#disabled

I'd like to take this opportunity to publicly thank Matt Campbell (@matt@toot.cafe) for his immense contributions to #accessibility for #blind and #lowVision people over the last two and a half decades. Not to mention all the largely invisible work behind them, and the projects he's had a hand in behind the scenes.

In case you're not aware, a user here on Mastodon recently branded Matt, and I quote, "a known bad actor exploiting disabled folks as props for a pro-slop agenda."

The eagerness with which zealots on this platform jump to dismiss someone's life's work, while savaging their character for not toeing their ideological line, is appalling. It's one of the primary reasons I'm largely taking a break from Mastodon at the moment.

Builders like Matt, on the other hand, are a primary reason I'm still holding onto some hope that #disabled people have a future in a world that increasingly wants to believe we shouldn't exist. People who go beyond merely caring, who define what better looks like and have the skills to bring it to fruition.

So I hope you, too, will share your gratitude with Matt for these examples and so much more:

1. Creating a screen reader that set a new standard for access to computers without one installed.
2. Helping turn Narrator into a serious contender and useful companion.
3. Bringing accessible documents to people around the world, including kids in the classroom.
4. Making remote tech support viable for disabled hobbyists and professionals alike.
5. Offering developers a cross-platform solution for adding accessibility API support to their custom-drawn apps.