Why Accessibility Matters…  Even for Your Speech!

A few weeks ago, the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games kicked off with a bang!  

More than 4,000 athletes across 22 sports paraded down the Avenue des Champs-Elysees in the city of light – in front of more than 65,000 spectators.

Talk about awe-inspiring…

This goes for competitive sports… public services… workplaces… schools… and a million other avenues of life.

And it also applies to YOUR speech!

Today, we’re going to explore a few ways you can make your speech more accessible for ALL members of your audience.

But I can’t do it alone… so let me introduce Dustin. :) 

Why Does Accessibility Matter?

Our editor-in-chief, Rachael, recently sat down with DEI speaker Dustin Giannelli – a self-described disability advocate and passionate storyteller.

At the age of five, Dustin was diagnosed with profound bilateral hearing loss.  Today, he’s made it his mission to spread positivity, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility throughout the workplace.

(Dustin - Thanks so much for sharing your insights!!)

He took some time to talk with us about what speakers could do – both on and off the stage – to improve accessibility.

Dustin shared...

“The key to success in life is communication… and the key to communication is access.” 

When there are no barriers to communication – or when we can at least limit those barriers – everyone wins… 

The person who is hard of hearing doesn’t miss the message you’re trying to share. The person with vision challenges can gain value from your slides. And the person who needs a companion animal sitting at their feet feels like they are seen… and valued!

Dustin shared an encounter he recently had with a Haitian man waiting at a bus stop…

“I was walking my dog.  I could tell he was smiling and wanted to pet the dog, but he spoke very minimal English.  So I took out an app on my phone and translated from English to Haitian Creole.  He was shocked.  We had a conversation and it made his day.  It made MY day.”

That’s what it means when there are minimal barriers to communication… we all win.  

With more than 20 million people in this country who are blind or have low vision… 48 million who are deaf or hard of hearing (like Dustin)... and countless others who benefit from accommodations even though they are not physically disabled… 

Accessibility and inclusion MATTERS… big time!

Seven Things You Should Reconsider (for Better Accessibility)

Now, let’s get down to business…  

Here are seven areas we discussed with Dustin where speakers can make some very meaningful changes.