Event Recap: Diversability Unplugged: Disability and Web3

By Katherine Lewis, Content Manager at Diversability

For our November Unplugged event, we hosted four expert panelists to discuss the basic applications and implications of Web3 for the disability rights movement. This month’s panelists included:

Ava Halvai (she/her), Founder, ARTXV

Paula Carozzo (she/her), Creator of Inclusive Collective

Giselle Mota (she/her), Futurist, Creator of NFTY Collective

Glen Gilmore (he/him), Tech and Travel Influencer

Conversation moderated by Katherine Lewis, Diversability

Discussion Overview

After brief introductions, panelists began the conversation by sharing their personal definitions of what Web3 is to them and how they got involved. It became clear that defining Web3 can be complicated. They shared that it’s not uncommon to get a variety of unique definitions because the movement is so new. Creators and tech professionals are still early in development, very much in the beginning stages of deciding what Web3 is and will be. But one thing was clear: the possibilities are endless. 

The remainder of the event focused on the potential uses and implications of Web3 for disability rights. We learned that in areas such as NFTs, avenues for disabled artists to monetize their creativity are opening where before there were few prospects. This is thanks to a number of factors, including no longer needing to engage with a heavily biased arts industry. The movement also presents a number of opportunities for inclusion activists to engage the public in new and exciting ways. Web3 is new enough that many disability rights advocates are taking the opportunity to help shape the movement early. By jumping in on the ground floor rather than wait to focus on changing long-standing systems, they are establishing inclusion and disability rights as key issues in the foundational growth of the industry. 

As advocates, the potentially harmful implications of Web3 were not lost on our guests. As the tech industry continues to grapple with security issues, mass layoffs, and access limitations, we were reminded that while Web3 is exciting, it exists within larger systems not without problems. At the forefront of this reality are ecoactivists noting the extensive energy expenditures of many Web3 processes and continued calls for meaningful solutions. Another is disability advocates sharing an already vast array of digital accessibility barriers. Panelists discussed these issues with humility and hope, concluding that while the movement is not perfect, with enough vocal accountability it can be the inclusive internet of the future we all deserve.

The evening concluded with panelists answering questions from attendees.

Watch the recap below!