I began my research with blog and other free content, quickly expanding to enrolling in and completing a number of courses via Udemy, LinkedIn, and the Interaction Design Foundation. I also supplemented my knowledge with books;
Mismatch by Kat Dennings and
A Web for Everyone: Designing Accessible User Experiences by Sarah Horton and Whitney Quesenbery, the two I most highly-recommend.
And what good is design knowledge if it isn't shared? As a way to establish myself as a thought-leader in the field, I published a number of articles on Medium detailing my advocacy and design thinking process. I also had a number of opportunities to share my work with the design and tech community. In September 2019, I hosted a panel on
Universal Design with experts in the field including the Vice President of Accessibility at Spectrum, Global Vice President of Accessibility at Sprint and other professionals at Denver Startup Week.
Since my initial research into accessible and universal design began, I have always made it a priority to advocate for accessible best practices in my own projects and within the companies that I work for. I hope to continue my research and stay active in the Universal Design discussion.