The Innovative Impact Newsletter By Dr. Kirk Adams for Monday, November 3, 2025 – Issue 108

Help Shape the Future of Healthcare: Join Rare Patient Voice Through Dr. Kirk Adams

If you’re a patient or caregiver who wants to make a difference, I invite you to join Rare Patient Voice through my personal referral link: https://rarepatientvoice.com/rp/DrKirk.

Rare Patient Voice connects individuals living with rare and non-rare conditions to paid research opportunities where your voice directly shapes new treatments, products, and policies. Participants are typically compensated $120 per hour for surveys, interviews, and focus groups. It’s a powerful way to ensure your lived experience helps improve care for others, and you’ll be compensated for your time.

By signing up through my link, you’re also supporting our shared mission of making healthcare more inclusive and patient-driven.

Dr. Kirk Adams, Ph.D.
Advocate, Leader and Keynote Speaker on Disability Inclusion & Leadership
Leading the Way to Accessible Innovation

Innovative Impact, LLC Consulting
Managing Director
Impactful Workforce Inclusion Starts Here

American Foundation for the Blind
Immediate Past President & CEO
To create a world of no limits for people who are blind or visually impaired.

1.) Articulate: A Deaf Memoir Of Voice — Rachel Kolb & Ecco/HarperCollins | November 2, 2025

Rachel Kolb’s ‘Articulate: A Deaf Memoir of Voice’ (Ecco/HarperCollins, September 2025) is a 304-page, bilingual ASL/English memoir that rethinks what it means to have a “voice,” presenting communication as a shared, multimodal practice rather than just speech. Kolb traces life across Deaf and hearing worlds to examine identity, access, and the realities of the ADA generation, argues that being “articulate” is authentic expression through signing, writing, speaking, captions, and collaboration, and rejects deficit narratives by framing deafness as culture, agency, and connection. Early praise includes starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly, and The Washington Post highlights the book’s emphasis on communication over “loss” and its appeal to anyone who loves language. Kolb, the first signing Deaf Rhodes Scholar at 23 and a PhD in English, draws on a distinguished career as a writer and speaker to reframe how we think about language and access, with clear implications for leaders, educators, and builders who want to design accessibility as communication, equip teams to work across modalities, and create products, classrooms, and workplaces where more people can fully participate.

2.) How To Have A Book Tour — Rachel Kolb’s Switchbacks Newsletter | November 2, 2025

This piece captures Rachel Kolb’s energetic, access-forward book tour for her debut memoir, moving coast to coast through indie bookstores and community hubs with ASL-led conversations, thoughtful interpreting, and moments that let hearing attendees experience being the linguistic minority. It offers real talk on stamina, vulnerability, and the joy of watching hard-won sentences connect, while noting national attention in The Washington Post and a PBS short on language access tied to “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore.” Highlights include a packed Albuquerque launch two days after publication, an East Coast swing followed by Northern California with full houses and rich discussions, and community cameos such as former teachers arriving with decades-old assignments, college ASL interpreters reuniting, Gallaudet meetups, a Harvard ASL book party, a NorCal radio drop-in, a visit to Canine Companions, and a celebratory trail ride with her Stanford equestrian coach. Upcoming stops: Haverford College in Haverford, PA on Tuesday, November 4 at 4:30 PM ET, Princeton University in Princeton, NJ with Noah Buchholz on Friday, November 7 at 4:30 PM ET, and a virtual book party with Rebecca Sanchez hosted by the NYU Center for Disability Studies on Thursday, November 13 at 4:00 PM ET on Zoom.

3.) Time Tracking Technology: Balancing Accuracy, Privacy, And Trust | HR.com | Dr. Kirk Adams, Brett Farmiloe, Susan Snipes, Fiona Morgan, Mark Hirsch | October 27, 2025

This HR.com piece, “Time Tracking Technology: Balancing Accuracy, Privacy, and Trust,” by Dr. Kirk Adams, Brett Farmiloe, Susan Snipes, Fiona Morgan, and Mark Hirsch, argues that time-tracking tools can either build trust or quietly erode it, with particular stakes for disabled employees, and urges organizations to prioritize outcomes over keystrokes, practice privacy-by-design, and design with people through co-created rollouts with employees and ERGs. It recommends clear, plain-language notices explaining what data is collected, why it is collected, and how long it is kept, offers for opt-outs or equivalent accommodations, and metrics that value results instead of constant surveillance. The piece closes by challenging HR and IT to examine where current policies truly reward outcomes rather than activity.

4.) Podcasts By Dr. Kirk Adams: Interview with Vanessa Abraham, Speech Language Pathologist | October 23, 2025

In this candid episode of Podcasts by Dr. Kirk Adams, Dr. Adams sits down with speech-language pathologist, author, and ICU survivor Vanessa Abraham to trace her extraordinary arc from clinician to patient and back again. Abraham recounts the rare Guillain-Barré variant that left her paralyzed and voiceless, the disorientation and aftermath of Post-Intensive Care Syndrome, and the painstaking work of reclaiming speech, swallowing, mobility, and identity. She explains why she wrote Speechless, to humanize the critical-care experience, and makes a compelling case that communication access in the ICU is a basic right, not a luxury.

5.) The Race for Skills: Paying the Cost for Ignoring Creativity | Dr. Kirk Adams | HR Spotlight | October 6, 2025

HR Spotlight’s “The Race for Skills: Paying the Cost for Ignoring Creativity” argues that technical expertise alone is not enough, warning that sidelining creativity and emotional intelligence slows innovation and frays team culture, and Dr. Kirk Adams adds that neglecting disability inclusion wastes a deep well of resilience, empathy, and creative problem-solving honed through lived experience, a costly gap given that only about 35% of working-age people with significant disabilities are employed even as employers report talent shortages. Voices in the piece—Jen Stamulis, Marin Cristian Ovidiu, Mark Niemann, Eugene Leow, David Ciccarelli, and Adams—underscore that successful products and campaigns connect emotionally, that creativity sparks breakthroughs while EI sustains teams, and that cutting corners on accessibility undermines innovation, cohesion, and insight over time. The article urges employers to hire for EQ and creativity with behavioral prompts and portfolio-style challenges, design for inclusion by budgeting for accommodations and applying universal design while partnering with state Vocational Rehabilitation and the National Employment Team, and upskill managers in EI, psychological safety, and accessible team rituals while making inclusion a measurable metric.

November 12, 2025 | Racism Re-Examined: Is It Over Or Not? | Institute For Sustainable Diversity & Inclusion

9:00 AM PT, 10:00 AM MT, 11:00 AM CT, 12:00 PM ET, 4:00 PM GMT
Join the Institute for Sustainable Diversity & Inclusion for a virtual two-hour dialogue practicum led by Dr. David Campt, “The Dialogue Guy.” This interactive session explores how to talk about race and equity in ways that foster understanding and connection while avoiding polarization. Participants will gain practical tools for engaging in meaningful, constructive conversations on racism and inclusion.

November 7, 2025 | The Costco Story: Why Taking Care Of People Is Good For Business | Institute For Sustainable Diversity & Inclusion

12:00 PM PT, 1:00 PM MT, 2:00 PM CT, 3:00 PM ET, 7:00 PM GMT
Join the Institute for Sustainable Diversity & Inclusion for a special lunchtime session featuring Alison Francis, Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer at Costco. Francis shares how Costco’s enduring success is rooted in its people-first culture, demonstrating that caring for employees, customers, and communities is not only right but also good for business.

November 5-6, 2025 | 4th Annual Disability Owned Convening | NationalDisabilityInstitute.org

The National Disability Institute’s Small Business Hub is hosting the fourth annual Disability Owned Convening, a free, fully virtual national event on November 5-6, 2025 (12:30-5:00 p.m. ET each day). Designed for entrepreneurs with disabilities and the ecosystem that supports them, the two-day program features accessible sessions (ASL and real-time captions) and panels on leveraging AI for growth, financial health, marketing, technology tools, business organization, and how to access key resources. Now in its fourth year, the convening connects business owners, entrepreneurial support organizations, state vocational rehabilitation counselors, policymakers, financial institutions, and disability advocates—building on participation from 2,650+ community members over the last three years. Registration is complimentary thanks to sponsor support, and attendees can join from anywhere to gain practical strategies and expand their networks.

November 13-14, 2025 | The Blind Travel Foundation is hosting the Blind Travel Summit November 13-14, 2025 at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Austin, Texas | Blind Travel Foundation | October 5, 2025

The Blind Travel Foundation’s Blind Travel Summit will be held November 13-14, 2025 at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Austin, TX, led by accessibility pioneer Mike May and designed to convene active blind travelers and industry partners to explore what works, what’s possible, and how to improve accessible travel. Participants will engage in sessions spanning rideshare and autonomous vehicles, air travel, hotels, apps, and travel gear, and community members can propose their own sessions. Early registration is $30 through October 1 with door-prize drawings (FEELDOM NAVi-BADGES, Aira minutes, AGIGA glasses). A hotel block is available at the Hampton Inn & Suites Austin-Downtown for $191 per night including breakfast and taxes if booked by October 12. Sponsors include Gold sponsor Uber and a major airline (TBA), with Bronze sponsors AGIGA, Aira, Ambutech, FEELDOM, and Open Doors Organization.

November 19, 2025 | 75 Million Network Member Spotlight: The Apex Program | Jobs For The Future

12:00 PM PT, 1:00 PM MT, 2:00 PM CT, 3:00 PM ET, 8:00 PM GMT
Join Jobs for the Future and the 75 Million Network for the first Member Spotlight session featuring the Apex Program, a cybersecurity training and certification initiative for individuals who are blind, visually impaired, have disabilities, or are veterans. This 30-minute virtual session introduces the 12-week program’s pathways to employment through Network+ and Security+ certifications, supported by Novacoast’s staffing department, and is ideal for professionals focused on inclusive workforce development and job quality advancement.

December 5, 2025 | 2026 Disability:IN NextGen Leaders Program Application Submission Deadline | Disability:IN

Disability:IN’s 2026 NextGen Leaders is a competitive, six-month virtual mentoring program that pairs college students and recent graduates with disabilities with mentors from Corporate Partner companies. To apply, you must self-identify as disabled; be a current undergrad/grad/law student or a 2024+ graduate; reside in North or South America; have appropriate work authorization for the U.S. or your target country; and be fluent in English. Submit the online application by 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday, Dec 5, 2025, including contact/education details, brief demographics, industries and Corporate Partners of interest, two participation objectives, your accommodation needs (e.g., ASL), and uploads of a résumé (.pdf/.doc) and LinkedIn profile URL. Selection is discretion-based; those chosen receive an invitation and must sign a participation agreement (some companies may require additional paperwork). All accepted mentees join the six-month Virtual Mentoring Program, and a smaller cohort may be selected for the in-person NextGen Talent Accelerator at the 2026 Disability:IN Global Conference & Expo (July 25-30, Dallas), with limited travel/registration support for roughly 50 participants; participation does not guarantee a job offer.

Distribution: Dr. Kirk Adams

Distribution Since: 2025

As of April 7, 2025 the distribution of the Innovative Impact Newsletter By Dr. Kirk Adams is made possible by Dr. Kirk Adams, a leading disability inclusion advocate, workforce accessibility expert and business strategist dedicated to fostering inclusive workplaces and leadership development worldwide.

Any time the Innovative Impact Newsletter By Dr. Kirk Adams Newsletter carries less than its Sponsor limit, Dr. Kirk Adams donates the remaining dollars necessary to keep the publication running.

Publisher: Dr. Kirk Adams

Publisher Since: April 7, 2025

Location: Seattle, Washington

Time Zone: Pacific Standard Time (PST/PDT) (GMT-2/GMT-1)

In addition to serving as Publisher for the Innovative Impact Newsletter, Dr. Kirk Adams also serves as the Managing Director for Innovative Impact, LLC, an award-winning firm where he leads strategic consulting, workforce inclusion initiatives, and leadership development programs focused on creating accessible, equitable, and high-performing workplaces. Through his consultation work with https://innovativeimpact.consulting to his speaking engagements and direct marketing initiatives via https://drkirkadams.com, Dr. Adams advises and assists Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations on advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) initiatives to drive meaningful, systemic change.

As Publisher, Dr. Adams oversees the monthly distribution of the Innovative Impact Newsletter By Dr. Kirk Adams on behalf of Dr. Kirk Adams.

” Inclusion isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s a strategic advantage. “

Dr. Kirk Adams, Ph.D.
Advocate, Leader and Keynote Speaker on Disability Inclusion & Leadership
Leading the Way to Accessible Innovation

Innovative Impact, LLC Consulting
Managing Director
Impactful Workforce Inclusion Starts Here

American Foundation for the Blind
Immediate Past President & CEO
To create a world of no limits for people who are blind or visually impaired.

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