How Google’s Head of Brand Accessibility Drives Change for the Disabled Community by Showing Up

In an industry where less than two percent of media represents people with disabilities, KR Liu shares how her decision to being vocal and educating others about her disabilities has inspired her career to turn from tech to accessibility. Having spoken at Adweek’s Disability Inclusion Summit and sharing best practices for a truly inclusive workplace, KR Liu tells how she began showing up, how her role at Google is empowering the voice of millions from the disabled community and why more marketers should champion deep compassion and understanding of others. How did you get to where you are today? My career in technology started over two decades ago but my journey as a disability advocate really started ten years ago when I pursued my passion to make hearing technology more accessible, affordable, and socially acceptable. I wasn’t just about creating innovative technology to help people hear better–it was about changing millions of lives by sharing my life-long struggle for access to hearing technology. I’m an advocate who has presented at the UN, the White House, and on Capitol Hill; my work is around accessibility, of which doing it at Google is the latest step in my journey. I wanted others to be proud of their disability and not ashamed of something that has been stigmatized for so long. I hoped I would help demonstrate that by putting your whole self out there, we can all make an impact and leave a legacy to be remembered. It’s not easy allowing yourself to be that vulnerable – sharing with the world your fears and hopes, trials and tribulations. Disabled people have long been left out or behind. My drive to change that really brought me where I am today. I would not have been able to have made such an impact without telling the world about my struggles and successes. I am profoundly grateful for the allies who gave me the courage to help me start a movement of real change. What's the most innovative thing you're currently working on? Today, less than 2% of film, media, and advertising represent people with disabilities. As Google’s Head of Brand Accessibility, my role is to help bring a disabled lens to our brand marketing strategy, content and storytelling. I’m constantly thinking of new ways to elevate the voices of others and explore new ways of storytelling to bring a more empowering, diverse and positive light to disability. Today, less than 2% of film, media, and advertising represent people with disabilities. Google is passionate about not only building products with and for disabled people but elevating their voices and contributions to society. As a brand, disability inclusion is an important part of our work as marketers and creatives. It’s a forever journey but we are taking steps forward to truly be inclusive of disabled people. What new or up-and-coming innovation(s) are you most excited about and how do you think it will change the future of marketing? In the past, accessible technology and innovation around hearing were what excited me most (products like Google’s Live Caption). Now I’m excited to see the amplification in conversation and action around disability inclusion in media and advertising. It’s starting to become more prominent and visible. It is pushing creatives to think about how to make our storytelling experience more accessible along with disabled people seeing themselves in those stories and the products we make. In 2009, Google added automatic captions to videos on YouTube, taking a step towards making videos universally accessible. Where do you look for inspiration to keep yourself ahead of the curve? I’m very fortunate to have incredible relationships throughout the diverse disabled community. I'm highly active on social media and within my community, keeping my finger on the pulse of what my community cares about and are struggling with. Additionally, people like Andraea LaVant, Judy Heumann, and many others in the disabled community hold me accountable. I’m incredibly grateful to my colleagues across Google, especially in the Brand Studio team where I sit. My leadership at Google, including Lorraine Twohill (Google CMO) has really given me a platform and deeply supports our efforts around disability inclusion. I’m inspired every day by the passion of my team and the drive to want to make a difference. Was there ever a time where you questioned your career path? How did you navigate that time? As someone who is severely hard of hearing, I would read lips and try to stay engaged while hiding my disability. This took a huge emotional toll on me and made working more difficult than it had to be. Once I embraced my disability, it freed me emotionally to focus more on my work and showed me it was OK to educate others on my needs. I felt compelled to speak out about it to help others. For years I kept hitting brick walls, but I persevered because I believed in the change I wanted to see. KR Liu speaking at the UN after the OTC Hearing Aid act passed. What do you think is the most underrated skill for marketers today? The most underrated skill in Marketing is having deep compassion and understanding for the different types of people who live in this world: from race to gender identities, to disabilities. Having compassion and understanding is what enables great marketers to create content that is accessible and resonates with a diverse audience -- including those with disabilities. ... showing a more diverse representation of disability in the world is not nice to have, it’s a need to have. 2020 was such an incredibly painful year, but it brought about the confidence from all walks of life that we want to be seen and heard, and the disabled community is no different. Making content accessible and showing a more diverse representation of disability in the world is not nice to have, it’s a need to have. If people don’t see themselves and then the experience itself isn’t accessible, you leave so many people behind. People with disabilities represent over a billion people in the world. We truly are the world's largest minority. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received and how has it impacted your career? Timing is everything and stay open. Accessibility and disability inclusion has had a long journey to get to where we are today. We still have a long way to go. Recognizing those small steps over the many decades in this movement have led to this moment and opportunity for myself. You must be patient. Also, relationships and networking are important. Our industry is smaller than people think, so earning the trust and support of your peers in and outside of your company is critical. Bonus Questions What’s something that most people don't know about you? I’m a huge sneaker collector and reseller. My latest addition is the Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Dunky and the Jordan One Dior Low. I love collecting and reselling sneakers. It’s my fun side hustle that my wife and I do together and allows us to flex that entrepreneurial spirit in us as queer female business leaders in our own industries. (Mine being tech and hers being sports.) If you could ask the marketing community at large one question, what would it be? Why are we not seeing a more diverse representation of disabled people in advertising? How can you help create more seats at the table for disabled people to be in positions of leadership? Disability is a part of who many of us are but it’s not the only thing we are.

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How Google’s Head of Brand Accessibility Drives Change for the Disabled Community by Showing Up

KR Liu talks representation, accountability, and compassion.

Julian Gamboa

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Julian Gamboa