Accessibility Is Not An Afterthought — and Where I'm Taking it Next

Reader,

June is DeafBlind Awareness Month and Black Music Month, and it's also a month filled with conversations around accessibility, innovation, storytelling, and community.

It was an honor to speak at the WITS Travel Creator Summit! I got to stand in front of a room of women and men who travel, who build, who advocate — and I got to be honest with them about what it means to move through the world as a Black, disabled, Muslim woman who refuses to be invisible in travel spaces. I talked about what accessibility actually costs you when it's an afterthought. I even confidently wore the black Eyehesive eye patch instead of my prosthetic eye. The positive responses reminded me why I show up and do this work even when it's heavy.

My session mainly focused on making content more accessible for individuals with invisible disabilities. I shared several practical tips, including:

- Adding captions to talking videos to improve engagement and reduce skip rates.

- Using detailed image and video descriptions to boost your SEO.

- Applying proper color contrast in your graphics and thumbnails for better readability.

Want to dive deeper? You can watch the full recording by clicking this link:

Ready to build with me 1:1?

You can also book a mentorship session with me if you're navigating storytelling, disability advocacy, podcasting, travel media, or building purpose-driven creative work. These are focused, strategic, and built for women who are doing the work and need a thinking partner — someone who's going to ask the hard questions and tell you the truth. Whether you're clarifying your brand direction, working through a partnership strategy, navigating a speaking career with a goal of being on a TEDx stage, or figuring out how to monetize your expertise without losing your voice and being empathetic to those with disabilities — this is the session for you. Click here to schedule your session

June is going to be a full month in the best possible way. Over the next few weeks I'll be documenting lessons around accessibility, technology, storytelling, travel, and belonging even with hearing and vision loss. I'll be making notes of lessons from upcoming networking events in London, England. Until then, I'm carrying the experiences from Chattanooga, Tennessee with me. I'm carrying the community with me. And I'm building something for Essence Festival in New Orleans, Louisiana on July 3 and 4 that I cannot wait to tell you about soon.

What's Popular in the Travel Marketing Culture Right Now

Roots Picnic has become a case study in community-building, cultural storytelling, and multi-generational audience loyalty. I think about the people who flew in from all over the world to be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This year's event generated major conversation around Jay-Z's headline appearance, his new hair do, and the gathering and commemoration of a career 30 years in the making. Whatever you think of him right now, he has built a cultural and travel economy that moves Black dollars internationally. The conversation happening around him is bigger than him. There's also the quiet product placement of his wife's hair product, Cecred (pronounced Sacred). How are you reclaiming ownership in your space? And while you're pondering that, ask yourself who gets left out of the conversation when we design experiences?

Black and White Photo of Jay Z On Stage Photo Credit Andre “DreVinci” Jones

Talk soon.

I am Zaakirah (zaa-key-ra) Muhammad, a deafblind retinoblastoma cancer survivor, creative tech-savvy entrepreneur and TEDx speaker, with over a decade of experience in photography and digital communications. As a brand cultivating strategist, author, and podcaster, I empower you to step outside of your comfort zone, understand your purpose, and show you how to powerfully tell your story through digital marketing. As your brand therapist, I uncover your blind spots showcasing your superpower.

Learn More