Added two blogs for September

astro/src/components/Footer.astro

@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ import Row from "@components/Row.astro";
       </div>
 
       <div>
-        <FooterLinkList name="projects" />
+        <FooterLinkList name="services" />
       </div>
 
       <div>

astro/src/components/mdx/Link.astro

@@ -11,11 +11,7 @@ const external = href.startsWith("http");
 ---
 
 {
-  external ?
-    <ExternalLink href={href} inline title={title}>
-      <slot />
-    </ExternalLink>
-  : <a href={href} title={title}>
-      <slot />
-    </a>
+  external
+  ? <ExternalLink href={href} inline title={title}><slot /></ExternalLink>
+  : <a href={href} title={title}><slot /></a>
 }

astro/src/components/navigation/NavSiteList.astro

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ const { main = false, class: classes = "" } = Astro.props;
 <Fragment>
   <ul class:list={["navbar-nav", classes]}>
     <NavDropdownMenu name="about" />
-    <NavDropdownMenu name="projects" />
+    <NavDropdownMenu name="services" />
     <NavDropdownMenu name="outreach" />
     <NavDropdownMenu name="team" />
 

astro/src/content/blogs/dyslexia-intro.mdx

@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+---
+title: What Dyslexia Is and How It Affects People
+description: On Accessible Community's Day in the Life podcast, we have been talking about dyslexia. This explains what dyslexia is.
+published: 2026-10-12
+tags:
+  - education
+author: esther-klang
+---
+
+On _Accessible Community's_ 'A Day in the Life' podcast, we have been talking about dyslexia. This post explains what dyslexia is and why inclusion matters. Dyslexia is part of human diversity. It affects how people read, write, spell, and process language — but it says nothing about how smart or capable a person is.
+
+## What Dyslexia Is
+
+Dyslexia is a learning difference that affects how the brain handles written words. It has nothing to do with intelligence or effort. People with dyslexia often struggle to connect letters to sounds. That can make reading, spelling, and writing harder. Dyslexia can look like:
+
+* Trouble sounding out unfamiliar words
+* Reading that takes much more time and effort than expected
+* Spelling that stays inconsistent even with practice
+* Strong verbal skills that can exist alongside real struggles with print
+
+Some people mainly struggle with sounding out words, a pattern called **phonological dyslexia**. Others read words correctly but very slowly, sometimes called **surface dyslexia**. Many people have a mix of both patterns, and no two people with dyslexia struggle in exactly the same way.
+
+There is no single way to have dyslexia. Two people with the same diagnosis can have very different experiences with reading and writing.
+
+## How Dyslexia Can Look Different
+
+People with dyslexia experience the world in many ways. Not everyone has all of these traits.
+
+### Reading and Decoding
+
+* Sounding out new or unfamiliar words can take real effort, even for adults.
+* Letters or words may seem to blend together, though this is not true for everyone with dyslexia.
+* Reading aloud can feel much harder than reading silently, or the other way around.
+
+### Writing and Spelling
+
+* Spelling often stays hard even after years of practice and instruction.
+* Getting thoughts from the brain onto the page can take longer than it does for other people.
+* The same processing differences can affect both handwriting and typing.
+
+### Processing Speed and Memory
+
+* Holding onto a string of instructions or a phone number can be harder than it looks.
+* Finding the right word quickly, especially under pressure, can take extra time.
+* Extra time on tests and tasks can make a real difference in performance.
+
+### Emotional and Social Impact
+
+* Years of struggling with reading in school can lead to anxiety around anything text-based.
+* Some people feel embarrassed asking for accommodations, even when they qualify for them.
+* Confidence often grows a lot once the right support and tools are in place.
+
+These differences are not personal failures. Most barriers come from teaching methods and systems that were not built with dyslexia in mind.
+
+## Dyslexia at Every Stage of Life
+
+Dyslexia is not just something children experience. People with dyslexia are toddlers learning to talk, students in school, and adults building careers. Dyslexia is usually found in elementary school, when reading lessons begin. Many people, though, are not diagnosed until high school, college, or even adulthood. Dyslexia often runs in families, so parents who have it themselves may notice the signs in their children early.
+
+Early support makes a big difference. Evidence-based reading instruction, sometimes called structured literacy, works especially well when it starts young. But it is never too late to get help. An adult who never got a diagnosis can still learn strategies and tools that make reading and writing easier. What a person needs can change over time \- a child might need reading support, while an adult might need accommodations at work, changes like extra time or audio instructions that make a job doable.
+
+Good instruction, helpful technology, and understanding teachers and employers make a difference at every age. Dyslexia does not decide what a person can do. Access does.
+
+## Language Matters
+
+Many people prefer to be called a "person with dyslexia," while others prefer "dyslexic" as a simple, neutral description. The best thing to do is use the words a person chooses for themselves.
+
+Try not to use language that links dyslexia to laziness or low intelligence. Avoid phrases like "suffers from dyslexia," "can't read," or "dyslexic and lazy." Instead, focus on how someone's brain processes language, and the tools that help.
+
+*  **Use:** person with dyslexia, dyslexic person, dyslexic (as a neutral descriptor)
+*  **Avoid:** "suffers from dyslexia," "can't read," or language linking dyslexia to laziness or low intelligence
+
+## What Inclusion Looks Like in Daily Life
+
+Inclusion is about real actions. It shows up in how we teach, design workplaces, and share information.
+
+* Offer text-to-speech and speech-to-text tools as a normal option, not a special favor.
+* Use clear, simple fonts and good spacing in printed and digital materials.
+* Give extra time for reading and writing tasks, in school and at work.
+* Offer alternate formats for job applications and performance reviews, not just long text forms.
+* Break long documents into shorter sections with clear headings.
+* Do not ask people to prove their diagnosis over and over to get support.
+* Trust people when they describe their own reading and writing struggles.
+
+These steps help people with dyslexia take part fully. They also make information easier for everyone to use.
+
+## Listening to People with Dyslexia
+
+People living with dyslexia know their own lives best. When we include their voices in building classrooms, workplaces, and tools, and pay them fairly for that input, everything gets better.
+
+The 'Day in the Life' podcast shares real stories from people living with dyslexia. These stories remind us that there is no single dyslexia experience. There are many stories, told by those who live them.
+
+## What You Can Do Next
+
+Listen to this month's **Day in the Life** episodes about dyslexia:
+
+* [Dyslexia with Mark Miller](https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568061/episodes/19730065)
+* [Dyslexia with John Siefert](https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568061/episodes/19771985)
+* [Dyslexia with James Rose](https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568061/episodes/19773193)
+
+Dyslexia is part of our community. When we design for access, everyone benefits.

astro/src/content/blogs/good-news-aug-2026.mdx

@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+---
+title: August 2026 Good News Roundup on Disability Inclusion and Accessibility
+description: A selection of uplifting stories on disability inclusion from August 2026
+published: 2026-09-25
+tags:
+  - good-news
+author: esther-klang
+---
+
+Every month, we gather stories from around the world that show what progress in inclusion and accessibility looks like in action, breakthroughs, bold initiatives, and communities leading the way. August 2026 brought four clear improvements for disabled people, from four different parts of the world.
+
+A government removed a rule that had stopped disabled people travelling free in the morning. A concert venue built hearing access into the building itself. A regulator told an airline that its wheelchair policy was a barrier. And two founders in Nairobi built a navigation app for the streets they walk every day.
+
+Here is what happened, and why each one matters.
+
+##  1. England is removing the time limit on disabled bus passes
+
+If you hold a disabled bus pass in England today, it works between 9:30am and 11pm. Outside those hours, you pay.
+
+That 9:30am start sounds like a small detail. It is not. It means you cannot use the pass for an early shift, a first lecture, an 8am hospital appointment or a school run.
+
+For anyone who relies on the bus, the pass stopped working at the hours that matter most for getting to work.
+
+From 1 April 2027, the time limits go. The pass will work around the clock. The government has put £60 million into the change, split between the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Transport.
+
+The change applies to the seven groups already eligible for a pass. They include:
+
+- people who are blind or partially sighted
+- people who are profoundly deaf
+- people with a learning disability
+- people who cannot walk because of a disability
+
+This is a good example of something worth naming. The barrier here was never the bus. It was a time window written into a rule, and rewriting the rule removed it.
+
+Read the [government announcement on free 24/7 bus travel for disabled people.](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/free-bus-travel-247-for-disabled-people-as-prime-minister-takes-further-action-to-ease-cost-of-living)
+
+##  2. A South Korean arena is sending concert sound straight to hearing aids
+
+Live music is hard to follow with hearing loss. Venues echo, crowds are loud, and hearing aids pick up all of it at once. The music and the noise arrive together.
+
+Inspire Arena in Incheon has taken a different approach. It now sends the concert audio directly to hearing aids and cochlear implants using Auracast, a wireless standard built for exactly this. The sound travels from the sound desk to the listener, so the echo in the room does not affect it.
+
+There is also a dedicated listening space at the venue, with staff available to help.
+
+Inspire Entertainment Resort built the project with JYP Entertainment and the accessibility company Hearcycle. They called it Sound Beyond Hearing. The first shows featured artists including 2PM and Young K from DAY6.
+
+The important part is not the technology itself. It is that the technology is built into the venue, so it is there for every show. Fans do not have to ask for it at each event and hope someone says yes.
+
+Read the [Korea Times report on accessible concerts at Inspire Arena.](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/20260824/jyp-inspire-team-up-to-make-concerts-more-accessible-for-people-with-hearing-loss)
+
+##  3. Canada's regulator said an airline's wheelchair limit was a barrier
+
+WestJet had a rule that it would not carry mobility aids weighing more than 300 pounds, which is about 136 kilograms. Many power wheelchairs weigh more than that. The rule meant something simple for the people who use those chairs: they could not fly.
+
+In August the Canadian Transportation Agency ruled that the limit is an undue barrier. It ordered the airline to remove the limit before July 2027.
+
+The regulator did not just say no. It also named practical fixes, including spreader plates that spread the weight across the cargo hold floor. It said the airline must arrange other travel options in the meantime.
+
+The complaint came from Steven Fletcher, who lives in Winnipeg and is a former federal transport minister. He had been stopped from flying between Winnipeg and Toronto with his own chair.
+
+This helps more than one person. A national regulator has now decided, in public and in writing, that an arbitrary weight number is a barrier rather than a safety fact. Other travellers can refer to that decision.
+
+Read the [Canadian Press report on the WestJet wheelchair ruling.](https://globalnews.ca/news/12028302/westjet-ordered-to-scrap-wheelchair-weight-cap/)
+
+##  4. A Nairobi app describes the street ahead
+
+Sightra is a navigation app built in Nairobi by two Kenyan founders, Ruth Nzuki and Brian Gillo. It uses artificial intelligence to identify what is in front of a user. It then describes it out loud through an earpiece, along with route guidance.
+
+The interesting choice is what it was trained on. Most object recognition tools are trained on streets in North America and Europe, so they expect even curbs, marked crossings and continuous pavements. Sightra was trained on Kenyan roads. It recognises open drains, missing curbs and informal crossings, which are the hazards its users actually meet.
+
+It runs on an ordinary smartphone, with no special hardware to buy. It has been tested with schools for blind students and with individual users, including the lawyer Julius Mbura.
+
+There is a lesson here for anyone building assistive technology. Tools work better when they are designed where they will be used, by people who know the local conditions.
+
+Read the [Africanews story on the Sightra navigation app in Kenya.](https://www.africanews.com/2026/08/20/phone-app-helps-kenyas-visually-impaired-get-around/)
+
+## What these four have in common
+
+These four stories look unrelated: a benefit rule, a sound system, a legal ruling and an app.
+
+But each one started the same way. Somebody named a specific barrier. Not "transport is hard" but "the pass does not work before 9:30am". Not "concerts are inaccessible" but "the room drowns out the signal". Not "airlines are difficult" but "300 pounds is an arbitrary number". Not "navigation apps are limited" but "they do not know what an open drain is".
+
+Then somebody with the power to change it agreed to change it.
+
+That is the pattern, and it is a hopeful one. The people who meet a barrier usually already know what the fix is. Progress tends to come when they are asked, and then believed.