Post-Conference Reflections: Accessible Design as Reflections of Self
Manar-ul Islam Swaby, Ed.M
Accessibility and Language Justice Consultant | Training, Advocacy, and Strategy
Like many of my colleagues, I recently returned from the National Immigrant Inclusion Conference and left with a sense of overwhelm and satisfaction at the same time.
As a person who operates at the intersection of language, disability, and design, and who exists at the intersections of many many more, conferences are such a unique space for me to participate in:
- As a remote worker, they offer me an opportunity to be in shared space, in real-time and most often in person with many past and present colleagues, all at once. Here I got to see and spend time with many folks I hadn’t in such a long time, and wonderfully some of whom were completely unexpected. (Shoutout to the MLAN* crew as a whole and some former City of Boston colleagues!)
- With several days packed with sessions of all sizes and across content areas, they are in many ways a foundational space for learning and enriching our understandings of self and other
- Being in a shared space with so many people and energies across organizations, conferences present a unique space to explore new ideas of mutual interest with new people
- I am always intrigued by how these spaces are designed to center and embody the best practices that are explored through their sessions or are not. Do they ensure access to content? Are their videos captioned? Do they set standards for presenters to use microphones and/or is it all too common for presenters to refrain because “they have a loud voice?”
Content-wise, there were sessions focused on language access, its federal regulations, and examples of specific municipal implementation efforts across Texas, and its role in economic development. However, I choose to prioritize sessions that would continue to enrich my understanding of the experiences of immigrants, refugees and asylees across distinct contexts and thematic areas. It is unsurprising that across each session I attended, language access was still discussed and identified as a key barrier that compounded the challenge of accessing respective services, whether in navigating the health or court systems.
Two sessions discussed opportunities to redesign and restructure systems that center migrants, whether settling in new communities or seeking to access new services. They both serve as a reminder that how we design systems and structures are reflections of who we are and the values we carry.**
- Understanding Immigrant Mental Health: Perspectives and Policy
Panelists discussed how the entire profession was unequipped to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate care. Doing so requires more than a single training course for providers. Doing so requires more than providing an interpreter during the case management process or therapy sessions.
- Welcoming Asylum Seekers: Innovative Approaches in a New Era
Panelists discussed examples of how community organizations and municipal entities have mobilized across the country, from El Paso, TX to Maine to meet the needs presented by a rapid growth in specific migrant communities. They expressed the need to invest in community-based organizations, who are the experts and leaders on the ground, and yet who are rarely compensated meaningfully if at all. They expressed anticipated challenges over the next four-plus years, as funding streams likely change. A member of the audience reminded us that policy will always be behind our current needs today, in real-time. They highlighted the need to stay engaged and become re-inspired, remembering the collective power we have together, in the community.
Two discussions centered on intersectional identities and centered on the unique types of experiences felt by each queer and disabled migrants whose experience of injustice and inhumane treatment are astounding.
- Out and Excluded: Addressing and Uplifting the Unique Needs of LGBTQIA+ Individuals in Displacement
- Navigating Barriers: The Journey of Displaced Individuals with Disabilities in the U.S. Immigration System
Altogether these sessions served as a reminder that there is no immigrant justice without racial justice, language justice, disability justice, reproductive justice, etc. That when we talk about the experiences of immigrants, refugees and asylees, we must consider not only the experiences and structures they interact with when they reach U.S. soil, but what is also happening in their respective home countries that may have served as a tool of displacement. How there are very clear and real global implications regarding how structures and policies are designed in the U.S. That our focus in immigrant integration has to center the experiences of individuals and groups who are marginalized additionally due to other identities. That we have to continuously consider, are the spaces and services we are designing, are they accessible? And to whom? And if not, at whose expense?
A special thank you to all presenters who spoke from their lived experiences.
Thank you to individuals who shared more about their work, particularly those from Black LGBTQIA+ Migrant Project , Rainbow Railroad , Deaf Refugee Advocacy, Inc , Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition (MIRC) , ACCESS - Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services , and Asian Family Support Services of Austin .
**This may or may not be the proverbial we.
About Us:
Sway B Access LLC is an accessibility and language justice-centered consulting organization that designs tangible solutions for complex organizations. Our mission is to support organizational change efforts that advance equity, accessibility, and justice for all. At Sway B Access, we seek to advance how organizations strategically serve populations who are culturally and linguistically diverse, such as individuals who speak languages other than English and who have communications-related disabilities. Through our strategy and design process, we seek to co-develop solutions with and alongside the communities and people most directly impacted.
Sway B Access LLC