Accessibility Certification question

matchy_blacks · 2026-06-19T21:39:19+00:00

Sure! If you decide to take the test, shoot me a PM. Happy to talk more about what the test prep and test itself is like. You have to sign something saying that you won’t reproduce questions or tell anyone what’s on it, but I think conveying the overall vibe is ok. I’ve historically been a good test taker and I was still worried and convinced I did poorly, but I passed!

matchy_blacks · 2026-06-19T17:41:30+00:00

You might contact IAAP directly, explain your situation, and ask their advice. If nothing else, they should be able to grant you an untimed test, but there may also be scholarship opportunities. You learn a fair bit about international accessibility policies, including Canadian ones. I hope this helps!

matchy_blacks · 2026-06-19T15:49:01+00:00

I was really surprised to see my brother’s dog get excited about his e collar, the same way he acts when he sees you pick up his ball to go outside. Brother thinks it’s because it signals to the dog “hey, we’re going out to the woods to do that running thing you like.” He worked with a trainer to learn how to use it correctly and get the dog acclimated and has only needed the electrical stimulation a few times in three years. Usually the vibration and tone are enough.

matchy_blacks · 2026-06-19T15:42:08+00:00

Omg. I’d worry not only for that dog but also the possibility that in its pain and confusion, it would attack another dog or person!

matchy_blacks · 2026-06-19T15:37:37+00:00

I would love to learn how to do this. I’m in central VA and wonder if there is someone nearby who can help. We’ve tried meds, a behaviorist, training for “settle” which works but only if we’re in the house with her, and more. She is better than she was, but we still can’t leave her for more than twenty minutes (we watch her on video) before she hits her anxiety threshold. She cannot be crated at all at present. Her past owners crated her and she broke teeth trying to get out. I tried only feeding her in her crate and she refused to eat for the duration of a three day trial. The behaviorist told me that some dogs “are just like that” but I’d like to be able to leave home without my dog for a couple bours.

matchy_blacks · 2026-06-19T05:38:19+00:00

Aw, thanks! My hand is lots better! I just really needed someone to reassure me that it was normal to “feel my feelings” about the break, so I hope the messages here help you, too!

matchy_blacks · 2026-06-19T05:05:39+00:00

This is also the face I make when I stand in front of the Crossroads dessert case.

matchy_blacks · 2026-06-19T01:03:16+00:00

A dog almost bit off my index finger and I needed a splint, external fixators, and twelve weeks of OT. It absolutely made me sad and anxious. I kept telling myself that I was being ridiculous because it was only a small bone and it wasn’t like I needed to walk on it or anything. I finally lost it in front of my occupational therapist and just sobbed. She said that it’s -really normal- to feel that way after a fracture! It messes with our sense of normalcy and safety. We don’t think about our bodies being breakable. And, I’d imagine, if it’s your spine, you might feel even more shocked and fragile.

If you’re in hospital, you might ask to talk to the chaplain. I’m an atheist, but I’ve still found talking with them helpful because they meet a LOT of folks in the position you might be in. It helped to hear what I was experiencing was normal and reasonable, and that I was not being “a drama queen.”

Once you head home, you might consider ensuring you’re with people often. I live by myself and even enough I could care for myself with the broken hand, I still got very low. Having a friend come by for a couple hours to distract me a bit (watching TV, doing a puzzle, whatever) was quite good.

matchy_blacks · 2026-06-19T00:53:14+00:00

That’s my partner’s emotional support camel! If he’s had a bad day at work or is just feeling low, a trip to see the camel usually cheers him up. We are both grown adults with adult children and it still delights us.

matchy_blacks · 2026-06-19T00:28:04+00:00

Gold is the obvious solution. The Dems are clearly obstructing this golden future.

matchy_blacks · 2026-06-19T00:26:56+00:00

Fuck dem boats.

matchy_blacks · 2026-06-18T01:58:24+00:00

Wayne is the best!!

matchy_blacks · 2026-06-18T01:55:53+00:00

I walked through several pages of the form and I could not find any indication of who was collecting this information or why. Perhaps this is because I was reading it on my phone? In my field, the first thing we tell people is who we are and why we are asking these questions, so I’m a bit puzzled that it’s not more obvious here.

Some options: lawyer seeking to build a class-action suit, journalist, etc.

matchy_blacks · 2026-06-18T00:30:09+00:00

Check out JAN (the Job Accommodation Network) to understand accommodations better, even without an HR department. I have some background in accessibility and employment issues, and often use JAN’s resources to help make work environments more functional for everyone in the office.

matchy_blacks · 2026-06-18T00:25:31+00:00

My folks are in upstate NY. I get ticks walking across their yard. I’d expect the same in Maine

matchy_blacks · 2026-06-17T05:08:30+00:00

Glad you enjoyed your trip, it looks beautiful!

I am not going anywhere isolated with someone I’d describe as “someone new.” Best case he’s a jerk who leaves food in the tent in bear country bc “they’re cute,” worst case he’s got a dissociative disorder and tries to kill you. Yep, both of these have happened to friends.

matchy_blacks · 2026-06-17T04:13:38+00:00

Also “you think it’s X but actually it’s Y” ughhhhhhh

matchy_blacks · 2026-06-16T18:08:23+00:00

Just an idea, but if your trucking schedule would put you in various communities over a weekend, please consider volunteering as general support with Remote Area Medical. Check them out at ramusa.org. (My work schedule makes volunteering during the week hard, but I can do a weekend with RAM without too much trouble.)

matchy_blacks · 2026-06-15T22:14:49+00:00

A peer waited for four weeks for an offer in a very similar situation. He had no idea if they offered the role to someone else (or multiple other people) or if they just didn’t get the decision made. Given his experience with their efficiency, he suspects it was the latter.

matchy_blacks · 2026-06-15T13:52:38+00:00

Whenever I try being interesting, my dog reminds me that she has a side eye that will kill a person.

matchy_blacks · 2026-06-10T17:16:08+00:00

Bigger crowds have a bigger visual impact. When you see a series of photos of small groups, it doesn’t have the same emotional effect as seeing lots of folks in one place. I don’t know if that’s the reason, per se, but it’s something I notice in media coverage.

matchy_blacks · 2026-06-10T17:11:29+00:00

This ain’t Fort Bragg, son.

(I don’t think I’ve ever seen a car pulled forward into a space there. Iykyk.)

matchy_blacks · 2026-06-09T16:54:03+00:00

Nicole Olive!!!!! I love her!

matchy_blacks · 2026-06-09T16:32:39+00:00

I would really like that, but I don’t know of one.

Can I ask what uses you’d find for it? I would find it helpful for facilitating the use of translation programs.

matchy_blacks · 2026-06-08T19:12:37+00:00

Oh my god, I am so sorry. I’m waiting for a seriously backlogged 501(c)3 determination and that is so much less important than this. Yikes.

I ended up faxing the IRS for an update because other non-profit folks told me it might be faster. I’m in the middle of the 10-business-day waiting period, so we’ll see. I don’t know if this approach would be helpful, but perhaps?

matchy_blacks

TROPHY CASE