RSAA26 Accessibility Fellowship Report - An Thu Nguyen

Personal Details

Name: An Thu Nguyen Email: [email protected] Location: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Status: RSAA26 Accessibility Fellow

Personal Background & The Catalyst for Accessibility

As a recent Communications graduate, my journey into digital accessibility did not begin with a personal medical diagnosis, but rather with a profound realization during my sophomore year. My team organized a fundraising event to provide audiobooks and Braille materials for visually impaired children. Interacting with them, I was struck by how advanced their assistive technologies were and realized how much I could learn from their digital adaptability. This experience planted a lingering, deeply personal question in my mind: “What if I were to lose my sight one day?” Rather than just inducing fear, this thought became a powerful source of inspiration.

This awareness was soon compounded by events closer to home. I witnessed family members navigate sudden adult-onset disabilities—my uncle suffered a stroke and had to completely relearn how to walk, while another relative developed severe throat conditions that made verbal communication incredibly difficult. Simultaneously, as someone deeply involved in the digital space, my own long hours of screen time led to persistent eye strain. Coupled with my existing myopia, the possibility of navigating the world with limited capabilities felt less like a distant “what if” and more like a tangible reality.

My Vision for the Report

Driven by these experiences, I pursued formal education in the field, studying for the CPACC (Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies) certification. However, rather than viewing accessibility through a rigid checklist of WCAG standards, my focus has shifted toward digital wellbeing. For this report, I am centering my own lived experience—specifically my need to prevent cognitive overload and manage visual fatigue—to highlight what made this conference feel truly human.

Experience at RSAA26

Attending RSAA26 was an incredibly refreshing experience. I was deeply moved by how the organizing team prioritized our physical and mental bandwidth.

The Blessing of Eye Breaks

For my myopia and digital eye strain, the deliberate scheduling of “Screen-Off Eye Breaks” and 5-minute transition periods were not just a nice addition; they were essential. It made me feel like my physical limits were seen and respected, allowing me to stay engaged without exhaustion.

Thoughtful Facilitation

Hearing the Session Chairs consciously read out text on the slides and verbally describe charts significantly aided my comprehension and allowed me to rest my eyes. Furthermore, organizers actively pasting reference links with clear descriptive text into the chat ensured I didn’t have to expend extra mental energy deciphering raw URLs.

Quick & Empathetic Support

Whenever I encountered a glitch or needed help, the organizing team provided incredibly fast support via email. This quick turnaround was a huge relief and greatly reduced the anxiety that often comes from navigating a virtual space.

Connection Over Technical Failure

A standout moment for me was on Day 4. When a network glitch disrupted the closing keynote, the organizers didn’t leave attendees waiting in an awkward silence. They immediately sparked an open discussion to keep the atmosphere warm and engaging. From an accessibility standpoint, this was brilliant. It prevented the “digital isolation” and anxiety that often happens when technology fails, proving that human connection can overcome technical barriers.

Place for Improvement

While the event was highly inclusive, the sheer volume of meticulously organized information occasionally created some unintended friction for me. Here are a few gentle suggestions:

As someone whose energy easily drains from complex digital navigation, I really value simplicity. The process of clicking from the email -> to the document -> scrolling -> and finding the correct link actually drained a bit of my energy before the sessions even started.

My gentle suggestion: Having the Zoom link directly integrated into a Google Calendar invite (.ics file) would be a lifesaver. It reduces the visual steps, allowing attendees to save their cognitive energy for the actual conference.

Managing Sensory Overload (The Chat & Mic Dynamics)

I was incredibly impressed by the community’s enthusiasm! However, during highly interactive sessions where live mic discussions happened simultaneously with fast-paced chat debates, I experienced a real sense of cognitive overload. Trying to process both auditory and rapid visual information at the same time made me feel a bit lost.

My gentle suggestion: While I wouldn’t want to dampen the community’s energy, perhaps creating slight structures—like dedicating specific 2-minute pauses just for reading the chat—would help participants who easily experience sensory overload feel more grounded.

Easing the Mental Load of Time Zones

As an international attendee, trying to juggle my local time with the UTC+10 schedule while navigating the busy emails caused me a bit of anxiety about missing sessions.

My gentle suggestion: A simple, bold “Friendly reminder to check your local timezone” placed at the very top of the reminder emails would greatly ease the mental load for global attendees like me.

Takeaway

My biggest takeaway is the genuine success of the organizing team in creating a safe, inclusive environment. During one of the sessions, a live poll revealed that at least 13 attendees identified as having a disability. This level of openness proves that the conference successfully fostered a welcoming space where the community felt comfortable being vulnerable.

I want to express my profound gratitude to the RSAA26 volunteers. I know how stretched you all are with running this community conference, and the fact that you carved out space to listen to our lived experiences means the world to me. You successfully bridged the gap between technical standards and real, human-centric participation. Thank you for making this space feel like home.