Brilliant people have worked to create accessibility so comprehensively baked into our lives that we often don't even recognize that it is there. However, there are still more places without accessible design than places with it. This discussion enumerates the Universal Design Principles that have improved everyone's quality of life and made the world a more inclusive place for people with disabilities. We'll talk about what they are, how they work, and along the way, impart guidelines for how you can bring accessibilty to the things you make and places you work. We all benefit from a more inclusive environment. 

Recommendations

• Abraham: Great British Baking Show (Season 16; https://www.netflix.com/title/80063224)
• Shane: Jens Kuross - Crooked Songs ( https://open.spotify.com/album/5huktjQKjN8zWNGr3DBWom?si=DTbEX28NR1eAexNKIACPLA) 
• Takeshi Terauchi - Nippon Guitars (https://open.spotify.com/album/4URTuHGcaXNQdGyWJpLrIa?si=2xL6VwG-QRCTrdn-XiOIwQ)

Holidays (19 November 2025):

• Carbonated Beverage with Caffeine Day
• Equal Opportunity Day
• Have a Bad Day Day
• International Men’s Day
• National Blow Bagpipes Day
• National Camp Day
• National Education Support Professionals Day
• Play Monopoly Day
• Rocky and Bullwinkle Day
• Women’s Entrepreneurship Day
• World Toilet Day
• American Education Week
• International Fraud Awareness Week
• International Restorative Justice Week
• World Antimicrobial Awareness Week

Links and References: 

1. https://design.ncsu.edu/research/center-for-universal-design/
2. https://inclusive.microsoft.design/
3. https://www.eleken.co/blog-posts/design-that-benefits-everyone-top-5-inclusive-design-examples
4. https://www.unr.edu/nced 

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This is a quick tutorial for making things more accessible and checking for accessibility when creating documents mostly in MS Office and Adobe. So, this will be a how-to with recommendations and a little commentary. Let us know about your accessibility strategies.

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Links and References: 

1. https://accessibe.com/accessscan?utm_feeditemid=&utm_device=c&utm_term=%2Bwcag%20%2Btest&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=GSN_|_US-CA_|_Accessibility_and_Compliance_Checkers_(accessScan)&hsa_cam=9492882453&hsa_grp=97916663993&hsa_mt=b&hsa_src=g&hsa_ad=589939198502&hsa_acc={5473750088}&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_kw=%2Bwcag%20%2Btest&hsa_tgt=kwd-489815367832&hsa_ver=3&gcmz={CjwKCAiA2svIBhB-EiwARWDPjof2x5NioMz2q7GpDgu_kAx7O2cqlxowPX6mHfghwOVTfDaAAu8ERhoCdj0QAvD_BwE}&utm_term=%2Bwcag%20%2Btest&utm_campaign=GSN+%7C+US-CA+%7C+Accessibility+and+Compliance+Checkers+(accessScan)&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&hsa_acc=5473750088&hsa_cam=9492882453&hsa_grp=97916663993&hsa_ad=589939198502&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=kwd-489815367832&hsa_kw=%2Bwcag%20%2Btest&hsa_mt=b&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=9492882453&gbraid=0AAAAAC3OJk2sKgxQIUjlxz-T2zXQAYbLj&gclid=CjwKCAiA2svIBhB-EiwARWDPjof2x5NioMz2q7GpDgu_kAx7O2cqlxowPX6mHfghwOVTfDaAAu8ERhoCdj0QAvD_BwE

https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/

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Continuing on with our suite on disability and accessibility, this episode explores new research exploring autism subtypes and their links to genetic markers. There are implications for people with disabilities and politics. Tell us what you think!

Recommendations

• Abraham: Visit Savannah, GA! https://visitsavannah.com/ 
• Shane: ONTABA (https://ontaba.org/)

Holidays (11/12/2025):

• Chicken Soup for the Soul Day
• GIS Day
• Happy Hour Day
• International Pathology Day
• National French Dip Day
• National Pizza With Everything Day (Except Anchovies)
• World Pneumonia Day
• Dear Santa Letter Week
• Geography Awareness Week
• Home Care Aide Week
• National Book Awards Week
• International Week of Science and Peace

Links: 

1.   https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-025-02224-z
2.    https://www.princeton.edu/news/2025/07/09/major-autism-study-uncovers-biologically-distinct-subtypes-paving-way-precision
3. https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/genetics-dictionary/def/de-novo-mutation

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Do you wake up after sleeping? Do you eat food when you are hungry? You might have ADHD! Not because of those things... those just mean you are human and alive. But, people are constantly posting about symptoms of ADHD that are not symptoms of ADHD. We'll break down a few examples. 

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Links: 

1. https://www.aafp.org/dam/AAFP/documents/patient_care/adhd_toolkit/adhd19-assessment-table1.pdf
2. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/adhd/symptoms-causes/syc-20350889#:~:text=Attention%2Ddeficit%2Fhyperactivity%20disorder%2C,being%20hyperactive%20and%20being%20impulsive.
3. https://chadd.org/adhd-weekly/social-media-videos-often-share-misinformation-about-adhd/ 
4. https://www.donefirst.com/blog/adhd-misinformation-and-social-media 

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How do we start talking about disabiliity? First, we need to understand how people thinking about and appraoch disability. This episode kicks off a suite of episodes in which we will be discussing various issues in disability and accessibility. The models of disability are the different ways people have approached and treated disability and people with disabilities. We have a favorite.

Recommendations

• Abraham: Acacia Strain: You are Safe From God Here (https://youaresafefromgodhere.com/)
• Shane: Writing and recording your own music 

Holidays (11/5/2025)

• American Football Day
• Bank Transfer Day
• Commercial TV Broadcast Day
• Firewood Day
• Guy Fawkes Day
• International Stress Awareness Day
• National Block It Out Day
• National Donut Day
• National Eating Healthy Day
• National Gunpowder Day
• National Love Your Red Hair Day
• Play Monopoly Day
• World Tsunami Awareness Day
• Drowsy Driving Prevention Week
• Give Wildlife a Brake Week
• National Fig Week
• National Medical Cannabis Week
• Polar Bear Week

Links and References: 

1. https://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/psychology-teacher-network/introductory-psychology/disability-models
2. https://subjectguides.lib.neu.edu/disability/models
3. https://participation.cbm.org/why/disability-participation/models-of-disability
4. https://www.unhcr.org/us/media/handout-2-models-disability
5. https://disabilityinpublichealth.org/1-1/
6. https://cte.alliant.edu/conceptualizing-disability-three-models-of-disability/ 
7. https://odpc.ucsf.edu/clinical/patient-centered-care/medical-and-social-models-of-disability 
8. https://enil.eu/conceptual-models-of-disability-throughout-history/ 
9. Olkin, R. (2002). Could you hold the door for me? Including disability in diversity. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 8, 130-137.

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The "Thin Blue Line" has a probable origin in military history. It has been employed as a symbol of law enforcement, but commoly applied in contrast to other social causes. We discuss the history of the Thin Blue Line, the origin of the modern flag with a blue stripe interpretation of this idea, criticisms of the Thin Blue Line, and enumerate the controvertial uses of this iconography... all within the scope of a single mini! 

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Links and References: 

1. https://www.police1.com/police-history/articles/what-does-the-thin-blue-line-flag-mean-2J3500lyyaGueEo0/
2. https://nationalpolice.org/that-thin-blue-line-what-does-it-really-mean/
3. https://www.vedderholsters.com/news-articles/back-the-blue-history-and-symbolism-of-the-thin-blue-line/
4. https://www.businessinsider.com/how-thin-blue-line-became-controversial-symbol-to-represent-police-2021-2
5. https://www.themarshallproject.org/2020/06/08/the-short-fraught-history-of-the-thin-blue-line-american-flag 

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Our final Halloween episode tackles a grizzly topic: Ritual Sacrifices. We explore some of the practices and reasons for sacfrifice throughout history. Note that there are somewhat graphic descriptions of some violent acts toward humans and animals. If you're going to sacrifice something, make it an inanimate effigy or other symbolic object. Happy Halloween 2025!

Recommendations

• Abraham: Novocaine: https://www.paramountmovies.com/movies/novocaine
• Shane: Nine Inch Nails - Tron:Ares OST (https://open.spotify.com/album/47pjW3XDPW99NShtkeewxl?si=4fV1oxzNTaaCMyDasdFkWw)

Holidays (10/29/2025):

• International Internet Day
• Happy Early Halloween
• National Cat Day
• National Hermit Day
• National Oatmeal Day
• Read for the Record Day
• World Psoriasis Day
• World Stroke Day
• Brain Tumor Awareness Week
• Disarmament Week
• International Magic Week
• Prescription Errors Education and Awareness Week
• Winter Weather Preparedness Week
• World Origami Days
• Happy birthday to Winona Ryder, Ben Foster, Bob Ross and Gabrielle Union

Links and references: 

1. https://www.britannica.com/topic/human-sacrifice
2. https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/ritual-sacrifice-0017159
3. https://www.thecollector.com/human-sacrifice-throughout-history/
4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27042932/
5. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-human-sacrifice-propped-up-the-social-order/
6. https://www.science.org/content/article/human-sacrifice-may-have-helped-societies-become-more-complex

 



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There is a mysterious castle in Czechia with defensive structures pointed inward toward the caste. There are also stories of a hole in the ground of unknown depth with horror stories about attempts to explore it. We'll discuss the truth of Houska Castle. 

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Source: 
https://www.discoveryuk.com/mysteries/the-real-truth-behind-houska-castle/

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Wearing a mask changes the way our social word interacts with us. This might mean access to rewards that we might not otherwise try to access, but the anonymity of a mask means doing so may be less likely to be met with punishment. Furthermore, our social environment affects our behavior. So, to answer the title: Yes kind of, but maybe not in the way you might think. Do you notice a difference in your behavior when you wear a mask? Let us know!

Recommendations

• Abraham: Is it Cake: Halloween (https://www.netflix.com/title/81927149)
• Shane: Mickey’s Not So Spooky Halloween Party (https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/magic-kingdom/mickeys-not-so-scary-halloween-party/?ef_id=Cj0KCQjwo63HBhCKARIsAHOHV_V0PneinWtYnLspJilv9P7_784jcvd2dzq-HM3jknkqsuYWHVMgMzwaAmUoEALw_wcB:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!5060!3!593608699132!p!!g!!disney%20trick%20or%20treat!1553406632!60136156558&CMP=KNC-FY26_WDW_TRA_FLR_W365_HTK_MNSSHP_General%7CG%7C5261213.RR.AM.01.01%7CM3EHNCC%7CBR%7C593608699132&keyword_id=kwd-314468353137%7Cdc%7Cdisney%20trick%20or%20treat%7C593608699132%7Cp%7C5060:3%7C&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=1553406632&gbraid=0AAAAAD_M-kbg9jCdxyq5FrgNAwHob6cpK&gclid=Cj0KCQjwo63HBhCKARIsAHOHV_V0PneinWtYnLspJilv9P7_784jcvd2dzq-HM3jknkqsuYWHVMgMzwaAmUoEALw_wcB)

Why is Shane's link URL so long? I know I can change it, but it is kind of funny to me that it is ridiculously long...



Holidays (10/22/25):

• Smart is Cool
• Wombat day
• National nut day
• Make a dog’s day, day
• National caps lock day
• National coloring day
• International stuttering awareness day
• Leave a review day
• Scar appreciation day
• Chemistry week
• Free Speech Week

Links and References: 

1. https://www.thehorrordome.com/blogs/news/the-psychology-behind-halloween-masks-why-we-love-to-disguise-ourselves?srsltid=AfmBOoq9lYAWMiuPLp6WqM6IUe3mzzKiRqI8nuAuh_BYRp5Z0DJT3WE1
2. https://studioforchange.com/how-halloween-can-help-us-understand-the-concept-of-masking/
3. https://everydaypsych.com/unmasking-halloween-psychology/
4. https://marciasirotamd.com/psychology-popular-culture/halloween-masks-unveils-secrets
5. https://medium.com/@ashrules2016/why-do-we-wear-masks-the-deep-appeal-of-halloween-costumes-56033852703a
6. https://marciasirotamd.com/psychology-popular-culture/halloween-masks-unveils-secrets 
7. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8hx6q5js 
8. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1976-20842-001
9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/512839/ 
10. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/10/how-halloween-makes-kids-more-monstrous/382172/ 

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Creepy pasta is/was a democratized way ot telling scary stories that are just on the edge of believability. They seem to have dissipated into various other formats over time. Yet, the brief story of creepy pastas is an interesting one and appropriate for the spooky season. What's your favorite creepy pasta?

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Links and References: 

1. https://www.creepypasta.com/
2. https://medium.com/@lukewhenderson/what-makes-a-creepypasta-4e5ac00897bf 

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