This summer at the Longmore Institute, the Students for Access Project aims to change tech industry conversations about hiring people with disabilities from the topic of compliance to a strength based approach that provokes a culture of true disability inclusion. In the past decade, the push to diversify tech has been a hot topic. While major companies now tout employment stats on gender and race, much less talk and even less action is being done to invest in and hire people with disabilities. We hope to heat up the discussion.
With the help of three student interns affiliated with the disability community, we aim to gather 10-15 diverse stories and perspectives of people with disabilities successfully working in tech. We are looking for people who have any kind of disability as the project aims to represent a wide array of stories and intersectional identities. These narratives, published through the institute blog, will also take the form of a booklet/webinar we hope to share as a hiring initiative to interested companies along with resources for both prospective employees and employers.
If you or anyone you know would be interested in sharing their story, please contact the institute's graduate student assistant Ellie Gordon, ellie.ava.gordon@gmail.com.