How to think beyond the binary with design | A11y Tokyo Meetup
Nov 14 @ 19:30 - 21:00 JST
Event Page in Japanese on Connpass
How to get to the venue
Venue: You won't be able to get to the venue after 19:40. Although this meetup page says it is an in-person event, this is a hybrid event that is streamed on Zoom.
Language: This session will be conducted in English.
Captions: Provided by UD Talk and on your web browser.
## It is the designer's job to question, "why?"
Before I became a designer, I didn't think too deeply about gender. I was born the way that I was, and that was that. Even if I wanted to change, it was impossible. But it is the designer's job to question, "why?" even if the answer may not be the one we expect--or want.
I did a co-research project with the LGBTQIA+ community in the US (2014) and in Japan (2018) and asked, "in what ways do you feel modern technology is helping you? Hurting you? Why?" The answers I got were very surprising.
Essentially: "Things are easy for us if we are following the life path provided to us by society. If we deviate in any way, it becomes very hard." This is especially true in Japan.
## We should all adopt to create solutions beyond the binary
In tonight's talk, I'll be covering my own personal story of coming out as non-binary, myself and others' stories about being transgender/X-gender/gender non conforming, and what are some essential principles we should all adopt to create solutions beyond the binary.
Remember: there are no stupid questions. We are all human. Be courageous, and come learn along with me.
Accessible, Hybrid, Multilingual Meetup
A11yTokyo Meetup is a unique meetup that features various genres of 'accessibility', conducted in a hybrid format of on-site and online broadcasting, primarily in Japanese and English.
Many foreigners participate in the on-site venue in Tokyo, building networks through socialization sessions. We use the voice recognition technology app 'UD Talk' to provide real-time captions, and its automatic translation feature allows for multi-language subtitle translation.
In past Tokyo venues, many Japanese and foreigners have participated. The post-session networking opportunity is a chance to build a global network! Additionally, people from various countries participate online from both within Japan and abroad.
Time Schedule
19:15 Venue Open
19:30 - 19:45 Introduction
19:45 - 20:30 Presentation, Q&A
20:30 - 21:00 Networking (Recommended to join on-site. This month we will experiment a separate online networking session for English and Japanese speakers. The zoom link will be shared after the presentation.
Speaker Profile
CJ Hostetter
CJ Hostetter (non-binary, they/them) is from the United States and became interested in living in Japan after studying abroad at the International Christian University (ICU) in 2007. In 2017, they moved to Japan after switching jobs from the international design agency frog to Goodpatch. For over 10 years, they have worked as a specialist in UX and design thinking.
On the teams they worked with, they also noticed that many developers had never met someone who was transgender or gender non-conforming (GNC). This led them to realize that much of the world, especially in the tech industry, is divided into "male" or "female," leaving those individuals who fall outside the binary without support.
As an experienced designer, they decided to speak up about this issue. During this time, they also came to realize that they too were non-binary.
They founded a bilingual design and video game company called Studio Terranova.
Studio Terranova
X: https://x.com/playterranova
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/studioterranova.bsky.social
CJ Hostetter
Personal site: https://illuminesce.net
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chostett
Access to Venue
Location: Open Collaboration Hub LODGE (LINE Yahoo Co., Ltd., Kioicho Office)
Address: 17th Floor, Garden Terrace Kioicho, 1-3 Kioicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo (directly connected to Nagatacho Station)
The detail is documented in How to Get to the Venue
An entry pass is required. Please fill in your name on the Google form, and it will be given to you at the 2nd-floor reception.
*Online participation is planned via a Zoom webinar. URL and other details will be provided in advance.
Sponsors
Thanks to LINE Yahoo for providing their venue.