The Story of David: A Life Changed by WUD - by Brian Sullivan

Wednesday, October 7, 2009 - by Brian Sullivan
The Story of David: A Life Changed by WUD
This is the story of David. There is no Goliath in this story. But, you will see how his life changed after the first World Usability Day.

I am lucky. I got to witness it.

For those of you that do not know about World Usability Day, it was founded five years ago by Elizabeth Rosenzweig to be a single day where designers, developers, and usability professionals come together to raise awareness, educate, and celebrate usable design. In 2008, there were events in over 40 countries. Elizabeth's dream (http://worldusabilityday.org) is still running strong in its 5th year.

This is not Elizabeth's story. It is David's story. Elizabeth does not know David, but she changed his life. Here is David's story. It begins on World Usability 2005, its first year.

I opened the WUD event at Sabre at 9AM, giving tours of the usability labs. My co-workers and I had stationed 15 booths, where we got to spotlight several products that had gone through usability. We had 300 people visit our usability labs. I had booked a conference room to show the Accessibility Channel webinars.

I gave tours to about 40 groups of people, as they came in waves. David was in the first group. He asked lots of questions. He told me that he took the day off to learn about usability and accessibility. He asked if he could stay in the Accessibility room to watch videos. Needing some help, I asked him to run the room for me.

Even now, I can see David's big grin, as he said, "Be glad to, amigo!" He stayed for the entire day (from 9Am-6PM). David took notes during the various presentations on Accessibility.

In the months that followed the WUD event, David and I struck up a nice friendship. David would visit my desk and borrow books. David and I took walks together, as we tried to lose weight. We talked about our families, hopes, dreams, and aspirations.

Like Elizabeth's dream for a World Usability Day, David had a similar dream. David wanted to teach people about technology--computers, digital cameras, social media (which was emerging), and more. David wanted to open a coffee shop, where he could also have a training space to teach people about technology.

The assistive technology that David has learned about from the Accessibility Channel had really sparked his interest. Some people said it lit a fire.

David scouted various locations in Fort Worth. Eventually, he did find a location. David opened a small business called Computers Made Easy in Forth Worth, Texas.

David's dream continues today. David has used the assistive technology and employs blind people in his store. David's company has received the following awards:

Texas Governor's Award - Small Employer of the Year (2008)
Easter Seals of North Texas - Small Employer of the Year (2008)
ARC of Greater Tarrant County - Professional of the Year (2008)

DARS Division For Blind Services - Business of the Year (2009)
Texas Advocates (ARC of Texas) - Employer of the Year (2009)
Five years ago, David went to World Usability Day. He stayed, learned, and dreamed.

Today, everyday is World Usability Day to him.

Elizabeth's dream inspired David to fulfill his dream. The world is a better place for it, too.
 

Original blog location: http://theusabilitycorner.blogspot.com/2009/10/story-of-david-life-changed-by-wud.html