Allyship & Inclusivity with Mariella Paulino
Mariella Paulino, founder of Project Hearing, hosted the NYTM on Assistive Technology for Hearing Disability Inclusion + Allyship. She agreed to share insights about her work, her opinion on inclusivity and technology with us!
About Mariella
In 2014, Mariella was pulled over by a police officer. Because of her hearing loss, her inability to follow commands was understood as noncompliance and created a situation that could easily have escalated. The experience left her so shaken she went on to do her Master’s degree in communications to explore how people with disabilities interact and communicate with the world around them. The thesis then turned into a social venture project, Project Hearing, which among many other things, created bumper stickers that say “Deaf Driver” in an effort to create better interactions between deaf people and police officers. She has worked in tech as a software developer, designer, and now as a project manager by day and assistive tech advocate nonprofit manager by night. If you want to get in touch with her, email her at hello@projecthearing.com or follow her on social media @projectHearing. And if you like her work go ahead and support her Patreon here.
1) What can companies and individuals do to make the world more inclusive for people with disabilities?
Companies and individuals can make the world more inclusive for people with disabilities by advancing economic opportunities, supporting product design led by people with disabilities, and elevating and supporting the voices of these subject matter experts.
Equity for people with disabilities is inextricably linked to economic opportunity. The unemployment rate for disabled people is double that for the able-bodied and since the pandemic began in March, 1 in 5 workers with disabilities in the United States lost their employment. Planning to recruit and hire more people with disabilities within your organizations and auditing hiring, retention, and promotion practices for accessibility would be an excellent place to start. Organizations like the Job Accommodation Network provide resources for creating an exemplary organizational accommodation infrastructure thereby helping to ensure a disability-inclusive workplace.
Supporting product design led by people with disabilities is critical as this population has long been integral to design processes, though frequently viewed as “inspiration” rather than active participants or creators. Often, designers that create products neglect diversity and inclusion principles until the end of their processes. The assumption is, if you create a strong product first and then make adjustments to accommodate for diversity, you’ll tick all boxes on effective design. Designing for inclusion, however, begins with recognizing exclusion and while diversity and inclusion are topics on many executive agendas, people with disabilities are rarely asked by brands to collaborate on product design. Including people with disabilities in the design process isn’t just “the right thing to do,” it’s also great for business. According to a recent study of 140 U.S. companies by Accenture–alongside the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and Disability:IN–those that offered the most inclusive working environment for disabled employees achieved an average of 28% higher revenue, 30% greater economic profit margins, and twice the net income of their industry peers between 2015 and 2018!
Finally, elevating and supporting the voices of people with disabilities who are advocating, educating, and putting together events is one of the most powerful ways that we can all make the world more inclusive. Continuously learning, sharing, and engaging with advocates active in this space give us all access to the tools, connections, and proactive solutions to take our commitment and turn it into actionable steps that make a difference in our world.
People with disabilities are disabled not just because of their bodies but also by the inaccessibility of the design of the world in which they exist. Taking part in the basic activities of daily life, such as going to work, school, or university, gathering with friends or relatives, buying groceries, or attending cultural events can be extremely difficult or even impossible because of barriers. These barriers can be physical, such as the absence of a ramp or elevator to an apartment, in communication such as the absence of tools for inclusion like captioning during conference calls, or even systemic such as discrimination by employers during a job interview where an employer discriminates against someone who needs an accommodation. We all have a role to play in creating a more inclusive world and we all have a responsibility in trying to ensure every body is included.
2) What does your day to day job look like?
Over the past three years, I have been honored to work for the City University of New York, the largest urban university in the United States, as a project manager for one of the last federal grants signed by President Barack Obama. The grant aims to upskill New Yorkers through no-cost tech-based initiatives and allows me to intertwine my interest in technology, corporate strategy, and design thinking. My day is far from over at 6pm, however, and in my after-work work and weekends, I’ve launched and managed an assistive technology volunteer-based non-profit called Project Hearing that has gotten sponsored by the likes of Google and the Flatiron school. At Project Hearing I work to elevate the voices of countless advocates with disabilities and allies in the form of workshops, interviews, partnerships, and social media content.
3) What’s your relationship with technology?
From the moment I open my eyes to the vibrating alarm clock I have on my bedside table to the moment I set up my visual fire alarm before going back to sleep. My reality as a person with a disability is strongly dependent on technology and I depend on technology in every aspect of my life to ensure my inclusion.
4) Do you think the tech and principles of Project Hearing can be adapted to other types of disabilities?
Tech and the principles that I am using to build Project Hearing are universal and can be adapted to other types of disability. The ethos of the organization is “do something where you are with the tools you have right now.” I believe we all have the power to advance the careers, ideas, and voices of people with disabilities and by focusing on immediate actionable steps we can all make a difference.
5) Tell us a fun fact about yourself!
I was the first person with a cochlear implant to visit the continent of Antarctica!
6) Do you have any good books or movies to recommend?
Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist by Judith Heumann and Kristen Joiner: I am so inspired by Heumann and her accessibility work and am constantly aspiring for that level of impact in the present digital landscape.
Inclusive Design for a Digital World: Designing with Accessibility in Mind by Regine Gilbert: Regine is a professor of assistive technology at New York University and has been an incredible mentor in helping me think through my work as a disability activist.
“30 Tools in 30 Days: Tools for People with Hearing Disabilities to be More Independent & for Allies to Not be Assh*les” is a book I am finishing up on my favorite accessibility tools. The book is set to be published at the end of this year and curious aspiring readers can stay tuned on its development by subscribing to my newsletter at www.projecthearing.com.
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