The author reflects on their journey with Ruby, from discovering it in university to building a career around Ruby on Rails. They highlight the vibrant Ruby community, the influence of key figures like Matz and _why, and the impact of Rails on web development. The author emphasizes how Rails’ ease of use and rich ecosystem made it a game-changer, allowing for rapid prototyping and experimentation. The Ruby on Rails community, once a welcoming space, has become increasingly hostile. The author, a trans woman, reflects on the community’s decline, highlighting the negative impact of David Hamburger Helper, a figure who embodies the community’s shift towards toxicity. The author also discusses the broader societal issues impacting the trans community, emphasizing the need for awareness and action. The author expresses concern about the influence of wealthy individuals and corporations on the Ruby community, specifically highlighting Shopify’s financial influence on Rubygems. The author also criticizes David Hamburger Helper, a prominent Ruby community leader, for his controversial and divisive statements, particularly those targeting the transgender community. The author argues that such behaviour is harmful and contributes to a toxic environment within the community. The author reflects on the negative impact of David’s actions on the Ruby and Rails communities, highlighting his domineering behaviour and the resulting decline of Ruby’s popularity. The author expresses disappointment in the current state of the tech industry, where creativity and programmer happiness are overshadowed by efficiency and conformity. They hope to influence those in David’s orbit to reconsider their support for him and to encourage the Ruby community to prioritize its core values. The author criticizes the toxic behaviour of David Hamburger Helper, arguing that it is harming the Ruby community and pushing out marginalized groups. They call on Ruby maintainers to take action, suggesting a fork of the project if necessary, and urge the broader community to stand up against abuse and support a more inclusive future for Ruby. The author also highlights the importance of democratic governance in open-source projects, citing the Python Software Foundation’s recent decision to prioritize their values over funding. The author reflects on their experience with the Ruby on Rails community, highlighting its fun and inclusive culture, while acknowledging its flaws and the presence of bad actors. They express disappointment with Ruby Central’s handling of a recent situation and criticize the far-right movement’s influence on trans rights. The author also shares their personal journey of growth and change, emphasizing the importance of kindness and vulnerability.

A study of over 130,000 adults with insomnia found that long-term melatonin use (over a year) was associated with a higher risk of heart failure, hospitalization, and death. The study, presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2025, raises concerns about the safety of melatonin, a widely used sleep aid. Researchers emphasize the need for further research to assess melatonin’s cardiovascular safety. A study of 130,828 adults with insomnia found a potential link between melatonin use and heart failure. The study, using data from the TriNetX network, compared 65,414 participants prescribed melatonin for at least a year to a control group. While the study raises safety concerns, it cannot prove a direct cause-and-effect relationship, highlighting the need for further research. Contact 1-800-AHA-USA1 for public inquiries.

Cognixion is using Apple Vision Pro in a clinical study to explore how people with conditions like ALS and spinal cord injuries can communicate using brain signals, eye tracking, and AI. The study, which runs through April 2026, leverages Vision Pro’s high-resolution video passthrough and accessibility features like Eye Tracking and AssistiveTouch. This collaboration highlights how Apple’s accessibility framework, while not designed for medical use, is enabling significant advancements in healthcare technology.

The non-alcoholic beverage market in Canada is growing, but prices remain high. This is due to the complex and costly production process, similar to alcoholic beverages, and the need to maintain a premium price point to ensure perceived quality. As the market matures, prices may decrease slightly, but non-alcoholic drinks are likely to remain premium products.

CBC News will provide live coverage of the Remembrance Day ceremony from Ottawa on Tuesday, including a moment of silence and the laying of a wreath by the Silver Cross Mother.

Interac logo displayed in Toronto on August 23, 2023.

Stay sharp, and know the exits

If you follow me on social media, one of the themes you’ll find I talk about fairly often related to accessibility is how text that isn’t shown visually needs to have better verificatio…

A study assessed an LLM’s ability to generate accessible HTML code, revealing concerning shortcomings. The model demonstrated a superficial understanding of accessibility, often including unnecessary ARIA attributes and failing to address fundamental issues like form labelling and keyboard navigation. The findings underscore the need to improve training data to ensure AI-generated code adheres to accessibility best practices. The text discusses the limitations of AI-generated code in terms of accessibility, highlighting issues like improper use of HTML elements, lack of error state management, and unnecessary JavaScript. It suggests that these limitations can be addressed by improving training data, fine-tuning models for accessibility, and integrating accessibility considerations into prompt engineering and IDE integrations. The author emphasizes the importance of prioritizing accessibility in AI-generated code to ensure a more inclusive web.

In the mid-1990s, a Unix administrator named Mason worked for a newspaper that started a dial-up ISP. He shared a prank email about “Internet Cleaning Day” with the ISP help desk manager, who believed it and planned to notify customers. Mason quickly clarified the joke, averting a potential customer service disaster.

A government website rejected a strong, randomly generated password, requiring a manually selected one instead. The website’s password guidelines have since changed, but the author finds the situation ironic and concerning.

Meta’s smart glasses now feature a “quick connect” option, allowing users to create one-touch shortcuts for frequently used communication actions, reducing reliance on voice commands. This feature, similar to the Oakley Meta Vanguard’s “action button,” enables users to quickly message, call, or share media with a designated contact.

Apple’s ‘Accessibility Nutrition Labels’ will put investments in inclusive design in the spotlight. But Cory Joseph says companies don’t need to be huge to embrace accessibility.

We are excited to announce the upcoming launch of a new community bug tracking initiative at AppleVis. Since at least 2012, AppleVis has regularly published lists of new and fixed accessibility bugs in Apple software impacting blind, DeafBlind, and low vision users. As an independent editorial organization, we see the tracking and reporting of these bugs to be one of the more impactful ways in which we live out our mission to serve and empower our community.

Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), which takes place this Thursday, is a worldwide initiative dedicated to raising awareness about digital access and inclusion.

: Plus: How to make Google less unhelpful

Visible Voices is part magazine, part gallery, and part curated e-shop. As a whole, it’s a cultural rebrand.

Audible has announced that it is adding new audiobooks to its library using narration technology powered by AI from Amazon.

Over 20 years, AbleGamers has become synonymous with the accessibility movement as its presence and influence grew across the industry. However, new reports from former employees and members of the accessibility community describe abuse, financial mismanagement from leadership, and a board that failed to protect its employees.

Ahead of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) Apple is offering a preview of accessibility features coming to its platforms later this year; including Accessibility Nutrition labels for App Store apps, Magnifier for Mac, Braille Access, and more.

Users can control AI DJ with voice commands.

Donna J. Jodhan is pleased to share her latest ask an expert feature with you. Each month, Donna shares 10 tips on various pieces of software that are common, popular, and important to persons who …

Testing Deque's axe Assistant for accuracy and ability.

This Kitty Kills Fascism

iOS 18.5 for iPhone is now available for everyone. The update brings multiple new features to iPhone users, including a...

Bell has started a marketing campaign against the CRTC because it hates sharing its infrastructure with Telus.

"If y'all are truly allies, do the work."

Who, Me?: It was acceptable in the '80s

There is once again international competition for my attention in the anthology release, another New Writings facing off against new fiction from the USSR.

In 2005, Apple introduced VoiceOver, a built-in screen reader that revolutionised accessibility for blind and low-vision users. Two decades later, VoiceOver remains a cornerstone of Apple's commitment to inclusive design, empowering millions to navigate technology independently.

The Accessibility Task Force of the W3C Publishing Community Group has announced the release of the Accessibility Metadata Display Guide for Digital Publications 2.0. […]

A senior Microsoft engineer has explained how the Windows team has designed the native clipboard such that it does not hog the system.

Be sure to tune in tonight at 7PM Pacific for a terrific Science Fiction Theater! by Gideon Marcus It shouldn't happen here (or anywhere) It was a scene out of Saigon or Prague. It shouldn't be happening in Middle America. On May 4, Ohio National Guardsmen, shot four Kent State students dead, wounding ten more. … Continue reading [May 8, 1970] Tower of Glass (June 1970 Galaxy) →

…Unless you want to fail all the WCAGs, create litigation risk, close off opportunities in Europe, engage in reputational harm, and oh yeah, throw up barriers to your customers and users. What am I talking about? Figma announced Figma Sites, letting you publish your Figma designs directly to the web.…

Rogers has apparently begun enforcing stricter identity checks for new mobile activations, according to an internal notice seen by iPhone in Canada. The updated process, which took effect on May 6, is part of the company’s push to strengthen customer security and reduce fraud. Although the system and submission process remain unchanged, Rogers employees are

Learn how inaccessibility impacts your bottom line and how data-driven accessibility efforts drive ROI, reduce risk, and unlock growth.

This is a follow-up to my prior post: "AI is the future of accessibility". There are market changes that will be materializing in the coming years that will be hugely impactful for all white collar jobs. Some say that time period is 3-5 years, others say it is more like a decade. Regardless of timeline,

Graph databases are on the rise, but amid all the hype it can be hard to understand the differences under the hood. This is the first…

Sunday, the 27th of April 2025 marked a major turning point for Tech-Freedom, one of the blind-specific apps on Android, which includes features like a

I was in the city a few weeks ago and exclusively used Waymo for the entire trip. My biggest complaint? I needed to walk four minutes to a pick-up spot. Other than that, the car just showed up, traversed San Francisco streets easily, and the cost was reasonable1. Sitting in the back seat watching t

The team at Fordhall Organic Farm, England’s first community-owned farm, in Shropshire are excited to have introduced a ‘Braille Trail’ on-site, providing a tactile experience for visually impaired visitors.