Personal update – 25th of November 2022 I got official organization number for my new sole entrepreneurship that I named IDEA-lab Cerovac. This will be the official organizational unit behind my freelancing that I will be doing in the fields of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and, of course, Accessibility.
My regular work as Senior Web Developer and Accessibility Lead don’t cover all of my needs to express other aspects of my knowledge that went from coding to accessibility and now also beyond. The more I learned about accessibility, the more I learned about how it goes beyond only technical and towards organizational.
Inclusion, Diversity and Equity are trendy now more than ever. But I think that without Accessibility they are still not enough and still leaving people behind. People with disabilities that is. That are often one of most vulnerable groups. So with learning about accessibility and disabilities I wanted to learn more about related problems and then it’s not very far to reach out to Inclusion, Diversity and Equity.
IDEA = Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility
And so the idea was born – to offer consulting services that cover accessibility and way beyond. I see that a lot of companies invest more and more into Inclusion, Diversity and Equity and that Accessibility is often left out. I guess that the steeper knowledge curve and less mature awareness are the reasons, but it shouldn’t be like that.
Accessibility is also an integral part when we think about Inclusion, Diversity and Equity, so I decided to choose a name that covers all four of them. To make it more recognizable I choose IDEA as an acronym, but that doesn’t mean that Accessibility should be last. It was just easy to create a simple acronym from the letters – Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility.
I’ve seen a lot of progress made on these fields, but unfortunately only in larger organizations. So once again small and medium business aren’t yet implementing best practices yet. That’s a shame and I think I can help a bit.
Lab = laboratory, because of innovation
I have a lot of ideas (no pun intended). And I like to innovate. I’ve noticed that innovation is easier if you work alone, at least in start. That’s also another reason behind establishment of IDEA-lab Cerovac. I did some innovation that goes beyond web and software into hardware and mechanics, so once again I can’t pursue that in my daily job.
Prototyping electronics, machine learning on edge devices, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Extended Reality, making artistic installations, helping artists with technological solutions, using my passion for photography, video creation and drone footage are additional passions of mine. I am not able to use the experiences with them in my day job, so another reason for something of my own.
These are my secondary passions and I guess I won’t be starting a factory any time soon, but it’s nice to be able to produce and eventually sell something that you are passionate about.
IDEA-lab Cerovac – more information and plans for the future
As mentioned, in 25th of November 2022 I got my Norwegian organization number from Brønnøysund Register Centre that is 930 311 855 (opens in new tab). It will make it possible for me to do my side jobs officially and legally, worldwide. I also made a simple website with basic information – IDEA-lab Cerovac, just to be present and reserve the name for now.
I think that when you start a “business” you have to give potential clients something for free, so that they can be assured about your qualifications and most importantly – that you can bring them value. So I decided to offer a quick and free reality check of services (or products).
Other plans include offering myself as an external DEIA analyst and consultant or when needed a Chief DEIA officer that can be a part of the board for small- and medium businesses.
In the meanwhile I will still write posts here as I think it helps me to structure some newly acquired knowledge and some lessons learned and hopefully also help others that are on a similar path.