👋 Welcome to the May edition of The Latest, where we’re planning a summer of fun, family, and a major “first” — the launch of our first non-academic book!
📣 The Main Takeaway: Tech Meltdown as Public Speaking Nightmare… or Best Gift Ever
Last week I was onstage, ready to roll at the second of two presentations for the Children’s Hospital Colorado.
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Five minutes in, all technology dies. And half the audience disappears (on Zoom).
This includes the (gorgeous) slide deck full of data about the launch of the new National Disability Center for Student Success. What to do? All that prep, down the drain, right? Wrong.
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Instead of panicking, I embraced a new approach.
Instead of linear thinking, I shifted to the structure of stories. I visualized key images that I knew were in the slide deck to keep me grounded, but not constrained. I felt ever more responsible for people getting their time and money’s worth for being there.
I told the stories about what people could find on our website and what happened behind the scenes. The stories covered highlights and some very definite not-so-great moments.
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Was it precise? No.
It was more stand-up-comic-meets-dissertation-defense. And did I mention the entire Zoom audience was now on an iPhone at my feet? I definitely drew on all of those years teaching and speaking to many different audiences.
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Was it effective? Yes.
I don’t remember most of what I said for the next 50 minutes. I really couldn’t tell you if people will remember those take home messages. But people were a mix of empathetic, appreciative, and impressed. All eyes were locked in, heads nodding everywhere. There was not a phone scroller in the house.
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Lesson learned (again): Know your story.
Tech and Canva help you tell it. But nothing replaces YOU. In the end, you’re all you have. And that’s pretty darn awesome. 🤩
🏆 This Award Is For You, the Community
So often in academia, we are rewarded for our publication count. We are ranked according to the amount of money that we bring in. That is not why I am here.
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I am both proud and humbled to be this year’s recipient of the Dean’s Distinguished Community Impact Award in the College of Education at The University of Texas at Austin.
This award means so much because it reflects what I value about research to practice:
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Raising awareness of access barriers
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Building an evidence base that matters
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Creating opportunities for marginalized young people
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Working in collaboration with staff, faculty, and students
The motto of the University of Texas at Austin is “What Starts Here, Changes the World”.
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This award illustrates my belief and commitment to changing systems from the inside out, not just here in higher education, but wherever disabled people go — and we are everywhere!
So to you, the community, this award is for YOU! I am proud to be your champion.
📗 The Big Book Title Reveal!
The book title is finally here! You, my dear readers, are the first to know. Drumroll please….
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Disability is Human: The Vital Power of Accessibility in Everyday Life
This book is rooted in the very essence of how we design our home, work, school, and community activities to be more inclusive, more accessible, and more HUMAN for all.
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1 in 4 people have a disability at any given time. Yet the world is rarely ready for us.
I am so excited to share this volume with you! It mixes stories, insights, and strategies so that you can start today on the next step of your accessibility journey.
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BONUS! I am also publishing an Official Companion Workbook to Disability is Human!
There are so many hands-on activities and resources that can amplify the book’s impact that we’ve decided to create a companion workbook. You’ll have your own templates and planning spaces to support greater accessibility in your everyday life.
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That’s two books to supercharge your accessibility journey.
Many thanks to Megan Williams and The Self Publishing Agency team for the ideas and steps to making it happen!
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Stay tuned for website, pre-order, and launch events to come this summer! I am ever grateful for your support.
✨ Naming Something is Hard. Here’s How to Make It Easier.
Or: How I *finally* chose a book title.
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The hardest part (so far) of writing this book? Naming it – landing on a title. I mean, MONTHS, people, and apparently this is common.
I’ve leaned on a lot of you for your insights and guidance.
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A true data nerd, I’ve taken a mixed methods approach.
Numbers don’t tell the whole story. (Always be curious WHY people think the way they do.) Here’s how I did it:
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Polls of my 7700+ followers on LinkedIn for key topics and themes.
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In depth discussions and brainstorms with my team.
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Browsing book stores and taking pics of those titles that grab me.
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Getting vulnerable with my coaches and book doulas.
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Market research through consumer testing sample ideas.
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Commit. Doubt. Rehash. Try again.
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Many hours with a thesaurus. (My fave is the app Word Hippo.)
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Even a little (gulp) AI brainstorming.
To those of you feeling stuck on something big: keep at it but don’t go it alone. People (and even a little tech) can help get you there!
🌀 The Wrap-Up
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Addressing the teacher crisis. Teachers are the front line for our kids and young people. Yet teacher burnout is at record high levels. I’m looking forward to my upcoming workshop at the THRIVE Mentor Institute to support teachers and their mentors.
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Celebrating success. We’re already wrapping up our first year at the National Disability Center, which is a good time to celebrate our award-winning teams and the collaborative development of our logic model.
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Busting myths. Accessibility does NOT drive down business profit margins. Think again. It can be a key to long-term business success. Check out my video, Accessible Businesses Win, to learn more in just 1 minute.
🎓 And Finally…
All the emotions together at once. Joy! Relief! Pride!
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That’s graduation this year.
These are our students who started their high school and college journeys during the COVID pandemic. Nothing about this moment is taken for granted.
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To all the graduates and families of graduates out there, I send you so many warm thoughts and congratulations.
I’m so glad to make that long journey with my graduate students. “Graduate mentor” is one of the most cherished roles I have. This year I got to “hood” not one, but TWO amazing doctoral students on stage:
There were some serious tears shed by all. Ugly crying, folks! What a cathartic event.
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Our future is bright with these wonderful souls.
[Image description: A screenshot of a video of the College of Education commencement ceremony stage, where an ecstatic Latina woman is gazing upward with a big smile and closed eyes as her doctoral adviser and mentor — who is standing behind and above — puts her doctoral robe hood over her head, signifying her graduation. The woman, who has long brown hair, wears a formal doctoral robe and cap that are burnt orange with long, darker orange velvet panels down the front. The robe’s sleeves are puffy with dark orange velvet accents. The robe comes to just above her ankles, and she wears braided high heeled shoes. The doctoral adviser’s robe is black with blue velvet accents. Behind them, formal banners hang from the ceiling. In the photo’s upper left corner is the Instagram handle “utexascoe”, a music note symbol, and “Lizzo • About Damn Time”. In the lower right corner is a speaker symbol with a slash through it.]