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Why reducing cognitive load creates communities where more people can participate, connect, and thrive
Accessibility is often treated like a checklist: add captions, include transcripts, make sure the technology works. But what if accessibility is actually something much deeper? What if it is one of the clearest ways we communicate care and create spaces where people genuinely belong?
In this solo episode, Tonya Kubo expands on her conversation with Dr. Catrina Mitchum and explores why accessibility is about far more than compliance. Whether you're leading an online course, hosting a workshop, facilitating a community, or running an in-person event, every design decision either removes friction or creates it. Those choices shape who feels welcomed, who feels excluded, and who has the opportunity to fully participate.
Through practical examples ranging from breakout rooms and workshop activities to transcripts, captions, seating arrangements, and course design, Tonya unpacks the hidden impact of cognitive load. She challenges creators and community leaders to stop asking whether people can technically access an experience and start asking whether they've intentionally designed an experience that allows people to succeed.
More than anything, this episode is an invitation to view accessibility as an act of hospitality. Small, thoughtful changes don't just support people with disabilities. They create better experiences for parents, busy professionals, neurodivergent learners, and anyone who benefits from having multiple ways to engage. Because when people feel considered, they feel connected. And connection is where belonging begins.
You’ll hear how:
- Accessibility extends far beyond captions and transcripts
- Cognitive load influences how people participate and learn
- Thoughtful design benefits everyone, not just people with disabilities
- Online and in-person experiences can unintentionally create barriers
- Charging extra for basic accessibility features undermines belonging
- Every activity should be designed with a clear learning goal in mind
- Offering multiple ways to participate lowers barriers to engagement
- Small changes communicate care and strengthen community
- Asking "Who might be left out?" leads to more inclusive experiences
- Belonging cannot exist without meaningful access
Episode Highlights
[01:10] Why accessibility is about removing friction, not checking boxes
[05:00] How cognitive load shapes the way people learn and participate
[09:30] Why transcripts, captions, and multiple learning formats benefit everyone
[13:50] The problem with putting accessibility behind a paywall
[17:45] Three questions every course creator and community leader should ask
[21:20] How offering multiple ways to participate strengthens belonging
[25:00] Why accessibility is ultimately an act of care
Resources & Mentions- Episode 026 – Interview with Dr. Catrina Mitchum
Meet Your Host
Tonya Kubo is a community strategist, marketing consultant, and rebel with a cause: helping people find the place where they truly belong. For nearly two decades, she’s built online spaces that feel less like comment sections and more like chosen family. She’s the fixer you call when your Facebook group has gone straight-up Lord of the Flies and the bouncer at the door of internet nonsense. As the host of Find Your Freaks, Tonya brings together unconventional thinkers and bridge-builders who know “normal” was never the point. Her favorite spaces? The ones where the freak flags fly high.
Support the ShowIf Find Your Freaks matters to you, help us keep it ad-free by buying us a coffee (or two!). Every dollar goes to production so more weirdos can find their people.
You can purchase Find Your Freaks merchandise online through Abilities and Attitudes.
Let’s Stay FreakyWhat’s Next
Next time, Tonya sits down with Alicia Shidler to explore what it means to live with radical intention. Together, they unpack choosing purpose over expectations, building a life anchored in what matters most, and why being a good parent doesn’t mean losing yourself along the way.
