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.

You received this email because you either signed up for the Pedalpointer newsletter or requested a free resource. Use the links below to unsubscribe or update your email preferences.

95 Washington St, Woburn, MA 01801
Unsubscribe · Preferences

The Pedal Pointer

Web designers, developers, and content creators, get the latest in web accessibility news, tools, and techniques delivered to your inbox to help make your websites accessible and inclusive to visitors with disabilities.

Read more from The Pedal Pointer
Cartoon headshot of an elderly Simon Miner

Issue #15 • 03 June 2025 Hi Reader. Today is my 50th birthday. I’ve been reflecting on the gap between what I expected from life and what it’s actually given me. Some dreams are still out there. Some chapters closed in ways I didn’t anticipate. But along the way, I’ve been surprised—again and again—by grace, resilience, and the quiet beauty of the unexpected. I thought I'd have more certainty by now—more answers, more clarity. But what surprises me is how confident I am in the right things:...

The text "WebAIM Million 2024 vs 205" hovers above an arrow sloping downward and to the right with the number 1,000,000 above it.

Issue #14 • 06 May 2025 Hi Reader. Big news from Pedal Point HQ: I’ve officially transitioned to doing digital accessibility work full time! I've dreamed of striking out with Pedal Point like this for years, and now that it's happened, I have to pinch myself to make sure I'm awake. It’s an absolute blast to have the freedom to focus all my energy on teaching, equipping, and collaborating with people to make the web a more inclusive place. Whether I’m engaging clients, delivering trainings, or...

A smiling cartoon zombie with pink hair atop a bare skull wearing a light t-shirt and dark grey jacket stands in front of an exploding orange light.

Issue #12 • 11 March 2025 Hi Reader. The world of digital accessibility feels chaotic right now. Starting in June, the European Accessibility Act will require anyone doing business in the EU to have accessible digital products and services. The ADA web + mobile rule rolling out over the next couple years mandates that all US federal, state, and local websites and apps must be accessible. The Trump administration issued an executive order ending all federal DEIA programs, emboldening several...