The default design in the current technology ecosystem is deeply shaped by Western-centric norms, able-bodied and neurotypical user assumptions, high-bandwidth environments, and English as the dominant language. These defaults create structural barriers that marginalize millions, especially those with disabilities and speakers of non-dominant languages. Accessibility is often an afterthought, and multilingual support is rarely prioritized, despite the global linguistic diversity and the digital divide in rural or underserved areas. This session will interrogate these embedded design defaults and present a conceptual framework for inclusive, locally grounded, and user-centered design that actively centers language equity and accessibility for people with disabilities. Participants will engage with case studies, personal narratives, and design prompts that surface alternative approaches and challenge the one-size-fits-all mentality. The objective of the session is to critically examine how current technologies exclude users through language and ability biases and co-create a vision for inclusive design that centers accessibility and linguistic diversity. The final conceptual framework will be documented and distributed openly to designers, developers, policy advocates, community organizations, and educational institutions working toward more inclusive technology systems. The session will start with a presentation of the overview of the technology landscape (10 min), followed by a breakout group discussion(20 min), collaborative design mapping(15 min), and open reflection and resource sharing(15 min).
Sadik Shahadu is a certified Wikipedia trainer, journalist, and brand ambassador for the Curationist Foundation. He is the executive director and co-founder of the Dagbani Wikimedians User Group and partnership manager for An AI of Our Own.
Beyond his Wikimedia work, Sadik serves on the advisory board of UNESCO’s Open Education for a Better World program, supporting global efforts toward equitable and accessible education. He is also a Mozilla Open Leader X fellow, a former MozFest wrangler mentor, and a past Mozilla Festival ambassador, contributing to the open-source and open knowledge ecosystem.
As a passionate advocate for open-source technology, open data, and open educational resources (OER), Sadik works to empower communities through digital literacy and knowledge sharing. His efforts as a digital language activist focus on collaborating with individuals and institutions to preserve, promote, and digitize indigenous languages and cultural heritage online.
Dr. Gina Moape is a researcher in the field of Natural Language Processing and an internet advocate committed to digital inclusion across Africa. Her work focuses on the intersection of language, technology, and accessibility, particularly for underrepresented linguistic communities and people with disabilities. She has been and still is part of the global projects like Mozilla Common Voice, advocating for the representation of African languages in voice technologies. Currently based at the University of South Africa, Center of Augmented Intelligence and Data Science, Dr. Moape leads initiatives on developing multimodal datasets for African languages and exploring how technology and AI can be used to solve pressing social challenges. Her work challenges dominant tech paradigms and pushes for more equitable, locally relevant digital futures.