More Than Mobility with Dr Zack Yarde: Why Accessibility Includes the Words We Read

Guest: Dr Zack Yarde

Length: 35:05

Episode Summary
In this episode, Dr Zack Yarde explores accessibility from a broader, more inclusive perspective. While many people think of accessibility in terms of ramps, doorways, and office design, Zack explains that true inclusion goes much further — including the documents people read every day and the fonts those documents use.

Zack reflects on when he realized this work would become his career and shares how his thinking shifted from the medical model of disability to the social model. That change reshaped not only how he understood disability, but also how he understood himself and his own lived experience. The conversation also examines what many workplaces still get wrong about inclusion, and why accessibility must be part of culture, design, communication, and systems — not just compliance.

The episode also turns to one of Zack’s side projects: a book on accessibility in tabletop role-playing games. He discusses how villains are often written in ableist, simplistic ways, and why more complex, contextualized characters can make storytelling more thoughtful and inclusive. 

Finally, inspired by Zack’s LinkedIn post urging people not to default to Times New Roman, the episode explores inaccessible fonts, why font choice matters, and why Lexend is currently his preferred option.

Key Topics Covered
• When Dr Zack Yarde realized accessibility and disability inclusion would shape his career
• What many offices still get wrong about inclusion
• The shift from the medical model of disability to the social model
• How this shift changed how Zack understands disability and himself
• Zack’s upcoming book on accessibility in tabletop role-playing games
• How villains are often depicted in ableist ways in games and storytelling
• Why villains need more complexity and context
• Accessible fonts and why font choice matters
• Why Zack advocates moving beyond Times New Roman
• Why Lexend is one of his favorite accessible fonts

What You’ll Learn

1)Accessibility is more than physical accessZack highlights how inclusion also depends on communication, systems, and document design.

2)Models of disabilityThe episode contrasts the medical and social models of disability and how each shapes responsibility and barriers.

3)Changing self-perceptionZack reflects on how his understanding of disability changed how he saw himself.

4)Accessibility in tabletop gamesThe conversation looks at how tabletop role-playing games can be designed with accessibility in mind.

5)Rethinking villainsZack argues that villains are often written in ableist ways and should be more nuanced.

6)Accessible fontsHe explains why font choices matter and how text design can create barriers.

Resources & Links
• Connect with Dr Zack Yarde on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zackyarde/

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• LinkedIn: Hollis Peirce

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