Why We Need Universal Design | Michael Nesmith | TEDxBoulder

Michael is a deaf and native American Sign Language speaker working as a creative designer for Amazon. Throughout his career, Michael's visual/conceptual way of thinking and problem solving have served him both as an asset and a challenge. He finds solutions around his disability through Universal Design.
Michael Allen Nesmith, a Chicago native, was born into a deaf-culture family using ASL as the primary language. He attended Gallaudet University (an all-deaf college) in Washington DC and then moved back to Chicago for his MFA in Visual Communication Design at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He moved to Portland, Oregon to begin his advertising career in W+K12; an experimental advertising school housed inside Wieden+Kennedy's Portland office. He is now a visual designer at Amazon in Seattle, WA. Throughout his career, Michael's visual/conceptual way of thinking and problem solving have served him both as an asset and a challenge.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx

[@gesuindia8603]

We need universal design everywhere. Thank you for highlighting its significance so well.

[@SDavidCSUN]

As mentioned by others, clean captions (with proper transcription of words, punctuation, and capitalization) would be helpful and would enable those who cannot hear AND do not know ASL to benefit from this video. (Kinda ironic, since this is about UD.)

[@Quantum_LightCodes]

If you Click the CC button there are subtitles, not sure how accurate google youtube autotranslator is, good point, as relying on KZbin Subtitles can be unintened by the production studio, TED should defintitely make that mandatory.

[@suzannedavid7947]

@@Quantum_LightCodes TED videos are always properly captioned, but TEDx have different standards, unfortunately. The auto-generated captions are very unusable, even when the words are (mostly) correct. The lack of capitalization and punctuation create a much higher level of cognitive load. As a hard of hearing person who is not proficient in ASL, if a video doesn't have good captions, I don't watch, and I don't share it with my students.

[@fuerteybrava]

This was great! I do wish the camera work had been more deaf-friendly: the cutaways to the audience were frustrating, and some of the close-up shots of the speaker were too close in, so you couldn't see the full signs.

[@soolenia9844]

There is a cc caption available tho

[@chriswixtrom6514]

@@soolenia9844 It's still best for some people to be able to see the signing.

[@reesemalo]

​​@@soolenia9844 ASL is many people's first language, and perhaps their only language. Signs need to be seen.

[@sanjuansteve]

As a deaf person, he naturally has more empathy than most of us and with empathy skills, he can put himself into the shoes, hearts and minds of people from all over the world. Empathy is the best skill for someone in marketing! :D

[@boggianluzecriacao]

Parabéns Sanjuansteve. Depois dê uma olhada no meu canal sobre iluminação. Tem vídeo novo

[@sarahalmeida1631]

This is an amazing talk. I’m an educator, but thinking of my job as innovation of education and how learning disabilities (or different learning styles) and teaching in a way that is accessible to all benefits ALL students, not just the ones with said disabilities. Thinking of disability as driving innovation is an incredible way to frame education and teaching. Thank you for this!

[@bobpilkey2367]

Yes, I thought the same thing as the last comment, quite ironic. I am hearing but spent 10 years volunteering within the deaf community. When I watch videos, like this one, I turn the sound off. Although the techs doing the video recording do an excellent job when it is a hearing person, they need to be aware that an ASL "speaker" with an interpreter, is a different situation.

[@nellamc5833]

God bless these minds and everyone! May we bring each other closer to him through spreading blessings!

[@fionasmith5767]

amazing to watch this, with the deaf interpreter speaking live... that was a beautiful dance :) And a great introduction to Universal Design too.

[@cyndiwiley]

I wish the captions were more accurate. That is my only critique. Otherwise, a great talk!

[@tserrant3784]

Bold, brave, and to the point. Sure we all are disabled in some way. Not all of us can use a cell phone, computer or laptop to its full potential. An encouraging speech! Congratulations!

[@audioaccessibility]

Based on comments from deaf people, majority of them don't like to use glasses to watch captions. Many complain about Sony Glass and Captiview. They would prefer to watch OPEN captions on a screen - it's what is universal design, not eyeglasses.

[@chriswixtrom6514]

I enjoyed this excellent presentation. Thank you for providing it!

[@SuperWinnieB]

This is an amazing talk!!. Currently going through a Universal Design and Accessibility course ,and it everything now resonates

[@martinbarrios5720]

Thank you for sharing your insights.

[@loraduvall708]

Great presentation!!

[@elizabethcanalejo2958]

That camera work needed adjustments. When they cut away to the fullscreen images it completely messed me up and I had no idea what he was talking about. they should've done partial images

[@suziemariel]

Thanks for this ! Great presentation.

[@shoonyah]

Brilliant talk !! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 No talk

[@tjkk127]

Great speech..

[@dhrubamaharjan8732]

Amazing. 🙏🙏🙏

[@nitag43]

i really enjoyed this and learned alot.

[@skiitswitch]

Great talk!

[@Bassma0000]

So inspiring

[@professorjess328]

Can you upload more accurate captions? Thank you!!

[@melissahughan5032]

Love!!

[@deveshpandya5497]

It was published on my birthday Nice video..

[@stopthegop4894]

Excellent!

[@maxhornick1431]

Fix these captions. It's ridiculous that you would have inaccurate auto-generated captions on a video about accessibility.

[@ashleyboyer3802]

The camera angles need to be better. It cut off the sign around the 4min mark

[@avmonwards7037]

Can you please correct some of the typos in the closed captioning? I know its six years ago lol!

[@user-jc6gz2mf2p]

nice

[@CatH-MFung-br9bb]

The camera is not Deaf friendly. Parts of the signing is missing.

[@mariam8146]

Spanish subtitles please

[@nicoletorcolini5316]

🤣 4:55

[@fayezzaky1075]

ىىى ء

[@leakysub1136]

The comedy is unnecessary and in some ways offensive. The case examples are poor.

[@andrewteli]

leakysub what examples would you suggest? I personally enjoyed the humour.

[@nicolemispagel4125]

I would like to know what was offensive as well.

[@itsandrewbitch1824]

K now I'm crying.