UK Vogue December 2024 : SZA by Nadine Ijewere

[KoV]

The dismissal of the idea that anyone who has a visual impairment couldn’t possibly want to consume fashion content is enraging to me. Yes there is a lot of performative inclusiveness in the world BUT there are many people who want more access to creative content. To assume otherwise is just ignorant and lazy.

I don't think I saw anyone saying people with a visual impairment aren't or couldn't be interested in fashion content. People are just questioning the true motive and/or helpfulness of what British Vogue is doing.

Let's say someone with blindness IS keen to experience British Vogue through Instagram. What would be their experience and access? British Vogue only provides "alt text" for a few select posts, meaning they fall short if access and inclusivity are honest goals. It's like designing a museum with twenty galleries, each only accessible with stairs. Then building a ramp for just one of the galleries and congratulating themselves for being inclusive to people in wheelchairs. Their captions are also written in a way in which tags and hashtags are sprinkled throughout the caption rather than listed at the end, which is what one should do if writing for a screen reader. Also keep in mind the "alt text" they provide for screen readers doesn't even include a description of the text in the image. My understanding is, that screen readers for Instagram only read the caption, they're not able to read text in images. So the person with blindness is robbed of the knowledge that the cover says SZA a supernova on her own terms. This is about equitable access, right? I know that might sound like I'm splitting hairs, but I think it demonstrates that there is at least a possibility this is all just performative (brought on by their Disability issue a year and a half ago) rather than genuine inclusivity/accessibility.

British Vogue also set up a service for audio versions of each issue, ostensibly to make these entire issues accessible to people with blindness. How fab! The way they're set up makes no sense, though. Rather than letting people trying to experience the issues select individual content or articles to listen to, Vogue has instead released single audio files of (in some cases) over 5 hours straight of run-on content. Not user-friendly. It's no wonder only TWO people subscribe to this service with some issues having only been accessed THREE times total over the course of a year.

Now, is something better than nothing? Sometimes. But an argument could be made it's insulting to try and generate accolades and good press for inclusivity when you only give it a half-hearted go. It's nice to feel defensive of the rights of disabled people and to want equal access, but dismissing criticism as ignorant and lazy ain't the move.

 

[jeremydante]

The dismissal of the idea that anyone who has a visual impairment couldn’t possibly want to consume fashion content is enraging to me. Yes there is a lot of performative inclusiveness in the world BUT there are many people who want more access to creative content. To assume otherwise is just ignorant and lazy.

THANKYOU.