McKnight Inclusive Design

Accessibility allows us to tap into everyone’s potential. Debra Ruh Remember, it's the environment that creates the disability. Removing barriers produces a robust and inclusive environment for everyone. Web design and graphic design are the two areas where we can help with that. ... Need some help with that? Book a call with us using the link in our bio.

MID has been integral to our business! From strategy, brand, social media, communications and ad hoc projects, they have become an extension of our operations. Bex in particular is so professional and knowledgeable, and an absolute pleasure to work with. As a first time entrepreneur buying a business at the start of the pandemic, MID was there to help us each step of the way. The responsiveness and work are of the highest standard that I have seen in my career. Results a...re proven - as an example, one of the many things we asked MID to help us with was our Instagram presence. In less than a year they grew our following from under 100 to almost 700 followers. There is so much more I could say, but will simply end with, I highly recommend, a good investment in your company. - - James Olson, Owner, BarterPay Need some design help? Book a free consultation with Bex, our Creative Director, using the link in our bio. See more

"Disability is not something an individual overcomes. I'm still disabled. I'm still Deafblind. People with disabilities are successful when we develop alternative techniques and our communities choose inclusion. - @HabenGirma Every day we have a chance to make choices that move our communities toward the direction of inclusion. What choices did you make today?... . . . . #WFH #empathymatters #accessibledesign #inclusivedesign #puttingpeoplefirst #empathyfirst #empathybydesign #designwithempathy #mcknightID #graphicdesigner #opportunityforinclusion #design4all #compassion #webdesigner #logodesigner #graphicdesign #logodesigns #logos #brandidentity #webdeveloper #connection #community #webdesign See more

"Cost of massage for one month: $200. Cost of a titanium wheelchair that you can't move without: $7,700. Cost of a van conversion: $40,000. Having Cerebral Palsy? Priceless.... In my community, this is known as the crip tax." This excellent article by John Loeppky about the 'crip tax' is an absolute must-read. https://www.cbc.ca//saskatchewan/crip-tax-opinion-1.5856848

"I think part of what's happening is a new category of folks with disabilities that are not always easy to quantify and proved are running against a culture. . .that is generally not easy to navigate for people that have disabilities that are not easy to quantify or prove," - Andy Imparato, executive director of Disability Rights California Although this article focuses on the U.S. system, these realities are something we must also face in Ontario. This pandemic has brought t...he gaps in our system clearly into focus. The question is, how do we move forward? https://www.usnews.com//covid-long-haulers-could-change-th

We believe in eliminating barriers to inclusion through the use of smart, accessible and attractive design. By using a holistic and collaborative design process, we ensure that our designs help position your brand as an industry leader through inclusivity. With over 10 years of education and experience in Diversity, Equity & Design, we use the latest tools and technologies to ensure that our designs are not only accessible and pixel-perfect, but also include equitable repre...sentation and consideration of the needs of marginalized populations. Get in touch and let's design a more inclusive world together!

"The good news is that increased accessibility can be achieved with resources that, in many cases, have already been put in place. It’s simply about building a lens of inclusivity with accessibility embedded across business operations." - Meenu Sikand

The MID team has been incredibly humbled by the recent outpouring of support from our local community! THANK YOU to everyone who voted for us for NOTL's Best Graphic Design Studio! And to our local clients - thank YOU for partnering with us to help make your business more beautiful, accessible and inclusive. We like to think that we do things a little differently here at MID - we're "redefining" design by taking an empathy-first approach. This means that whether we're design...ing a business card, a mocking up website, or lecturing at a local college, we always put people first. Our first priority is always to the end user (your customer!), and we want to make sure that everything we put out into the world on behalf of your business can be accessed and enjoyed by everyone. Being inclusive isn't a novel concept, but STARTING with inclusive strategies from the ground up IS, and that's where we focus our efforts. We design with empathy because the most meaningful world is one we can all access, equally. Thank you again for your votes, your support, and for recognizing the importance of creating a more inclusive world - we're in this together :)

It’s often up to people with mental or physical disabilities to advocate for themselves in situations that can be taxing, purposefully confusing, and aren’t guaranteed to end in the employee’s favor. So, watching the world swiftly alter office work environments and provide education alternatives for able-bodied people can be both exciting and infuriating. If anything, the drastic social changes we’ve made in a short time to stymie the spread of the virus show just how capable we are to address the inequalities disabled people face, and expose exactly how much we don’t do. https://www.teenvogue.com//disabled-people-react-to-corona

Today, we thought we'd do something a little different in the Empathy Connection: we'll be chatting about our favourite games! Online, offline, board games, card games, you name it. Maybe you've found a great game that's helping you bust through this social isolation, or are looking for a partner to challenge in Words with Friends. Maybe you've got a hilarious story to share about a game that's gone awry - let's add a little levity and fun to our Friday, together. Join us at... 3pm EST today and tell us what you love (or hate) about games! Join our FREE community at www.mcknightid.com/empathyconnection to get the link to the chat and please share this with your friends and fam!

A beautiful example of how inclusive design is about more than accessibility. Ensuring diverse representation is an important part of the design process, and sadly, one that is often overlooked. Many illustrations tackle issues of diversity through falsehood - by making skintones unnatural colours, gender markers ambiguous, etc. All this practice does is render diversity mute, and ultimately silence the voices of members of those communities; people who deserve to be seen and visually represented, and feel connected to the work that we do.

if a web site, web application or mobile app is critical for work, food, supplies or services during Coronavirus. Then it’s critical you make it accessible and test with blind and other disability groups. https://blog-usablenet-com.cdn.ampproject.org//coronavirus

If you're looking for a chat, a laugh, the kind of spontaneous, easy convo you might have enjoyed when encountering folks out in the real worldjoin us today (and every day) at 3 p.m. EST for the Empathy Connection. Find more and sign up here: https://www.mcknightid.com/empathyconnection

Our first Empathy Connection video chat is happening in 10 minutes! Go to www.mcknightid.com/empathyconnection to sign up, and then click "join now"!

We're excited to launch an isolation-busting, connection-making, community-building thing: the Empathy Connection. Every day at 3 p.m. EST, we will host a live video Meet to help us all feel less alone, less disconnected... less weird! You are allall of you, every one of youinvited to join us for conversation, support, ideas, and genuine laughter. Learn more about the Empathy Connection at https://www.mcknightid.com//the-birth-of-the-empathy-conne. Sign up to join us at https://www.mcknightid.com/empathyconnection. And please share this post so we can spread the wordand the empathy.

We are proud to be a Pathstone Mental Health Foundation Social Ambassador, and share their useful and important resources for mental health. Dr. Gary Chapman, best-selling author of The 5 Love Languages, will be featured in a FREE one-hour live stream event on April 8th at 7 p.m. "Dr. Chapman has aligned his keynote with the real-life situations we are all dealing with as we self-isolate at home. Gary says that at the heart of every relationship is the desire to love and feel love. On April 8th you will learn how to give one another big doses of love that counts!" RSVP for the live stream event at https://www.pathstonefoundation.ca/

EMPHASIS on EMPATHYand giving back to support your community: The Tegan and Sara Foundation is giving grants to help with COVID-19 relief in the LGBTQ+ community. TFS Community Grants provide $20K in funding to small nonprofits, youth leaders, and others assisting the LGBTQ+ community through the pandemic.

EMPHASIS on EMPATHY (and innovation): Made-in-Niagara solutions to current healthcare issues. At Niagara College, we’re training the healthcare workers and first responders of tomorrow, and we know there is no greater inspiration than the tireless efforts of those who are working within the healthcare system in the face of this unprecedented challenge, said Niagara College president Sean Kennedy. We’re leveraging our college’s innovative spirit to provide support in any way we can.

EMPHASIS on EMPATHY: There are some silver linings to these interesting times, and we are eager to share those and shine some light into your life. Local business Dillon's Distillery jumped into the frontline fray recently, and turned their facility into a hand-sanitizer factory. "This has been a wild ride. We have had thousands of emails, phone calls, messages from every form of front line worker from all across the province. Hospitals, homeless shelters, EMS, police, fire..., nursing homes, dr.’s offices, friends, new friends, family and so many more. We have shed more than a few tears here hearing the stories and are trying our absolute best to help. More than 5,000 bottles have gone to keep these people at least somewhat safer in what they do." Dillon's has since partnered with many local businesses for distribution. Cheers, Dillon's!

We design with empathy. Because the most meaningful world is one we can all access. Equally. . When I started MID two years ago, I knew I wanted it to be different - and I’m confident that anyone who has worked for us or with us would agree that we are. .... My vision was to build an agency that valued people, and celebrated their diversity, individuality and challenges in meaningful ways. . I wanted to know that the work I was doing meant something. That it had the real possibility for impactful change. That it was making a difference in the lives of those we serve. . In the design world, there’s a lot of rhetoric about designers as problem solvers and a push for finding solutions. And while I believe that good design should attempt these things, there’s very little humanity in the way it’s often approached. . The problems we aim to solve through our work at MID are complex, interdisciplinary and the solutions we propose have a lived impact within the community. . So, there’s no better place to start than with empathy: for the people we serve and for those we work with. . We aim to not only understand the problem, but to truly put ourselves in a position to experience it, to learn from that experience, and to propose solutions that put people first.

Want to know how I got my start and why I think inclusive design is not only important, but a great opportunity for businesses and creatives? Have a listen to my thoughts over on the You Can Work Online Too podcast!

*TWO WEEKS LEFT TO VOTE* Have you cast a vote for us yet? https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NOTLsChoiceVOTE We're proud to have been nominated for a NOTL's Choice Award! Whether you've worked with us or just want to support a local business trying to make a difference, please take a minute to CAST A VOTE!... Just scroll to "Graphic Design", click on "McKnight Inclusive Design", and scroll to the bottom to cast a vote. Please feel free to share this post with your networks! Every vote counts, and the more we can get our name out there, the bigger the difference we can make in our community. *If you require an accommodation to cast a vote, feel free to PM*

We're Hiring! Do you want to help make our world a more inclusive place? Do you have a passion for design, web development, sales & marketing or accessibility testing? Are you a design student or recent grad looking for a PAID internship? We have a number of open positions and are looking to add the right people to our small, but growing team. To learn more about these positions and to apply, please visit www.mcknightid.com/careers ... Please share with your networks - we especially encourage applications from people who identify as members of marginalized communities. [IMAGE DESCRIPTION] McKnight Inclusive Design We are Hiring Web Designer/Developer Jr. Graphic Designer Inclusive Design Intern Jr. Sales & Marketing Coordinator Inclusive Design QC Analyst To learn more about these positions and apply please visit www.mcknightid.com/careers MID LOGO

We're proud to have been nominated for a NOTL's Choice Award! Whether you've worked with us or just want to support a local business trying to make a difference, please take a minute to CAST A VOTE! Just scroll to "Graphic Design", click on "McKnight Inclusive Design", and scroll to the bottom to cast a vote. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NOTLsChoiceVOTE... Please feel free to share this post with your networks! Every vote counts! *If you require an accommodation to cast a vote, feel free to PM*

Excited to get started at the Intuit QuickBooks Connect conference! Are you here? Want to chat about Inclusive Design? Book a #braindate with me! TITLE: The other 25%: why your website & brand may only be reaching 75% of your potential clients. TOPIC: 25% of people require an accommodation to access information equally. Inclusive Design can help!

A sneak peak of some of the things we've been working on