How is your experience now working for Accessibility Officer different from your previous employment experiences, where our team consists of mainly people with physical disabilities, and what do you see, like what value do you see in hiring people like me, people like Tanner, people like B, who have severe disabilities?

Well, obviously for one, you guys have a level of knowledge that, yes, I can go download JAWS or NVDA and practice screen reader skills, but, you know, I haven't used technology like that ever and I'm not gonna be a pro overnight, where someone who has a disability or has used the assistive technology for years is gonna be able to catch things that I'm never gonna be able to catch or never be able to, quote-unquote, "see," if you will.

Like, can I see if there's like a photo on a page? Absolutely, but I'm not gonna be able to tell right away unless I'm using a screen reader that there is no alt text on it.

I can't tell the difference of if the carousel is accessible or not for everyone.

It's crazy to think that some companies will only hire sighted people to do the testing, and it's more of like an automation testing, because manual testing by people with disabilities is what matters because you guys deserve work and a, you know, successful life and career just like anyone else.

Just because you have a disability doesn't mean that you deserve anything less or that it should hold you back from anything.

Um, how is s- how can someone who has a disability thrive in this kind of environment? What kinds of things have you noticed for those individuals who particularly seem to do well?

Probably practicing and keeping up your skills and just asking questions and not being afraid.