Diversity Rules Magazine

12|Diversity Rules Magazine | June 2023 On May 18, 2023, Oleb Media, a digital inclu- sion firm based out of Minneapolis, released a new book, "Manag- ing Digital Inclusion: A Case Study." The publica on date was chosen because May 18 is Global Accessibil- ity Awareness Day. Dr. Belo Miguel Cipriani, the author of the book, knows quite a bit about digital inclusion, as Cip- riani is blind. Oleb Me- dia is his company. Its purpose is to help companies make their websites more accessible to people with disabili es. "Manag- ing Digital Inclusion" was published under the imprint of Oleb Books, the book publishing division of Oleb Media. Oleb Books only publishes works by authors with disabili es. Cipriani wasn't always blind. Born in 1980, he was fully sighted un l 2007, when he was brutally as- saulted in the Castro, San Francisco's LGBT neighbor- hood. Cipriani was kicked in the head so many mes that his re nas detached, leading to his blindness. "Losing my vision was very challenging", Cipriani said. "It tested me in so many ways. And for a while, I was angry. But as I met other blind people and learned to do things in the dark, life became exci ng again." With training, Cipriani learned how to walk with a cane, how to interact with a guide dog, and how to use assis ve so ware for the blind. But finding em- ployment as a blind man was another story. "I had no problem landing jobs," he said. "I had a strong resumé. It was keeping the job that was the issue for me. Many of the so ware tools my employ- ers used were inaccessible to my assis ve tech. So, a er many failed a empts to try and make things work for me, I was let go. I must have gone through four jobs in 2009 alone." A er losing his sight, Cipriani developed post-trau- ma c stress disorder (PTSD). A therapist encouraged him to journal, an ac vity that pushed his life in a new direc on. He began to share the pieces he was wri ng with friends and family members, and the re- sponses were so posi ve he enrolled in a master's degree program in crea ve wri ng. In 2011 his first book "Blind: A Memoir" was published. The book, which chronicles the first two years a er his assault, was very well received, going on to win awards. The book sold quite well. Cipriani soon found himself lecturing at Yale, at the University of San Francisco, Holy Names University, and the University of Minnesota. He wrote columns for the San Francisco Chronicle and Bay Area Report- er and was a correspondent on the Ed Baxter Show on Clear Channel Radio. But an old problem con n- ued to plague him. He kept having problems with his assis ve tech, and once again, he found his work contracts not being extended. Tired of being pushed out of the workforce by accessibility issues, Cipriani decided to become part of the solu on. Cipriani founded Oleb Media, a company he runs with his husband James Kirwin, who is also blind, specifically to serve companies who wish to make their websites accessible to the disabled. How would you feel if you couldn't scroll down to read a mes- sage that came in, or even to see the message at all? How would you feel if you went to YouTube to watch a video and were unable to hear the soundtrack? Ac- cording to Cipriani, there are more than one billion people with disabili es or impairments that make accessing technology hard. In his book "Managing Digital Inclusion", Cipriani provides case studies on companies that have gone above and beyond the call of duty to make sure they are providing the best access possible to people with disabili es. The book also examines the misconcep- ons other companies have about the true meaning of digital inclusion, the barriers some small compa- nies face when it comes to wan ng to comply with the law, and provides recommenda ons for small business owners, technology companies, designers, policymakers, and research ins tu ons on how to do a be er job serving people with disabili es. Cipriani - Con't on page 21 Blind Author/Businessman is Teaching the World About Inclusion By Paul Sanchez

• Cover