Jacob just got back from the ATD Core 4 conference in Indianapolis, and Nicole wants to hear all about it. They talk about what went well and what got missed: a LEGO Serious Play session where finding the pieces by touch turned into a lesson about accessibility, a speaker who asked the room whether he could skip the microphone, and how a stage, a missing ramp and standard-height chairs can quietly leave people out.

Then Nicole shares a project where accessibility was saved for the very end, and the two talk about how to move it earlier: clear contract dates, time for a second review, and building accessibly from the start instead of treating it as a final quality check.

Full transcript and episode page: https://www.beyondalttextpod.com

IN THIS EPISODE

0:00 Intro

0:17 Jacob's trip to ATD Core 4 in Indianapolis

2:43 LEGO Serious Play

4:09 Building without seeing the pieces

6:15 How conference organizers can be proactive

7:02 Just use the microphone

8:27 Share your slides before your session

10:04 The stage, the missing ramp and the chairs

12:38 Accessing Higher Ground and sign language interpreters

15:37 When accessibility gets left to the end of a project

19:02 Moving accessibility earlier: contracts and review dates

21:12 Accessible design is a design choice

22:59 Know your tools and share what you learn

24:28 Wrapping up, and what's next

TAKEAWAYS

- Use the microphone, every time. Don't ask the room whether it's okay to skip it; people rarely feel safe saying they need it, and live captions depend on it.

- Share your slides and materials before your session, not after.

- Check the physical space: a ramp to the stage, a clearly marked edge on any riser, and a range of seating, like footrests or adjustable chairs.

- Before you book a venue, ask about accessibility and whether they work with local sign language interpreters.

- Put accessibility dates in the contract: when testing happens, when revisions are due, and time to retest.

- Build accessibly from the start. Alt text and focus order take very little time when you do them as you go.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

- ATD, the Association for Talent Development: https://www.td.org

- Accessing Higher Ground conference: https://www.accessinghigherground.org

- LEGO Serious Play: https://www.lego.com/en-us/themes/serious-play

PEOPLE JACOB MET AT ATD CORE 4

- Moe Ash: https://www.linkedin.com/in/moeash7/

- Betty Dannewitz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ifyouaskbetty/

- Katrina Kennedy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrinakennedytraining/

- Bianca Woods: https://www.linkedin.com/in/biancawoods/

YOUR HOSTS

Jacob Wood

Website: https://jacobwood.me

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-wood-writer

Nicole L'Etoile

Website: https://www.letoile-education.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicoleletoile/

GET IN TOUCH

Have a question, a tip or a story to share? We'd love to hear from you, and we're still looking for a sign-off catchphrase, so send us your ideas.

Visit https://www.beyondalttextpod.com

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.