News from SeekLine
France made me a Knight, and I made France a promise. I may have a guide dog instead of a horse and a keyboard instead of a sword, but I pledge to champion Braille across the globe. Critics argue Braille doesn’t belong in our modern world, so in my acceptance speech I connect the dots. France’s celebration of Braille gives me hope that others will do the same. Join me in calling on every community…
How do you teach hearing people about audism in a way that invites conversation rather than defensiveness? One strategy is humor, and Rachel Zemach does this beautifully in her memoir The Butterfly Cage. She shows the hilarious encounters she faced navigating a school system as a Deaf teacher, and she also shows how these systems can improve. But it’s her students, overjoyed to learn ASL and build…
How do you hide a secret message in public? First, create enormous dots. Second, place them on the roof of the Oslo Opera House in Norway. Third, repeatedly insist it’s absolutely not Braille. The secret’s out. I climbed that roof and read the writing on the wall. Artistic Braille can be tricky to read, but connecting the dots at the Oslo Opera House was unusually easy because of their shape,…
A marvelous new book is called It Wasn’t Meant to Be Perfect . Musician Gaelynn Lea shows readers how #AccessIsLove again and again. Her family, teachers, friends, colleagues, and fans demonstrate the actions we can take, in small and big ways, to remove barriers. Her captivating stories serve as ramps for communities rolling toward a better society. If you prefer listening: she narrated the…
Semere Kidane is a food preservation innovator based in Ethiopia. He is also my uncle, and I'm honored to share his interview from Sheger FM 102.1, one of the top radio programs in Addis Ababa. He describes how the country has talented farmers, but without cold storage, dehydration, and reliable food logistics, food waste will continue to be a problem. He points to a scalable opportunity for…
The French Ministry of Culture has appointed me a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters. I feel grateful and mindful of the responsibility this honor carries. I am only the second Deafblind person, after Helen Keller, and the first Deafblind Californian to receive this distinction. If only Helen were here to guide me. She could read and write French; I’m still working on that. France bestows…
Iconic paintings and photographs become touchable sculptures through the work of artist Gabrielle Sauvillers . Blind people should have access to art, no matter how complex or controversial. We met in France during the Braille Bicentennial, and she created the dioramas featured in this video. Tactile art helps me learn about the visual world more effectively than written descriptions. Let’s create…
Would you like access to a website six months later than everyone else? How about three months later? California’s AB-2190 Internet website accessibility bill would reduce consequences for businesses with inaccessible websites if they fix barriers after a delay. Exactly how many days late is still up for debate. Accepting delayed access means accepting a world where disabled people remain…
The new California accessibility bill reduces consequences for businesses with inaccessible websites. AB2190 reminds us not to judge a bill by its title. Read Deafblind advocate Mussie Gebre’s review.
Get to know the Deaf leaders featured at Apple’s 50th anniversary celebration and follow their work: Troy Kotsur is an acclaimed artist and the first Deaf man to win an acting Oscar. Celimar Rivera Cosme helped bring Puerto Rican Sign Language to Bad Bunny’s shows and made history on the Super Bowl stage as a Deaf interpreter. Julian Ortiz also performed at this year’s Super Bowl and is known for…