Doing life with people with disabilities


Issue #13 • 08 April 2025

Hi Reader.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about what it means to intentionally build deep relationships with other people with disabilities. This is a key part of my a11y Joy Plan, and I believe it's essential to being an authentic, grounded practitioner of digital accessibility.

Here are a few mindsets I’ve found helpful as I seek to build meaningful relationships within the disability community:

  • Be humble and curious. I try to come to relationships with a learner’s mentality—asking open-ended questions, listening closely, and staying open to perspectives that differ from my own.
  • Build empathy from the inside out. I do my best to imagine life in someone else’s shoes: How do they navigate the world? What challenges and joys shape their experience? How can I stretch my perspective to better appreciate theres?
  • Embrace the everyday. Real community is built not just on big moments, but in the ordinary ones—conversations over coffee, shared routines, small check-ins. That’s where deep connections grow.

This month’s newsletter explores recent life-on-life experiences I’ve had with other people with disabilities—an unexpected friendship that ended up changing my life in beautiful ways and my first CSUN conference.

I’d love to hear from you: How are you building relationships with people with disabilities?

Recent blog articles

Disability and divine appointment: How an unlikely friendship changed my life

Some friendships begin in ways you’d never imagine. When I responded to a stranger’s cry for help, I didn’t realize it would lead to months of companionship, advocacy, and deep spiritual formation.

CSUN 2025: one of the best conferences ever

CSUN 2025 was an unforgettable event filled with insightful sessions, groundbreaking innovations, and inspiring individuals. It was a rare and powerful environment where accessibility wasn’t just a topic of conversation—it was a lived experience.

Accessibility around the web

Have an astounding April!

Simon Miner
Pedal Point Solutions


Need help with web accessibility testing, treatment, or training? Pedal Point Solutions offers a free assessment of your website.

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