 3 who emerged through the glass ceiling and has made the world a better place in the process.

One Comment →

A quick shoutout to my friend Marissa at Abled Is. She is undertaking a fascinating exercise in empathy in 2012 by getting to know a new person each month who has a health condition or worthy cause that needs to be learned about and shared. She’s calling it “12 Months, 12 Journeys, 12 Lessons”. I’m thrilled that she has asked me to be one of the 12 participants in order to share about my condition, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). It’s going to be interesting and fun and I can’t wait to see who all she interviews. Stay tuned.

See the very raw video explaining the idea.

Dec 20, 2011 9:49 pm by: Blake Watson

Leave a comment →

Social novel writing and inclusion

Dec 20, 2011 9:36 pm by: Blake Watson

Thoughts about National Novel Writing Month and how it can be a great inclusive activity for people with disabilities.

One Comment →

Imagine Conference 2011 – Day 1 Keynote

Oct 16, 2011 6:01 pm by: Blake Watson

Communities, parents, teachers, and administration who have higher rates of inclusion do so because they see what is possible for people with disabilities. Had Anne Sullivan not come along and saw what was possible for Helen Keller, what would the world be like today?

Leave a comment →

A rough idea:

A SaaS model that allows users to choose from a range of web features that are not accessible to them. Those preferences are saved on the Service. Web developers can check users’ preferences before programmatically implementing the features in question.

For example, before a jQuery slideshow is implemented, a check is done against the Service to make sure that slideshow transitions are OK for the current user (because it could cause motion sickness for some people). This would probably be done in a PHP function. If there is no conflict, a PHP function is run to implement the slideshow. If there is a conflict, a fallback PHP function could be run.

Graceful degradation.

Oct 11, 2011 3:52 pm by: Blake Watson

Leave a comment →

Media guru and good friend of mine, Dylan McLemore, touches on what makes good products great.

We like the idea of being Macs, not PCs. Computers were boring plastic boxes meant to function as part of an office workspace (it’s called a “desktop” for goodness sake). Macs aren’t just trendy; they embody a creative spirit. From the physical design to the applications they are best at running – Macs were made for artists – and everyone wants to be an artist.

Oct 5, 2011 9:57 pm by: Blake Watson

Leave a comment →

When my disability took away my ability to type on the clunky keyboards of times past, Apple released the thin notebook-style keyboards that allowed me to keep typing. When I was no longer able to type on those keyboards, a wonderful Mac onscreen keyboard app saved me. When I lost the ability to play video games because I wasn’t strong enough to operate a controller, the iPhone’s touch technology brought it back. When I wanted to write a novel and pointing and clicking on an onscreen keyboard was too slow, an iPhone remote app let me type on my Mac using the iPhone’s small touchscreen keyboard.

The technology inspired by Steve Jobs has helped me keep going when my atrophied body was trying to stop me. I applaud his accomplishments and am grateful for his help. So here’s to the crazy one himself.

Oct 5, 2011 7:14 pm by: Blake Watson

3 Comments →

We still have our dreams

Sep 10, 2011 8:25 pm by: Blake Watson

An honest account of one disabled man's hunt for employment and how an unlikely podcast episode taught him a life lesson.

34 Comments →

Being a web designer myself, I was totally psyched to hear the September 1 episode of The Big Web Show. Jeffrey Zeldman and Dan Benjamin talked with Marissa Christina, a web designer looking to learn the ropes and who has a vestibular disorder that causes severe, chronic dizziness. I’m excited for Marissa and her opportunity to reach out to web design icons. The interview was not technical, so whether you’re a web designer or not, it’s worth checking out.

Sep 9, 2011 8:53 pm by: Blake Watson

One Comment →

Since traveling is a bit tough for me, I’d love to be a part of some kind of virtual WordCamp or WordPress meetup. How cool would that be?

Aug 25, 2011 10:53 pm by: Blake Watson

Leave a comment →

I hate conflict

Aug 25, 2011 5:09 pm by: Blake Watson

People are different. People have different worldviews. They operate out of different contexts. I'm not saying you have to be all postmodern and let everyone live in their own reality. You can have disagreement. I would even encourage it! But be friendly about it. Try to be aware of other's contexts as well as your own. Doing so will cut down on some of the unnecessary conflict in the world. And we could all use a little of that.

2 Comments →

The mystical gods of employment find favor in our very own, Matt Watson

Aug 18, 2011 4:27 pm by: Blake Watson

Matt finds gainful employment as a green Spanish lecturer at Mississippi State University. This comes as another victory for which he didn't work in a long line of handouts. It's time to expose Matt for what he really is—a fraud.

5 Comments →

The power is currently out at “I hate stairs” HQ. For Matt and I, power outages mean that our lives come to a grinding halt. Everything I do is on the computer and the Internet. We can’t even go to bed because we require air mattresses to relieve pressure points. Our chairs need to be charged every other night. Out ceiling lift needs to be charged every day. Not to mention Mississippi in the summer is hot an humid. So here’s to hoping the power kicks back on soon.

At least we can play on our phones. :-)

Jul 24, 2011 6:24 pm by: Blake Watson

Leave a comment →

I’m pretty excited about about the new Assistive Touch feature in the upcoming iOS 5. Mac Rumors reports:

The Assistive Touch settings were in place in iOS’s accessibility settings in previous betas, but is only now active. The new features are meant to provide additional interactivity for those who might have trouble using the traditional gestures and buttons on the iPad.

Now I just need one more feature: Bluetooth mouse support. Yes, I know jailbreaking it would get me that feature. No, I wouldn’t risk breaking my device and voiding the warranty.

Jul 13, 2011 3:02 pm by: Blake Watson

One Comment →