Disability Advocacy for Self-Driving Cars with Henry Claypool

July 15, 2020 — Leave a comment
“Disability is different than some of these other protected classes. It’s traditionally been thought of as a negative experience–you’ve lost independence or lost certain functions that are innately human. But living with a disability presents a unique challenge that makes you really think about who [you] are.” – Henry Claypool, policy expert affiliated with UCSF.

In this episode, Henry Claypool, policy expert and former Director of the U.S. Health and Human Services Office on Disability, discusses the diversities within the disability community and how advocates are fighting for inclusivity in the transportation industry, particularly with the development of autonomous vehicles and popular ride-sharing services.

In this episode you will learn:

  • About the immense diversity of need within the disability community
  • How ride share services can either be beneficial or challenging depending on different disabilities 
  • Examples of both simple and highly extensive modifications to vehicles that accommodate physical disabilities
  • How certain populations with disabilities could benefit from autonomous vehicles 
  • What types of mechanical challenges for people with disabilities could be the same even in an autonomous vehicle
  • How disability advocates are working with automotive manufactures to be more inclusive in the early stages of vehicle development
  • How echolocation could be a model for the blind community to locate their car
  • How ride sharing will fundamentally shift the automotive market to accommodate disabilities
  • How we can build better data sets around people with disabilities

Links and mentions:

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Gig Work is Different for Undocumented Immigrants and Women, with Julia Ticona

July 6, 2020 — Leave a comment
“When we make work in a city, in a nation better for all workers, especially low-wage workers, we raise the boats of the people who are relying on these [gig] platforms as well.” – Julia Ticona, Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania

Overview:

In this episode, we interview Julia Ticona, a sociologist that researches technologies of work, emotions and inequalities. She’s currently an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communications and her forthcoming book examines how workers use personal devises to navigate the economic uncertainty created in the gig economy.

In this episode you will learn:

  • What is the gig economy and what are examples of digital platforms that are participating in the gig economy
  • How digital technologies are shaping the experience of low-wage workers
  • How the gendered aspect of service jobs were not initially being covered by the media
  • The history and landscape of Care.Com and other care platforms
  • The difference between on-demand services and marketplace platforms
  • How profile visibility can be disadvantageous or advantageous depending on the individual’s privilege
  • What are examples of safety issues associated with including visible information on your profile
  • What issues affect women, older workers, immigrants, and people of color on these platforms
  • How the structures for review on digital apps are problematic
  • Why scams are endemic to these care platforms
  • Challenges to using digital worker platform if you’re an undocumented immigrant
  • How the safety of your home neighborhood may affect your ability to use a platform
  • Recent victories in on-demand labor rights across the nation

Links and mentions:

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Revenge Porn is Really a Tech Problem with Darieth Chisolm

June 24, 2020 — Leave a comment
darieth-chisolm-podcast
“Whatever they do in the bedroom is their business. But once someone takes that content and makes it available for other people to see and they’re doing it with the intent to do harm, the game changes.” – Darieth Chisolm, founder of 50 Shades of Silence

Overview:

In this episode, Darieth Chisolm, Emmy-award winning television personality, NBC News anchor and activist for cyber sexual crimes, discusses her personal experience with revenge porn, the obstacles faced by victims today, and the complexities of free speech as it relates to sharing nude photos online.

In this episode you will learn:

  • About Darieth’s personal experience with revenge porn
  • Her challenge of taking legal action outside of the U.S.
  • The impact of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)
  • Examples of first steps on how victims can take legal action
  • Obstacles to taking down nude content that is published online
  • A brief history of policies like the SHIELD Act and Enough Act
  • How Freedom of Speech should not apply when it is enacted with the intent to do harm
  • The pervasiveness of victim shaming and victim blaming
  • The importance of parents having conversations about nude photos with their children
  • Resources for victims of revenge porn (linked below)
  • How Darieth is supporting victims today

Links and mentions:

  • 50 Shades of Silence Documentary
  • SHIELD Act
  • Enough Act
  • SpeakServeSoar.com membership
  • Cyber Crimes Act of 2015 in Jamaica
  • www.50shadesofsilence.com/
  • DMCA.com

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The Ghost Workers Behind the Tech Industry, feat. Mary Gray

June 3, 2020 — Leave a comment
“We, as consumers, should be holding technology companies that build services and products . . . to the same expectations that we hold scientists, so that [people] are given the opportunity to consent and say no.” – Mary Gray, co-author of Ghost Work: How to Stop Silicon Valley from Building a New Global Underclass

Overview:

In this episode, Mary Gray, Senior Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research and co-author of Ghost Work: How to Stop Silicon Valley from Building a New Global Underclass, discusses the work of the often invisible contract employees who bring an essential human element to tech and how the COVID-19 pandemic is bringing their undeniable value to light.

In this episode you will learn:

  • How contract workers are essential in aiding AIs and search engines
  • Examples of a ghost work in everyday technology
  • How the tech industry often devalues contract employees
  • What data labeling is
  • What a ghost worker’s daily schedule looks like
  • How the growing telehealth industry is a prime example of under-appreciated, yet essential contract work
  • The three elements that undermine job happiness
  • How business are benefiting from contract workers
  • The growing challenges of moving towards more contract-driven business
  • Why we should mind the gap rather than close the gap
  • How the pandemic is demonstrating the value of contract and ghost work
  • What are the limits of tech and where does human creativity and spontaneity become irreplaceable

Links and mentions:

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How McDonald’s empowered black America (but it’s complicated) with Dr. Marcia Chatelain

May 13, 2020 — Leave a comment
“It’s a lot easier to give someone the opportunity to run a business… than to say we’re going to invest in this idea of justice.” – Dr. Marcia Chatelain, Author of Franchise: The Golden Arches In Black America

Overview:

In the season 3 premiere of Innovation for All, Dr. Marcia Chatelain, author of Franchise: The Golden Arches In Black America and professor of History and African American Studies at Georgetown University, explains the complex history of McDonald’s in black America. She explains how the civil rights movement impacted black business ownership and how franchises, like McDonald’s, can be both an economic win and financially limiting for low-income communities.

Listen on iTunes

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In this episode you will learn:

  • How the civil rights movement impacted the growth of McDonald’s in black America
  • How McDonald’s utilized black-centered marketing strategies to fuel advertisements
  • The pros and cons to working in a franchise
  • How the fast food industry was seen as a win for low-income communities initially
  • How black-run McDonald’s franchises pooled resources to benefit the community
  • The differences of how white and black America viewed McDonald’s and its impact on advertising
  • How racist systems use black entrepreneurship as a way to avoid addressing racism
  • COVID-19: Challenges to the food justice movement and what environmental racism is
  • What are the limits of the private sector in COVID-19?
  • Experience and complexities of black franchise owners
  • How to reframe historical storytelling to highlight the community rather than the business

Links and mentions:

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