5 Things / improving access
As I write this on Friday the 3rd, it's International Day of People with Disabilities (IDPWD) and this year's theme is "Fighting for rights in the post-COVID era.”
In the past few months, I've shared some inspiring ways organizations have created more accessible products and experiences. Like the accessible open-source lotion lid from Olay. And Mastercard's new Touch Card. And AMC's closed captioned film screenings.
5 Things / an inclusive future
This week is Transgender Awareness Week and today is Transgender Day of Remembrance, which honors the lives lost to violence. I'm a better human for having great transgender friends and team members in my life. Not because they're trans, but because they're just wonderful people beyond that tiny detail of their identity.
5 Things / Nextdoor nudges
This week I learned that the Nextdoor app added nudges to the user experience to reduce racial profiling and online bullying. The app prompts users who appear to be reporting a crime to consider whether what they're seeing is really a crime (walking in a neighborhood isn't, for example) and to not rely on racial description in their reports. Nextdoor encourages users to provide more unique and complete details, such as clothing, tattoos, and facial hair.
5 Things in 15 Minutes / making it right with Erma BreAnn Standley
Bernadette and Erma recap last week's 5 Things, highlighting the recent controversy and potential redemption of Activision Blizzard. Also featured are acts of inclusive diversity such as Mayo Clinic's introduction of disposable hijabs for Muslim patients that wear them!
5 Things / making it right
This week I was inspired to learn about the specific ways video game company Activision Blizzard is turning itself around after its "bro" culture led to sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuits. After a two-year investigation that culminated in a lawsuit this July, the company is making it right, in a systemic, but also authentic, way. It takes a lot of courage to admit mistakes, but when leaders do that, it can become a catalyst for a more psychologically safe work environment and a significant change in culture.