Tristan
For my disabled followers, what do you consider when thinking about inclusive swag? Swag in this case meaning t-shirts, coffee mugs, backpacks, stickers, etc. that you acquire through conferences, work, or other places.
I struggle to name what I look for in swag for it to be inclusive as a blind person; I think the most I'd look for is cool tactile design on t-shirts and perhaps embossed designs on stickers. But even that's a stretch; I've never felt strongly enough to remotely consider this, and that's why I'm here! I also consider things like Braille to be a novelty, and don't feel excluded when it doesn't exist. In a nutshell--I don't really care. But I'm sure someone out there does. Surely there's at least one of you.
Please boost for reach.
#disabled #accessibility #blind #swag
May 9, 2025 at 2:33amWeb
Show threadMatt MayMay 9, 2025

@tristan I think the bigger the item, the more inclusive it should be. Like, stickers or pens, no big deal, but I also remember when CSUN gave out photo frames as their main swag and thought, seriously, in a crowd with a large blind contingent, THAT is your gift? It’s the thought (or lack of it) that counts

I always went for thumbdrives and power banks because pretty much everyone needs and can use them. One thing I still use after 10 years is a glass NFB mug with “thank you” etched in braille.

Show threadMatt MayMay 9, 2025
@tristan Personally, I liked when fidget toys were popular, and have positive associations with the companies that gave away the ones with nice ball bearings and some heft to them, not the cheap crappy ones. Showed they knew there was a tactile difference.
Show threadJames ScholesMay 9, 2025

@tristan I prefer things that have had some thought put into them over some junk with braille on it that'll break within months.

We put on a conference at work, and everybody got a magnetic lapel pin. It's a metallic cutout of the first letter of the events name, with a detailed tactile rendering of the conference logo worked into the front. So every time the logo was presented on screen, featured in materials or included on website pages, everybody could know the design. Didn't matter whether they could see or not, if they could or couldn't read braille, or even if they lacked some feeling in their fingers. They could also play with the powerful magnet if they were into that.

The pin is still stuck to my microphone arm. By contrast, I got gifted a GitHub mug with the vaguest of outlines of their mascot on it, and after eight weeks the handle fell off.

Show threadJames ScholesMay 9, 2025
@tristan Now: that's not to say I don't like functional items. If someone wants to hand out an inclusively designed mug that will actually last, that would be lovely. I'd quite appreciate feeling braille or whatever under my fingers while enjoying my coffee.
Show threadDD Javanne (she/her)May 9, 2025
@tristan the most inclusive t-shirt swag I've seen had the logo and text on the front with Braille and tactile graphics on the back.
Show threadEstelleMay 9, 2025
@tristan So I want to preface this by saying that I rarely attend events where I am likely to get stuff like this.
And I don't feel strongly enough about it to have much of an opinion.
But what I will add, is that the absense of tactile identifiers makes it about 80% less likely to be worn or used. It isn't cool to me if I can't even identify it. It's just another hat. or bottle. or t-shirt. I don't know the difference between something that I got at a convention or something I bought at *insert average cheapish place*. I want to know the difference before it matters to me. I don't care about legibility, I care about something conceivably memorable having something I can remember on it.
Show threadthe esoteric programmerMay 9, 2025
@tristan braille on those where is also regular writing would be nice indeed. Yes, someone can tell me what it says, but you know...
Show threadAndrew HodgsonMay 9, 2025
@tristan I don't get the sticker thing on laptops at all. For me its ruining a beautifully and smooth designed laptop lid with a bunch of rough stickers that are likely to be in various states of pealing off without me really noticing it.
Show threadAndrew HodgsonMay 9, 2025
@tristan Its also super useful for me to know what the swag is showing. For example I once put on a tea-shirt for a prior year's conference without realising the issue. Several people commented on it.
Show threadAmira LuminaMay 15, 2025
@tristan @simon I want a shirt that says, no I don’t want to touch your face. I don’t know where it’s been.
Show threadEstelleMay 15, 2025
@KaitlynAmira @tristan @simon lmao I would buy this if I had the balls to pull it off... ur... on... Something like that. Anyway, would buy.
Show threadAmira LuminaMay 16, 2025
@Estrella @tristan @simon I have shirts that say things like: “Not fragile like a flower, but fragile like a bomb”, “If my mouth doesn’t say it, my face will”, and simply, “fuck off”. I love angry sarcastic shirts. The more aggressive, the better.
Show threadx0May 16, 2025
@KaitlynAmira @Estrella @tristan @simon Breathe in strength, breathe out bullshit.
Show threadAndre LouisMay 16, 2025
@x0 @KaitlynAmira @Estrella @tristan @simon I have a shirt with that on it, sent to me a long time ago by Richy wilkin.
Show threadx0May 16, 2025
@FreakyFwoof @KaitlynAmira @Estrella @tristan @simon Yup I do as well from the same person, although for some reason the first time we put it in the wash the design bent into this convex shape and solidified. No clue how that happened.
Show threadBrian MooreMay 15, 2025
@KaitlynAmira @tristan @simon yes, I would like one of those too. NO one really does that!
Show threadKevanMay 15, 2025
@KaitlynAmira @tristan @simon I have a shirt with a stick figure swinging a cane. It says "Don't touch me".
Show threadAmira LuminaMay 16, 2025
@kev @tristan @simon This. Want. Did you customize it yourself?
Show threadKevanMay 16, 2025
@KaitlynAmira @tristan @simon I think this is the one. No descriptionn though. https://64ozbrl.threadless.com/designs/dont-touch-me
Don't Touch Me Men's T-Shirt | 64 Oz. Braille on Threadless

Don't Touch Me on Men's T-Shirt – The text reads "Warning. Don't touch me" and has a stick figure with a cane wacking another stick figure.

64 Oz. Braille on Threadless
Show threadx0May 16, 2025
@kev @KaitlynAmira @tristan @simon What do you call it when two blind people fight? Raising canes!
Show threadAndre LouisMay 16, 2025
@KaitlynAmira @tristan @simon OOOO I love that idea so hard!