Fostering Inclusivity for Neurodivergent Community Members and Colleagues
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There are many different categories of diversity and, as community practitioners, continuously learning about them and questioning our assumptions will only help us build more inclusive communities. In this episode of Community Signal, we\\u2019re joined by\\xa0Wesley Faulkner, a DevRel advocate at\\xa0Daily, who also advocates for neurodiversity.
Wesley and Patrick discuss several ways in which we can build for inclusivity within our products, communities, and teams, all through the lens of specific real-world situations. For example, if we approached writing job descriptions with inclusivity,\\xa0would terms like \\u201crock star\\u201d and \\u201cextrovert\\u201d still make their way into job descriptions? How can career tracks that account for the different skills and ambitions of the community managers on our teams create more inclusive games, communities, and more? As Wesley says in this conversation, \\u201cconstraints makes things better. Some people think that if you do accessibility, that you\\u2019re restricting the creativity of the medium, but \\u2026 when you make [things accessible from] the beginning, it actually can make things better for everyone.\\u201d
Take the example that Wesley shares about sidewalks. When sidewalks were redesigned to include ramps for people that use wheelchairs, this also made it \\u201ceasier for people who are running and jogging on the sidewalk, people who had strollers, [and] for little kids so they would trip less.\\u201d How can designing your community with inclusion in mind aid your community members and colleagues?\\xa0\\xa0
Patrick and Wesley discuss:
- Designing for neurodiverse communities
- Coaching your community members to be positive contributors
- Managing community managers with different skills and ambitions
Our Podcast is Made Possible By\\u2026
If you enjoy our show, please know that it\\u2019s only possible with the generous support of our sponsors:\\xa0Vanilla, a one-stop shop for online community and\\xa0Localist, plan, promote, and measure events for your community.
Big Quotes
Designing your community with accessibility for neurodivergent members in mind (08:27):\\xa0\\u201cIn terms of tools [to accommodate neurodivergent people], one easy trick I learned is that if you can navigate the community just with your keyboard, you\\u2019re hitting a good 80% to 90% of \\u2026 use cases in terms of accessibility.\\u201d \\u2013@wesley83
Accessible communities make for more inclusive communities (12:16): \\u201cConstraints make things better. Some people think that if you do accessibility, that you\\u2019re restricting the creativity of the medium, but constraints actually can make things so much more elegant. When you make [things accessible from] the beginning, it actually can make things better for everyone.\\u201d \\u2013@wesley83
Make the implicit of your community explicit (21:09):\\xa0\\u201cIs this person helping the community or hurting the community? If they\\u2019re hurting the community, can you define what it is that they are doing that hurts the community? [Is it] written into the community guidelines?\\u201d \\u2013@wesley83
Codifying what it means to be a positive community contributor (24:02):\\xa0\\u201cModeration is education. You\\u2019re telling people how to be the best member they can be in the community. If you\\u2019re going to do that, then you have to codify what that is.\\u201d \\u2013@patrickokeefe
About Wesley Faulkner
Wesley Faulkner\\xa0is a developer advocate for\\xa0Daily, a 1-click video chat API. He\\u2019s previously spent time in developer advocacy or community at IBM, Atlassian, and LiveWorld. Wesley is also the co-host of the\\xa0Community Pulse podcast, and an advocate for neurodiversity.
Related Links
- Sponsor:\\xa0Vanilla, a one-stop-shop for online community
- Sponsor:\\xa0Localist, plan, promote, and measure events for your community
- Wesley Faulkner on Twitter
- Daily
- Community Pulse podcast
- Wesley on his journey through DevRel
- Neurodiversity as defined by Merriam-Webster
- Cyberpunk 2077 sequences may cause seizures\\xa0(via Polygon)
- Americans with Disabilities Act
- Cindy Au\\u2019s tweets\\xa0about one stereotype and unfortunate job requirement in the community industry
- The Other Diversity: Neurodiversity\\xa0(via Maggie McGary)
- Wesley recommends\\xa0Bren\\xe9 Brown\\xa0and\\xa0the Different Minds podcast
- Special thanks to\\xa0Carrie Melissa Jones\\xa0and\\xa0Maggie McGary\\xa0for their input on this episode
Transcript
Your Thoughts
If you have any thoughts on this episode that you\\u2019d like to share, please leave me a comment,\\xa0send me an email\\xa0or a\\xa0tweet. If you enjoy the show, we would be so grateful if you spread the word and supported\\xa0Community Signal on Patreon.
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