S1:E9 - How to Develop for Neurodiversity and Universal Design

There are a lot of ways that the tech world is failing when it comes to employing and developing for those who are neurodivergent. We speak with Heidi Waterhouse, senior developer advocate at LaunchDarkly, and Lydia X.Z. Brown, Policy Counsel for the Privacy and Data Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology, and Adjunct Professor for Georgetown University's Disability Studies Program, about neuraldiversity and what tech could be doing better when it comes to universal design and accessibility.

Show Notes

• DevNews (sponsor)
• CodeNewbie (sponsor)
• DataStax (sponsor)
• Cockroach Labs (DevDiscuss) (sponsor)
• Swimm (DevDiscuss) (sponsor)
• Stellar (sponsor)
• LaunchDarkly
• Center for Democracy and Technology
• Georgetown University: Disability Studies
• Neurodiversity
• Universal Design and Accessibility
• I Have ADD and So Can Ooh, Shiny!

Lydia X. Z. Brown

Lydia X. Z. Brown is an advocate, organizer, strategist, educator, writer, and attorney working for disability justice and liberation. For over a decade, their work has focused on building solidarity-based communities and addressing the root causes of interpersonal and state violence targeting disabled people, especially those at the intersections of race, class, gender, sexuality, and violence.

Heidi Waterhouse

Heidi is an experienced professional communicator deeply invested in getting information to people who need it in the easiest way for everyone involved. Sometimes that involves public speaking, blog posts, and technical writing, but at one point she had a lively cutlery-based description of full-disk encryption. She has realized that the best way to scale her philosophy of simple and empathic communication is to teach others, so she is working on a book on technical writing for developers and other reluctant technologists.