WiUX Conference Speaking Engagement — "Stay Woke, Be an A11y"
Local Kine AI · May 2021
Women in UX (WiUX) at the University of Washington invited Kim to speak at their 7th Annual Conference on May 8th, 2021. The theme, "Learning Through Design," aimed to address how design can be iterative, inclusive, and drive social impact. WiUX sought speakers who could bridge professional expertise with lived experience to inspire 300+ virtual attendees.
My Reflection:
This invitation validated that my interdisciplinary background—psychology, social services, lived disability experience—had something valuable to offer the design community. Preparing the talk forced me to articulate why accessibility matters beyond compliance: it's about recognizing that 26% of the US population identifies as disabled, and designing without them is designing without consideration for a quarter of your users. The honorarium WiUX offered was meaningful not just financially, but because it signaled they valued the emotional and intellectual labor of sharing a personal story alongside technical expertise. The Q&A format allowed the conversation to go deeper rather than staying surface-level.
Outcomes
- Understand disability as human diversity rather than a personal deficit
- Recognize the business and ethical case for accessible design
- Apply practical accessibility tools (a11y checklist, WAVE) to design workflows
- Learn the "Solve for One, Extend to Many" framework for inclusive design
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