Meet Aandi - formerly Tagged PDF

12/06/2026

Dr. Barry Prizant encourages us to see strengths first. When we understand from the child’s perspective, support becomes more meaningful.

Quote: “We need to see autism through a lens of strengths, not deficits. Support comes from understanding the child’s perspective.”

12/06/2026

Have you heard about the Capitol Crawl? While it may not have received the same media exposure as the 2021 Capitol Attack, it had a profound impact on the lives of people living with disability in America for years to come.

As a demonstration of the inaccessibility of government services, protestors left their wheelchairs, crutches and other mobility aids at the bottom of the stairs to the Capitol and crawled their way towards change.

It is sad to think that something like this was required to make the need for a change apparent, but it is the actions of individuals that can truly make a difference in the lives of all.

Hopefully we don't see another demonstration of this kind in future, but it is certainly a historical event that deserves to be remembered.

The 1990 protest demonstrated the barriers that inaccessible buildings create for people with disabilities.

11/06/2026

Self-Regulation in Children and Teenagers (Raising Children Network)

When we talk about self-regulation, we're really talking about a life skill.

The ability to pause before reacting.

To manage frustration.

To stay focused when something feels difficult.

To recover after a setback.

A helpful article from Raising Children Network explores how these skills develop over time and how adults can support that process.

What I like most is that it reminds us self-regulation isn't something children either have or don't have.

It's something they learn.

And like any skill, it develops through practice, support and experience.

Read the article: https://bit.ly/4fUmhwM

09/06/2026

Learning about the causes of ADHD is important, but it is just the beginning.

We also need tools and strategies that help kids grow and learn in everyday life.

“We want to understand the genetic, neurological, and environmental factors... and then build interventions that really help kids develop.”

09/06/2026

Legacy documents often influence planning, education, and operations long after publication. When these files lack structure or tagging, users relying on assistive tech lose important context. Updating them helps organisations protect access and maintain consistency across their content libraries.

Learn why updating older content matters here: https://bit.ly/3M9nDH6

Don’t let old reports or PDFs exclude people. Learn why remediating legacy documents is key to WCAG compliance and true digital accessibility.

08/06/2026

Sometimes when we are talking to clients about our video accessibility tool that empowers anyone to add accurate captions and audio descriptions to their videos, they assume that audio descriptions must be new since they hadn't heard of it before or didn't know what it was.

In reality, academic Gregory Frazier began working on the concept of Audio Described theatre in the 1970s. He founded AudioVision in 1972 to explore making media and live performances more accessible to people who are blind and vision impaired (DCMP, 2017).

Over 50 years later, we are still pushing to educate people about the benefits of providing audio descriptions of content for those who can't see what is happening on the screen. More than anything, accessible video is about choice. Giving choices to some and not removing choices for others seems like a worthwhile spend of a content creator's time, wouldn't you think?

05/06/2026

Dr. Michelle Garcia Winner reminds us that social learning is about thinking, not just behaviour. Teaching autistic students to think socially helps them navigate life with confidence.

Quote: “Social learning is about more than behaviour—it’s about teaching autistic students how to think socially, not just act socially.”

05/06/2026

66 Million Dollars for an 'accessible' website that isn't actually accessible? Say what you will about the litigious nature of America, but I'd probably sue to get some of that money back too!

It is not uncommon for government, who are tasked with procuring accessible content, to believe the claims of their providers that the content they produce is accessible. If the procurement team don't have a solid understanding of the legislation or requirements, they don't have much choice but to believe them.

When we first started developing accessible document design training in 2010, we sought out government documents that weren't accessible and contacted the providers of those documents to help them deliver on their requirements.

The feedback was apathetic at best - not because the agencies believed they were doing the right thing, but because changing what they were doing would mean admitting that the previous way was not what they claimed it to be. Basically, they kept making inaccessible content because their clients believed them when they said it was accessible!

Procurement teams don't need to know how to do the work they are procuring, but it is vital that they know what it is they are getting from suppliers. Content doesn't work for people just because the person making it says it does!

[November 15, 2019 post update: The company that delivered the inaccessible 66 million dollar website (described in this post) to the State of California tried to get the case thrown out of court. The judge has now said no.]

04/06/2026

A Strengths-Based Approach to Teaching Diverse Learners

One thing I've noticed when speaking with parents of neurodiverse children is how quickly they can tell you what their child loves, what fascinates them and where their strengths lie.

Yet when those same children enter educational settings, the conversation can sometimes become dominated by what they find difficult.

This week I read an article on strengths-based approaches to teaching neurodiverse learners and it reinforced something I think we need to talk about more often.

Many neurodivergent children bring remarkable strengths to learning. Creativity, innovation, pattern recognition, curiosity, deep focus and unique problem-solving abilities are often part of the picture.

That doesn't mean challenges don't exist. Of course they do.

But I wonder what might change if we started with strengths first and built from there. If we looked for what engages a child before focusing on what disengages them.
Confidence grows when childr
en experience success. Sometimes all that's needed is a different pathway to get there.

Interesting read: https://bit.ly/3RFvMG9

02/06/2026

ADHD does not go away, but building stronger skills can make daily life easier.

Supporting executive function helps kids stay more organised, focused, and confident.

“Improving executive functions doesn’t cure ADHD, but it gives kids tools to navigate it better.”