[sudo-discuss] Fwd: [sudo-info] reaching out from google.org regarding an assistive technology hackathon

[Phil Wolff]

Several responses, not necessarily sequenced or connected...

Thanks, Ryan, for the quick education on ablism in tech. Cogent while
preserving irk.

Ryan's "What if Google did a hackathon for disabled techies?" sounds like a
great counterproposal. I could see Googlers going for it.

Does the intersection of other-abled people who are also hackers/makers
exist as a community now? If not, perhaps this could be the seed for one.

Otherabled hackers might not necessarily want to hack on ability-related
projects just because of their own differences. The blind guy and deaf girl
hacking a robot-that-shoots-hoops together may be an outcome.

We believe hacking the world is something everyone can and should do. So
blending hackers with non-hackers is part of that knowledge transfer,
consistent with our values.

Goog's proposal fits nicely in the design-thinking model of
designers/engineers working with "the customer" or "the user". In our space
that practice sounds like privilege and the condescension of *noblesse
oblige.* In their space that sounds like breaking down barriers between
engineering culture and the people who'd actually use what's built; it's
the way they work with many different constituents, overcoming their own
biases and preconceptions.

The individual Googlers I've met are nice people, eager to engage and
learn. It's less useful to talk about The Google Corporation when we'd be
dealing mostly with a small team inside of Google on a limited scale.
Perhaps holding that one little team accountable for all of Google's missed
opportunities would accomplish less than building a trusted relationship
where they participate in our world, listen and learn from it, and embrace
some of our values over time. Like anything else, which path creates the
most options and opportunities for us, in good conscience?

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