Universal Design In Life And Work

Passive-aggressiveness in the workplace can be really problematic because that sort of tension and hostility can permeate the mindset of an entire team. Even if you’re not someone who’s directly involved in that conflict, you can still feel that tension, you can still sense that something’s not quite right. When working with someone who has a problematic past, understanding the context is essential. Approaching an individual on their terms, try to understand where they’re coming from, what was their past, their history. And what does that mean for them today? Extend a sense of empathy to others. Where are they coming from? What was their experience? What was the context of their experience? Try to understand them better so that you can make a good judgment call about whether you will work with them. If you have to work with someone who is uncooperative or unprofessional, work on creating clear boundaries. Don’t overextend yourself. Express your feelings non-violently and clearly state what you need in order to fulfill your responsibilities. Read the full transcript at dranthony.design

From an early age, I had the opportunity to see a variety of different leadership styles. It often seems like there’s only one model of leadership, but in reality, there are many different ways of being a leader. A formal leader might be a boss or executive. But an informal leader is the person we look to help understand a situation more clearly. Women and men think of their leadership in different ways. Women often say that mentorship is a strong part of their leadership. They also say that they are both more hands-on and visionary in their leadership styles. We need to evolve our understanding of a leader. Look behind the silhouette of what we imagine when we think of a leader, and see the spectrum of different leadership styles. Full transcript available at dranthony.design

Here are my tools and tips on conducting research. Bear in mind, these are things that have worked for me and my research. It either may not work for you or you may need to use a different approach. Do what makes sense for you, and follow your motivation. Research skills evolve over time. So even though these tools may work for you now, you'll want to update your toolkit periodically. Happy researching! Full transcript available at dranthony.design

I’m an action researcher. That means that I don’t often do purely theoretical research or purely fundamental research. I’m an applied researcher that uses knowledge to provide solutions for specific social challenges. I’m not interested in publishing research that goes on a shelf and nobody reads, I’m interested in putting knowledge into practice. One of the most important parts of that process is disseminating the ideas, practices, and recommendations that come out of my research. As academics, whatever we do isn’t going to be perfect. It’ll never be future-proof or irrefutable. It’s not meant to be. There are always limitations and nuances in research. But being able to take what we know and translate it into an easy-to-understand and relatable piece of information that’s also relevant to on-going social trends can transform your work and create impact. Learn how to operationalize science communication. There is a methodology to it. Start by breaking it into a process with clear activities that can showcase the research process as well as the outputs. Do what’s in your capacity, that fits with your schedule and workflow. It provides an excellent approach to connecting your research and teaching and it acts as a powerful force for change. Full transcript available at dranthony.design

Communication works on a spectrum, like almost everything it’s not “being able to communicate” and “not being able to communicate”. There’s a spectrum of ways in which we communicate. The key criteria is that you can get your point across, that you can make yourself understood to the other person. Since communication exists on a spectrum, I think it’s really important to reflect on barriers to communication, whether that’s prejudice or stigma or a literal barrier that prevents somebody from understanding what somebody else is saying. And if you’re someone who struggles with communication, the best advice that I can offer is don’t blame yourself. Don’t feel inhibited. Stand up and do what you can to be understood. If you are inhibited by somebody else’s prejudice, then you’re holding back the value that you can contribute to the world. In that case, the prejudice is winning. Be okay, with the fact that your English isn’t perfect. And if you’re someone who experiences a barrier to communicating, take a stand. We need to have some foresight into these issues and make sure that we’re enabling everybody to communicate equally. So we’re not coming at communication from a point of judgment but a point of common understanding and mutual trust. Full transcript available at dranthony.design

In this special episode of the Universal Design in Life and Work Podcast, Dr. Rosemarie Rossetti takes us through her life and work in universal design and how it has transformed the way she thinks and acts. She explains what universal design means to her and how to interact with a person who has a disability. The virtual tour of her home and her TED Talk gives even more insights into living with universal design. Listeners can download a free chapter from her book to discover the most common mistakes in universal design. Full transcript available at dranthony.design

I’ve been really lucky to never have experienced serious trauma. I’ve never been the subject of violence or had to flee my home. Recently I had the opportunity to hear about the trauma of others, and this profoundly shook me. The impact of trauma has a ripple effect that can spread throughout the world. When we see trauma in the world, and we see others who have experienced trauma, don’t forget to make time for self-care even while providing care and support to the survivors. This way we’re still taking care of ourselves and those that we love. and helps stop the spread of trauma. Full transcript available at dranthony.design

Full transcript available at dranthony.design

Here are my tools and tips on writing an academic paper. Bear in mind, these are things that have worked for me and my research. It either may not work for you or you may need to use a different approach. Do what makes sense for you, and follow your motivation. Writing skills evolve over time. So even though these tools may work for you now, you'll want to update your toolkit periodically. Happy writing!