Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4RysJspGE4 Starts at: 01:53:32 (jump to 01:53:32)
Kim Kozak — Disability Pride and ADA Advocacy Talk
[01:53:32] Hold on. [01:53:33] Hold on. [01:53:34] Now you’re trying to act like you can’t read? [01:53:41] It’s okay. [01:53:42] You went to public school. [01:53:43] Hey, right. [01:53:44] Right. [01:53:45] God, chill out. [01:53:46] I want to learn. [01:53:47] I want to learn. [01:53:48] Chill out, I went to public school too. [01:53:50] Jeez, it’s a joke. [01:53:52] Alright, I’m going to try my best. [01:53:54] We’re going to see. [01:53:55] Coming to the stage, give it up for Kim Kozak. [01:53:59] There you go. [01:54:02] Oh, there she goes. [01:54:05] Alright. [01:54:09] As usual, very little preparation. [01:54:12] I was out here last year, [01:54:13] and I really thank Tyler for putting this on. [01:54:15] On a rainy day, it’s almost a full house, [01:54:18] and so it’s nice to see everybody. [01:54:19] Last year, I was 10 months into [01:54:21] two sequential neurosurgeries. [01:54:24] Let’s give it up for non-psychiatric psychiatric disorders. [01:54:29] So, two subsequent neurosurgeries, [01:54:33] and then finding my way. [01:54:34] Having had chronic diseases my whole life [01:54:37] that weren’t appropriately diagnosed, [01:54:39] I found myself blowing my dura [01:54:41] and leaking all my spinal fluid out [01:54:42] on a roadside rest center. [01:54:45] And so, [01:54:45] that was an interesting time. [01:54:47] Now, I’m a year and a half in, [01:54:49] and I just want to remind everybody [01:54:50] about what I talked about before. [01:54:52] You know, I was a federal ADA consultant, [01:54:55] and the amount that we disclosed [01:54:57] during the interactive process [01:54:58] to get an accommodation, [01:54:59] should we so need one, [01:55:01] it can be really difficult. [01:55:02] Most organizations don’t even know [01:55:04] who on earth administers the Americans [01:55:06] with Disabilities Act inside HR, [01:55:08] much less through 508 compliance [01:55:10] or something regarding access in a wheelchair [01:55:12] or trying to deal with a customer service issue [01:55:14] whenever you’re totally frustrated [01:55:15] out of your mind, [01:55:16] and they don’t speak the same language that you do, right? [01:55:20] So, anyhow, I just want to thank you all [01:55:22] for being available to come and speak to you, [01:55:25] because there’s a lot of forums where people [01:55:27] with disabilities are not accepted. [01:55:29] This is Disability Pride Month. [01:55:31] It’s also national, like, barbershop quartet month [01:55:34] or something like that, too. [01:55:36] So, we have to figure out, you know, [01:55:38] what takes precedence over what we pay attention to. [01:55:40] It’s not even a formally recognized month. [01:55:42] As you know, the day is in, like, March or something like that. [01:55:45] It’s not disability awareness, but it takes a whole month [01:55:47] to really absorb a movement of people [01:55:49] that are willing to speak out. [01:55:51] One day is insufficient, especially when it’s layered [01:55:53] with lots of other national holidays and whatnot. [01:55:56] So, anyhow, I wanted to also give a small little plug, [01:56:00] because just like the future of communication is changing, [01:56:03] the future of the way that we consume art is changing, too. [01:56:06] So, any of you all that are performance artists, rap artists, [01:56:10] hip-hop artists, any type of song artist, [01:56:12] you can join the Metaverse underneath, [01:56:14] underneath rap.hip-hop and become NFT’d under a cryptocurrency [01:56:18] by a really generous founder for free. [01:56:21] And so, I volunteer with that, and it’s a pretty big movement. [01:56:24] Monday nights, 6 is Metaverse Monday. [01:56:26] It’s free to attend an online forum [01:56:29] where you can experience open mic across the world. [01:56:32] I saw, like, five or six different foreign languages rapping [01:56:35] and performing hip-hop in there a couple of weeks ago. [01:56:39] So, it’s optimized for Oculus Rift, and it’s a 3D environment. [01:56:43] And like I said, [01:56:44] any performance artist, rapper, hip-hop, or loose affiliate, [01:56:48] through this program, you can get NFT’d into cryptocurrency for free. [01:56:52] So, if you’re not in crypto yet, neither am I. [01:56:55] But what I see is a wonderful community grassroots organization investing [01:56:59] in the future of how we’re going to communicate tomorrow. [01:57:01] So, again, just remember, you don’t have [01:57:05] to disclose your entire disability in order [01:57:07] to get an accommodation at work, [01:57:09] even though no one actually follows the law. [01:57:12] Keep your chin up. [01:57:13] And, you know, I’m not saying, you know, I’m not saying, you know, [01:57:14] I’m not saying, you know, I’m not saying, you know, I’m not saying, you know, I’m not saying, you know, [01:57:14] I’m not saying, you know, I’m not saying, you know, I’m not saying. [01:57:14] I feel free to talk to me afterwards. [01:57:16] And everyone has been super-duper great except brown paper bag made me cry, [01:57:19] and that wasn’t nice. [01:57:21] I’m brown paper tall. [01:57:26] That’s so embarrassing. [01:57:29] You see her? [01:57:29] I did it. [01:57:31] Anyhow. [01:57:33] She made me. [01:57:34] She made me totally cry. [01:57:36] From the last one, yeah. [01:57:38] I know we do. [01:57:39] You made me cry last time, too. [01:57:42] I know. [01:57:42] I know. [01:57:43] Y’all take it. [01:57:44] Thank you. [01:57:44] Yes, give it up for her one more time, y’all.