A talk on inclusive and accessible Moderation with Sharon Maple

This is the transcript of a German language podcast. I smoothed it out a bit, but kept the oral character. All errors and inaccuracies are the fault of me and the transcription software.

I'm speaking with Sharon Maple, who specializes in inclusive and accessible moderation.

Domingos: So welcome to a new podcast on digital accessibility. Today we want to talk about the topic of accessible moderation and online events. With Sharon Maple, thank you for being there.

Sharon: You're welcome.

Sharon's background

Domingos: Before we get into the topic of accessible events and moderation, we would of course like to know a little about you. So what have you done so far and how did you get into the subject of moderation?

Sharon: Well, I originally come from youth association work, I've been very involved in various youth associations, be it the Young Press Berlin, Youth Press Germany, but I've also been with the German Red Cross for 10 years now, so I work for others , I've always really, really enjoyed doing that and then realized over the course of the events that I also really, really like moderating. Moderation can mean a lot of things, on the one hand it can be event moderation on the big stage, but it can also be accompanying processes and working on something together within small teams, which also requires moderation. And then I fell into it like that. So then I was asked at such a big football event. Hey Sharon, don't you want to announce the games and then it started and I realized that I was really enjoying it. And. Yes, when you have that kind of enthusiasm, it's contagious and it was well received and that's how I got into the moderation scene and now yes, I think I started doing it as a part-time job in 2017 and have now been full-time self-employed for two years accessible moderation with a focus on accessibility.

Sharon's journey to inclusion and accessibility

Domingos: Yes, thank you very much, very exciting. How did you specifically come to the topic of accessibility, did people approach you with it, or did you have a key experience?

Sharon: There wasn't one key experience. I think it's like a puzzle that continues to be put together. At that time, as a babysitter, I accompanied a neighbor's child with trisomy 21 with brittle bones very, very early on and discovered it relatively early on. Yes, what influences that has on the child in this case. And also noticed when we were on the playground. How do other children deal with this? For a while, when I was working, there was a special department at one company, it was a furniture store. Where furniture was set up in workshops by people with disabilities, and during lunch breaks they sat separately, even though it was a large room for everyone, and I always wondered, why is that? And of course I sat down with them, made contacts and yes, I don't know, I just don't understand why inclusion is still not practiced in our society, but the whole thing. Yes, in these groups.

I've wanted to learn German sign language for many, many years, but finally had the chance to do so because the whole thing was offered online during the pandemic. I loved it, I loved finally being able to look into the Dev Community, I was warmly welcomed, even if I was only able to communicate with it very slowly, perhaps using the first signs. But what a beautiful community and then I continued to notice. Hm, the communities also like to be, or what do you mean like, but they are often among themselves. This means when a community has a certain disability, impairment or chronic illness.

Then I realized that they might know about their own disability and pay attention to it and fight for it if necessary. But when it comes to other disabilities, for example, there is sometimes a lack of knowledge or yes, then no attention is paid to it and I am that kind of person, diversity and the needs of all people are important to me.

And then I just started. Yes, building bridges like that and I said to myself, Hey, it's important to me. Hey, for you as a community, for example in the Dev Community, i.e. deaf people, deaf people, it is important that there are subtitles. But equally on social media, it may not be so important for you that you need alternative text image descriptions, but it is important for people with visual impairments and blindness. And so I slipped further and further into it, got to know many, many people who told me their stories on social media, especially on Instagram, about everything they experience in everyday life and yes, that's how it is The hashtag accessible also came about, where we as a community post things, classics, accessible toilets that are used as storage rooms and all the other things. And I'm passionate about it.

I myself am also affected to a certain extent, me. I didn't apply for an official degree of disability because, to be honest, at some point I didn't want to deal with this struggle and all the doctor's offices and so on and so forth. But I know it very, very well when you are excluded, cannot participate in society, encounter barriers and also the lack of understanding from other people. And that's why, on the one hand, I'm out and about for other groups of people and, at the same time, it's nice to find like-minded people who know what it's like in some situations.

Sharon's offer

Domingos: Yes, thank you very much for this insight. I think you've expanded your range of services recently. We had just talked before the conversation about the fact that you are also relaunching your website. What service do you offer now?

Sharon: So I say that I offer accessible moderation and advice. Now the question arises, yes, what is accessible moderation? I myself come from the event industry and for me it is the be-all and end-all that an event is as accessible as possible from start to finish. And that means that, on the one hand, I am a moderator and it is important for me to know who the target group is and who is there, what are the different needs that I can respond to, because only if I know this as best as I can in advance, I can address that.

It starts with energizers, i.e. participation opportunities and it hurts my heart that I keep seeing that at events there is a person in a wheelchair and then the moderator, says EY, and now everyone jumps up and then they The person in the middle of group A can no longer see anything because the people here have all stood up and b can't join in, or feedback methods that are only geared towards sighted people, the classic "as can be seen on the presentation slides", "Hello, I can't see the presentation slides. If you had sent them digitally beforehand, I could take part now too." All these classics that come on stage for me or the classic. Unfortunately, A is not a ramp b. Lectern not height adjustable, all these classics, and for me that is accessible moderation, that people can also register and that a query is made in advance.

And all of this flows into my work, that is, for me it is accessible moderation: real participation in exchange at eye level and that everyone's needs are taken into account.

And I have different packages, depending on what additional work is being delivered, and I also provide advice.

I completed barrier scout training with the Social Heroes (Sozialhelden, a German fundation), which means I also do on-site inspections, which also makes sense to see if the location is accessible at all, it says accessible on it, but it isn't.

And at the same time I also offer accessible visualization, where one would say, Sharon, what do you mean by that? I myself have given fancy flipcharts workshops for many years and I also think it's really important to say hey. Visualization can also be just as important for people with visual impairments and blindness, for example. And just because you're thinking, Hey. People can't see or can see less or limited field of vision or, or. We don't need to think about visualization, I say, no, stop, we can work with mush, we can work with tactile elements, with every visualization graphic recording there is a QR code, there is an audio description, there are many possibilities, too to make the visualization accessible to everyone and that is what I also offer, that I also create material for participation methods exclusively for the event. This means that there can be feedback options

where coordination is possible. For sighted people as well as people with visual impairments, for example. By simply thinking about different things. And I have also designed a tactile timeline. It was about building the wall and then I actually designed the wall out of plasticine, so there are many, many possibilities.

and that's what I offer, accessible moderation and advice. With various options from visualization to participation methods that are accessible, as well as individual solutions for needs. So if we notice during the inspection, hey, the rooms are not completely accessible, what can we do? Are there possibilities? For example, I also have door signs that are provided with Braille, at the same time, but also large and also with large black numbers that are tactilely so, so slightly raised. So there are also options for route guidance systems that you can stick on and so on and immediately. Exactly the colorful bouquet of flowers. Everything about accessible events and advice.

And what I also offer are in-house training and workshops. Exactly. So, the knowledge about accessible social media means that I am especially invited to organizations and companies. So that they can get started if they don't know that much yet and very importantly, it's important in our community anyway, not to talk to people about people, so depending on the situation, I also invite people from my community with me This means that we talk about things together, that's very important to me.

Domingos: A follow-up question. The topic of networking is also very important at events, but this is relatively difficult, especially for blind people because they cannot make eye contact. Have you already developed any ideas on how to approach something like this?

Sharon: Hm. Ah, that's so exciting because I was a guest at an event recently and it was super loud. The room was very small and the people didn't know each other and I noticed that in this case I was once a participant, so somehow I was missing a method. And what I think is really nice, depending on what the topic of the event is and if there are groups, for example, standing tables or seating areas. Bring questions with you and what works very, very well is the whole thing with the QR code. It must be known beforehand and it must also be known where this QR code is. For example, I work with signs that have different shapes and then you can use them, then you also know where you can scan, the question where is the QR code and then with questions and then you sit there at this group of tables, so that People are distributed there, you can do this with name tags or direct the person there directly, depending on the situation, and then ask questions directly. And so a conversation takes place and you don't feel so lonely yourself. So I don't know anyone here, just directly. Well, I think that's part of a good event: you accompany people there and don't leave them alone from the start, in the truest sense of the word.

Accessible moderation and events

Domingos: a question I always ask event managers online or in person?

Sharon: Well, I learned to love online very, very, very much during the pandemic. I now have my own studio here with all sorts of things. I now have 3 screens here and cameras and lighting, because there are so many options for me as a presenter it is important that the whole thing is digitally accessible. And especially if you want to use tools that are of course accessible to everyone, there are classics where there are some energizing methods or word clouds that then grow so quickly, but are not accessible, but that can also be transferred to the face-to-face event.

I just noticed when the pandemic started that for me or rather, when it went into the hybrid area quite often, that is, that presence was combined with online, that it also offers total access opportunities. Well, I had a participant who took part from a hospital bed. We had an extra screen and set up the microphone so that he could be heard well in both directions. And he also reflected again, Hey Sharon, that's great, I can't leave here right now, but I can take part in this event and I think that's really great and that's something that's very present to me. It's that people, like me for example, have a really bad immune system and many don't wear a mask anymore. I continue to wear my mask, I'm usually sick all the time, so I really take everything with me and these online events, there's no question where I have to pay attention in any way, what does it look like, mask or not, are people tested and that's why I think I digital has a lot of advantages if the whole thing is well designed to be accessible, which is possible.

Domingos: Yes, definitely one thing that is forgotten is that there are also financial challenges. I don't know if you're driving from Bonn to Berlin, for example, then you'll probably need an overnight stay and definitely a train ride, and that's one, that's not one digital barrier, but that is definitely a barrier.

Sharon: Totally. And I was in a hotel the other day and what was the first thing I did? Of course, I first checked the accessible toilet and imagine they locked it, then I asked why, why is it locked? Well, because external people don't come in here, I think yes, but then I assume that the toilet is also closed and then I did some educational work and discovered for myself that the hotel scene probably has a full need , because there is also a need for #bye accessible everywhere, if the rooms are anything but accessible or the alarm is acoustic and if a person is deaf and does not hear the fire alarm or the other way around, if it is only visible is and not with sound one in both directions. or? Then the classic thing is that the elevators at train stations are broken. That's why I think hybrid should continue to be available, because of course I also understand that there are people who say, hey, I somehow don't feel comfortable online, I think it's nicer with people I can see live, touch, whose Maybe you can feel energy in a completely different way and at the same time there is also this leave no one behind, leave no one behind.

So many people were happy, EY, I finally have access to further training, to events and now everyone says, yes, we'll be present again and people will be left out again. That can't be it, so. Hybrid.

Domingos: Yes, I see it the same way. Let's talk about the specific topic: how can I make events, whether digitally present or hybrid, as accessible as possible? Let's say the ideal situation is that I have enough resources to implement this perfectly.

Sharon: Yes, I think the whole thing starts with communication, communication with the target group, with the participants, because I have often experienced that the highest of feelings, perhaps that there is a query Interpreting required. and then I come so what ah what kind of interpreting and the big note interpreting into German out loud and German sign language, because if people could speak German sign language, then the translation would only have to be in one direction or not at all. So the fact that this is often simply ignored is one thing.

And on the other hand, who are the organizers to ask me what kind of disability, impairment or chronic illness I have, especially when it comes to the business context, I don't want every ministry to know what is in my medical file? and many organizers don't yet understand this.

It's easy to specifically ask, Hey, what do you need or what do you need to be able to participate well in the event. And that can be so many things, even if there is no disability, there are things that are important. It's important to be able to take part, to be involved. And if there were hints, for example with Hey, for me the theme is red-green and when you start the event with these red and green moderation cards. They look the same to me. I don't see any difference. Look and all these things and. I'm currently in the process of finding a solution with a colleague who also works in the area of digital accessibility so that we can simplify this with specific questions afterwards. Yes, to find out what the needs are and that people feel addressed and respond and don't just skip over it themselves. I can speak about myself. It's uncomfortable for me sometimes, I don't want to be the one who is extra in quotation marks, the one in quotation marks maybe Princess and the Pea, I'll say that now, it sometimes feels like that for me to have to take up this space, I just want to too only in quotation marks can sometimes be a participant.

But if there was a way to communicate things and needs anonymously and then pay attention to them, that would be great. Well, that's where it starts for me, but. First a query, because that is often missing. So what, what do the participants need? That's one thing, so that, and that costs first of all, the query costs nothing.

Then, when we plan an event, let's say it's a face-to-face event, then it's also about the premises and we simply can't rely on the fact that if a website says that we are, accessible, that the whole thing is also accessible. So we talked earlier about the toilets, which are often storage rooms, the emergency cord if a person fell, which was then simply tied up and so on and immediately. But the whole thing can also be done with a ramp. Leads up to the stage with a signage system and, and, and. That means there too. Either train yourself to know what is important when it comes to accessibility or hire someone to take a look at the whole thing again and see for yourself. That would be my claim if we transferred the whole thing to digital accessibility. Could come now. Well, we don't have any premises there, ha, we don't have to do anything about it. Attention, we may also have a platform on which we move. There is this event platform where you can perhaps change rooms independently, the whole thing is also digitally accessible, is the whole thing accessible, is the whole thing accessible with screen readers and assistive technologies? But also what I still see often. I don't understand it, white writing on a yellow background, missing contrasts or the missing alternative texts, the image description I, I don't understand it or videos that don't have subtitles.

So everyone can register for the event and in brackets. This also applies to social media and advertising for it. Then I think, well, we're not affected, we don't have any people with disabilities in our target group. So I don't need to tell you this, nor do I need to tell one or many people who are listening today, but I think it's important to draw attention to it again. Accessibility concerns us all and we all benefit from it and that also means that we naturally want to think along all the time and also when it comes to social media. Well, then I need or the advertising, depending on how it is placed. Then I don't have to be surprised that certain groups of people don't register or if they know, well, if I register, they won't respond to my needs anyway, which is also common, and then the feedback will come. yes, so thank you for expressing your need or need, or then expressions come. Unfortunately we cannot respond to this as feedback. Well, once I've had that experience with an event, I don't know whether I'd want to register for it every time, that's just energy, but that's the start of the whole thing.

And during the event I had already mentioned earlier that when it comes to people arriving, everyone wants to be welcomed. And how does this greeting take place, in what ways are there any methods, is there any material?

And if I know, Hey, we have people with a visual impairment or blindness, I of course have to know in advance that visual impairment is not the same as another visual kind of impairment, blindness is not the same as another Kind o blindness, which means that I won't make the mistake . Well, then we need Braille. Yes, the person doesn't work with Braille at all, or if we just make the font size large and pay attention to contrast, then the whole thing would be accessible to everyone.

So that's why I have to know the needs of the group in advance and can then use the flyers, for example, which I have thought of as a method, on every seat, if the whole thing is tactile or depending on or. Participation methods in the form of movements. Exactly all of these things. I have to know who is coming that day and it is very important for me as a presenter too. Always ask at the event itself. Hey, you're good at it. If you have the feeling that you are well involved, the whole thing is easily accessible to you. When I do small workshops, I also have red cards that you can show up, which are also cut out with Braille and also with wavy scissors on the side so that you can feel it, especially when it's a flat card on the table, then where is it now? So feel free to show me the symbolic red card. Then I know, OK, I have to pay attention to that. If I lose people during the event. Yes, then, then the whole thing is no longer on an equal footing. Topic: simple language No, if I start throwing technical terms around all the time and half of the group doesn't even know what that means, then I'll lose the group and it's always really important to me to pick everyone up and get everyone on an equal footing Take it from start to finish exactly, but you realize there are so many adjustment screws, I wouldn't bombard them all that much, but there are a lot of things that need to be taken into account and things that don't necessarily cost more money if you deal with them simply explains it and has an open ear for it in quotation marks.

Domingos: Are there any good guides that you would recommend?

Sharon: Difficult. I even think that I once read that in your book that you said, no, it's not that easy to impose this on everyone, because it depends on the location, depending on the organization The type of event is just totally. Is social media really accessible? There are just a few tips and tricks that are generally applicable, such as image descriptions, subtitles, how hashtags are designed, and the use of emojis at events. I would advise against simply working through a checklist like that, although I really enjoy working with checklists myself, but. In combination one. So I have a checklist or when I do an inspection, I have a checklist but individually that I can readjust and check, that's why I don't have any that I can say here people, because the risk for me is too It would be great that people would also have this label if an inspection had taken place, so the risk would then be very high. We had an inspection, now we are accessible, I am very, very careful.

Domingos: We often have the situation where we have, let me say, financially well-equipped federal ministries and so on. But what if I'm a small event organizer and I don't want to do a local event and maybe I can't afford sign language interpretation or easy language interpretation, do I have options to make it as accessible as possible?

Sharon: Hm. So to book interpreters for German speakers and German sign language, which I also experience a lot because, as I said, I also come from youth association work, where there is often a lack of financial resources to provide funding. So I can get financial support, there is such a big company there, but this is also highly controversial. They continue to make such funding possible, which is great.

On the other hand, I also notice myself, for example for my service, which involves accessible moderation, accessible advice, that there is often actually a lack of budget and since I have previously worked as a project representative myself, I know this very well , especially when the whole thing is funded by ministries, for example, and that all of these applications have to be drawn up early on and the people who then create this application and especially this financial plan, all of this is already predetermined with all the pots of money, then forget that it is There is something like accessibility, and that would be the approach. Hopefully it will reach the organizations as quickly as possible and that the budget must also be planned there.

And my great hope through the legal changes. The fact that this pot will just pop up at some point is perhaps on the one hand a wishful thinking, on the other hand. Well, if there are laws and obligations, especially if you are supported by ministries and perhaps also if the whole thing is controlled and organizations are also approached about it. He, you are obliged to implement the whole thing in a accessible manner, so that this pot of money then pops up and the budget for it is also integrated, of course, even if, as I said, it is a small company that may not be supported by the ministry. It's not always easy and at the same time I can continue to educate myself on accessibility issues. I can, there is so much literature, there is such great literature, also from people who are affected, who simply tell about their stories, about their experiences in everyday life, which explain what ableism is. And if I understand that. Of course a book costs money, but you can also borrow it. And if I simply deal with it actively, follow people on social media who also put out a lot of free content, who give a lot of free advice and also tell and point out things, if I do that and build up my own knowledge about inclusion and accessibility, Then of course I can convert and use it in a completely different way. So in this case, I would say, something that requires relatively few financial resources but of course time, that's very clear. Exactly, but on the other side. In our society. I mean, it's not connected to any resources, be it financial or time, no, that's the case everywhere.

Sharon's Channels

Domingos: Yes, definitely. Yes, thank you very much for this insight. The last question for you is where is the best place to follow other than LinkedIn.

Sharon: Yes, I'm totally the Instagram girl. I'm in the generation that got stuck on Instagram and has an account called Creative, so creative in English written CREATIVE Sharon. So I'm spelled Sharon, English name in German-speaking countries and there. Yes, I post about accessibility. I created the hashtag Bye accessible, where I always say when I'm out and about that I wear my accessible glasses 24/7 and everywhere I go, no lie, I look in toilets every time, I do it everywhere Photos and point them out to people, whatever. When I'm at a restaurant or, like now, a guest at the event. I can't help it and I share it with my community and then exchange ideas. So I use Instagram very actively. Otherwise, will my website be online in the coming days? That was important to me, it wasn't digitally accessible before and that's the case now, hallelujah, that's already been tested and said EY is great and with the buttons for social media it also says directly where it leads and that's not the case , that's all right with me. Important and I'm still on Facebook, but more like that. Well, I still post every now and then, but otherwise I'm always happy to exchange ideas, be it on LinkedIn or on Instagram. Or my contact details are also linked on the website, feel free to contact me, I'm always really happy to exchange ideas and I also think it's nice to just hear different stories, get different insights and simply that the community keeps growing. I think it's nice, is totally the added value. So far it's always going down a bit, but. People share so many, many things with me and that is so valuable. And I hope that one day I can bring it out there even more. So I'm also planning on YouTube one day, so I've already started doing interviews because I just want to get these stories out there and build bridges.

Domingos: Yes, very cool. Thank you very much and thank you very much for the conversation and we are definitely keeping our fingers crossed that you will continue to have a lot of success with your moderation and with your other activities in spreading these things.

Sharon: Thank you so much. And as I always say, accessible is a must.