Stephanie Cascone

Sharing stories & creating content — a nonprofit MarComms professional, nonvisual accessibility pusher, she/they person. Not all the things — just Some.💙

[Stephanie Cascone @SomeSteph]

About Me:

💫 I assume everyone is a lesbian until proven otherwise

💫 I know thousands of blind people & amplify their voices

💫 I’m always in search of how to better phrase a message

[National Federation of the Blind @NFB_voice]

We have an urgent request for our members to submit comments in support of phasing out subminimum wages for people with disabilities. In December, the US Department of Labor released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to phaseout Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

[Stephanie Cascone @SomeSteph]

I’m headed to the @NFB_voice National Convention — working behind the scenes on communications but also connecting directly with thousands of blind people to continue amplifying our stories. #NFB24 💙

[Stephanie Cascone @SomeSteph]

@KateBour I think it might be.

I’m taking a walk outside and it’s glorious here on the east coast. For now. 😳

[Stephanie Cascone @SomeSteph]

A reminder before Pride starts: the A in LGBTQIA+ never stands for ally. 💙

[Stephanie Cascone @SomeSteph]

What type of space, experience, or event has felt the most inclusive to you?

[Stephanie Cascone @SomeSteph]

@JuntaeDeLane Yes I agree — unfortunately too many folks think they lack a creativity trait when actually they just aren’t building their creativity muscle. Marketing is an art & a science — creativity is critical.

[Stephanie Cascone @SomeSteph]

So many of us are working on accessibility awareness/education on a daily basis.

[Steven Aquino (he/him) @steven_aquino]

Global Accessibility Awareness Day, which is tomorrow, is a great litmus test for how mainstream tech news orgs cover accessibility.

It reminds that we can’t—shouldn’t—devote meaningful coverage of disability in tech to just one damn day of the year.

[Erica Schneider @ericasmyname]

To me, editing isn't an act of self-criticism — it's an act of self-awareness.

It's not about putting yourself down. It's about getting curious about your choices.

Less: This sentence sucks!
More: What can I do to make this stronger?

[Raven Baxter, Ph.D. @ravenscimaven]

Who are some people with disabilities in STEM that you would recommend for people to follow or explore their work? (thought leaders, activists, advocates)

[Stephanie Cascone @SomeSteph]

@ravenscimaven @DJDiG Advocate and educator @nlshaheen 💯

[Ross Simmonds @TheCoolestCool]

Put in the work.

I don’t know why this idea is getting a bad rep. But a lot of people are becoming anti-work lately and that’s not a good thing.

Great things take work.

Great relationships
Great businesses
Great friendships
Great health
Great art

It all takes work.

[Stephanie Cascone @SomeSteph]

@amyburesh It’s a great baby shower gift too!

[Carly Martinetti @PRcarly]

A journalist’s job is NOT to read every single pitch that they receive. That would be impossible.

A journalist’s job is to report the news that’s important to their audience.

Spend your time finding the right journalists, not mass-blasting pitches.

[Rosita Apaza Machaca @SumacQoyllur]

Recently had this discussion with a solicitor about PDF document accessibility.

If it has to be PDF, minimum OCR, with header tagging done correctly, and searchable. Image descriptions would be a bonus.

Word files work well but I’m not sure why PDF seems to be the standard.

[Swansea University Transcription Centre @SUTranscription]

@NFB_voice 1. Start your PDF with a well structured word document.
2. Don't use image only PDF documents.
3. Make sure the PDF is searchable and selectable.
4. Tag the PDF file.

[Dax Castro @daxjcastro]

@NFB_voice Accessible PDFs start with correctly designed source files. Use heading styles and avoid manual trickery, and your docs will be 60% there. Add image descriptions, and you are 80% there. #NoSignificantBarriers #a11y

[Stephanie Cascone @SomeSteph]

Program & event flyers, pricing plans, reports. So many inaccessible PDFs.

Marketing & Comms folks:
- know your target audience has disabled people
- anywhere an image is, alt text goes behind it
- clear text clutter
- explore the accessibility tools
- get feedback & improve

[National Federation of the Blind @NFB_voice]

We encounter inaccessible PDF files everywhere—at school, at work, in emails from friends and family… What do you suggest when others ask you how to make PDF’s accessible?

[Erica Schneider @ericasmyname]

Things that matter more than social media likes:

-Family + friends
-Mental health
-Physical health
-Hobbies
-Sales
-Revenue
-Yummy leftovers
-Enjoying your life

Keep showing up but keep it in perspective.

[Stephanie Cascone @SomeSteph]

@realBrookNash Near the Pickles are “condiments” = content-meant to be used 😝

[Stephanie Cascone @SomeSteph]

@hcpss_hahs Super exciting! 💙