Well... fuck

[ysobel]

You know the shitshow that is Ravelry's new look? Which was causing eye strain and migraines and seizures? And the site updates since then have all used perky icons (that are in some cases impossible to determine the meaning of) rather than bullet points?

It just got worse.



I'm shaking too hard to transcribe, but summary -- form letter response from Cassidy saying NuRav isn't causing medical issues, people are just spreading malicious lies.

Or, as ktb38 says:

Ravelry is now sending out a form letter.
Saying there are no problems with the updated design.
Everyone who has problems is lying.
The disability community is lying, according to ravelry.
Share this. Tell everyone what ravelry is doing.
#ravelryaccessibility #ravelry


I'm pretty much in shock right now. Of all possible responses from C, this was not even imaginable.

I fully expect rage tears later, but right now I'm just ... numb.

Edit with transcript:

Ravelry's updated design does not cause seizures, migraines or other medical issues.

The Epilepsy Foundation did not "call out" Ravelry. Angry users stared [sic] a letter writing campaign and the foundation published their warning based on these letters without any verification or research, as appears to be their policy. A medical doctor who specializes in migraines and seizures has said that he does not believe that Ravelry is causing seizures or migraines. We have found zero evidence that there is anything about the new design that causes migraines or seizures.

I would like people to consider their sources before spreading false information.

Cassidy

Comments

[princessofgeeks]

I am so sorry.

[jesse_the_k]

Wow. The fury, it burns.

[azurelunatic]

This is some fine, extra-fancy bullshit.

I'd little enough in my account that I decided to delete.

[batdina]

wow. just wow. I stopped going there years ago and must have deleted way back when or I'd be deleting now.

(She's acting like Trump: if I deny it's a problem long enough and loud enough, and blame other people, the problem will "vanish". It'll suck if it works for her. When you get something more to share (I'll share ktb) in addition, I'll signal boost.)

Sorry about the rage; sorry sorry sorry.

[arctowardthesun]

What's really wild to me is DW's post about reacting to the latest code push is right below this one on my reading page. It's a drastic difference.

[ysobel]

I know.

It's night and day. On pretty much the same issue. But it's amazing how "oops, we acknowledge the problem" plus actual testing omg, goes over so much better than silence followed by "fake news". And by amazing I mean ... uh ... not.

(The biggest problem with rav hasn't been the redesign, so much as the reaction from tptb. If they'd said "ack we're working on fixing it", if they'd done a fucking test in the first place!, if they'd given any indication of listening, things would be different. It's not the redesign that lost them goodwill. It's the silence and deflection and gaslighting.)

[arctowardthesun]

Oh yeah, I'm well aware. (I'm annaknits on rav, fwiw)

[conuly]

Wow.

[babs_bee]

I am so pissed off about this. And I'm pissed off at the designers (not the ones who are little designers who have no choice but to stay on) but the big ones who aren't sticking up for the people who can't access the site any longer.

There are a few bigger designers though who are speaking up--Romi Hill, Ambah O'Brian. Guess who is going to get my money when I'm looking for a new pattern?

I unfollowed some people on Instagram who basically said that it's no big deal. One person whose feed I always enjoyed came down on someone who asked if she'd be willing to say something about it and her response was--I'll talk about it when you talk about BLM. I lost my respect for her that day--just a complete dismissal of the whole disabled community--including POC in that community.

I'm glad to know that my throwing up and experiencing all the symptoms of motion sickness within 5 minutes of the nurav launch were all in my head according to Cassidy.

The deeper she digs the hole, the more likely they are going to be hit with lawsuits--which in my petty way I hope happens.

I deleted my account last week--it was hard. 13 years of contributing to the site, but I just couldn't support it any longer.

[vass]

Just deleted my Ravelry account. Fuck that bullshit.

Also fuck their many layers of third-party scripts that I had to enable to finish the account deletion process.

Ravelry letter from Jessica

[(Anonymous)]

I'm not sure if you have seen the response from Jessica. I know everyone is hurting but I think we should all try to feel compassion for any mental health struggles that Cassidy is experiencing

"With regard to tweets and emails sent by Cassidy, we would like to make clear they do not reflect the opinions and professional intentions of the Ravelry team, or the way we think about what people are experiencing. We have not been as aware as we should be that these messages were being sent. Cassidy was not in a state to be talking with people, though she does understand that this is no excuse and that the emails that she wrote were hurtful. She is ashamed and sincerely sorry. It will take a period of adjustment, but in the future Cassidy's role will be focused on technical work. She no longer has access to the customer service emails and her Ravelry mail is disabled."

Full letter here: https://blog.ravelry.com/a-letter-from-jessica/?fbclid=IwAR292LOwke7T7ATdiHFCmeL63ntcmnXCeK10sPzNsbZ8HL_5S3W032OzE3o

Re: Ravelry letter from Jessica

[garpu]

Yeah, she really doesn't sound like she's in a good space. (not that the email last night wasn't shitty--it absolutely was.)

Re: Ravelry letter from Jessica

[ysobel]

I saw.

I have compassion for mental health struggles but I refuse to let Cassidy become *the* central victim. If she'd said earlier "I'm not able to deal with this", that would have been better. But she hurt people. Plus, Rav has always been dismissive of visual needs, and this mess was not handled well. Not just by C.

It will be interesting if the actions of tptb match the letter. The words are a start, but they may only be words.

(On a personal level I'm worried about her, because I don't think she's in a good place and that totally sucks. I really sincerely hope she gets the help she needs. But I just don't want the narrative to sideline the harm done, even if it was because of mental health issues.)

Re: Ravelry letter from Jessica

[jesse_the_k]

I just don't want the narrative to sideline the harm done, even if it was because of mental health issues.

Thank you for modeling the "both / and" approach we deserve as disabled people.

Re: Ravelry letter from Jessica

[babs_bee]

I can have compassion for those struggling with mental health issues but reading the whole blog post, it's just the same old, same old with the new shiny Rav is great and so many people can now access it, blah blah blah.

Once again, it's the same dismissal of those who are experiencing real pain and inability to access the site.

And I get the whole thing about not having something well received. At my job, a group of us once spent 2 years writing a curriculum with input from our superiors telling us it was great, etc etc, and we handed in the final product and the powers that be and state rejected those 2 years and we had to go back to the beginning again. We were ticked off of course but you know what? We swallowed our pride and did what was needed to fix it!

[pauamma]

Ew.