As we all become more immersed in social media and online culture, it is important to fill our feeds with representation. Disabled content creators are showing a side of disabilities that is not usually seen by the masses. By putting disabled content creators on your feed, you support diversifying representation, and you learn from other perspectives. It is also important as we continue to integrate social media into our lives that we make sure it is accessible. While the ADA pre-dates the internet and does not directly address web or social media accessibility, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act provides standards for web development using Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). While individuals don’t have to follow WCAG, any organization receiving federal funds is required to follow them. Even though WCAG does not apply to individuals, that does not mean we shouldn’t be working to make social media more accessible and support disabled content creators. Here are a few content creators I have been keeping up with recently.
The first person I have been following lately is Aubrey Smalls on Instagram. He is an actor and filmmaker with dwarfism who is bringing awareness to dwarfism’s history and the challenges he faces in his day-to-day life. He initially gained a following online after posting his experience of literally being picked up by strangers in a TJ Maxx. Aubrey shared his shock and disappointment that strangers would pick up another person. Taking to his platform he shared other experiences of strangers patting him on the head and crossing boundaries because they don’t see him as an equal. Not only has he shared his personal experiences on social media, but he runs Dwarfism History, an account dedicated to teaching people.
Another person I have been following on Instagram is Caty. She also has dwarfism but shares her experience with fashion. She is currently a fashion student and shares her creations on Instagram. She has spoken about how hard it was to grow up and feel like she didn’t “fit in”. She expresses frustration that she couldn’t follow the same fashion trends as her peers. Now Caty focuses on making very detailed clothes that express her personal style. Sharing her experience, she has also said that clothing acts as her shield. It helps to wear quirky outfits that express who she is because people comment on her clothing rather than stare because of her dwarfism. Her goal is to make the fashion industry more sustainable and inclusive for all people.
Keely Cat-Wells is someone I just started following on Instagram. Keely is a Disability Rights Advocate and the CEO of Making Space, which is a talent acquisition platform for companies to hire and support talented persons with disabilities. Making Space also connects companies with education to support their employees with disabilities. She also founded C Talent, which is a talent agency that represents artists with disabilities. She shares her experience on social media as a disability rights advocate, frequenting the White House to advocate for eliminating subminimum wage for professionals with disabilities, and advocates for the safety of travelers with disabilities.
Finally, I have been keeping up with Molly Burke who is a blind content creator, model, author, and advocate. She has been posting on social media for 10 years! She shares her experience with Retinitis Pigmentosa, which is a rare degenerative eye disease, and she began creating content after noticing a huge gap in representation. Molly was the first content creator with disabilities that I ever interacted with, and she was able to teach me so many things that I never would have known. She loves to travel and shares her experience exploring new places as a blind person.
As social media maintains its popularity it is important for people to follow a wide range of content creators. Making digital media more accessible to individuals with disabilities can be simple. A simple way to start is adding captions to your videos or any content with audio. This can be a huge step in the right direction for making your content more accessible. Another simple step is adding alternative text to any images you post. This is just a short visual description of what the photo contains to help users who are blind or have low vision. Another simple step is to use plain language, be short and simple and get to the point. Finally, fill your feed with a range of people. Following disabled content creators can allow you to better understand what life for people with disabilities is like. You can also see all the cool things that different people do by diversifying your feed, and as discussed above here are a few creators to get you started.