{"id":81231,"date":"2025-06-03T12:06:31","date_gmt":"2025-06-03T02:06:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/balancethegrind.co\/?p=81231"},"modified":"2025-06-03T12:06:34","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T02:06:34","slug":"how-onyedikachi-is-changing-the-way-tech-talks-about-speech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/balancethegrind.co\/interviews\/how-onyedikachi-is-changing-the-way-tech-talks-about-speech\/","title":{"rendered":"How Onyedikachi Is Changing the Way Tech Talks About Speech"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Onyedikachi Hope Amaechi-Okorie is helping reshape the future of tech\u2014one voice at a time. As a program manager, developer advocate, and founder of Spectrum of Speech, Onyedikachi works at the intersection of open-source, accessibility, and speech diversity. Whether she\u2019s guiding new contributors in the JSON Schema community, shaping inclusive AI at Mozilla Common Voice, or building safe spaces for atypical communicators, her work is rooted in one belief: every voice deserves to be heard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

In this conversation, Onyedikachi shares how she balances deeply personal advocacy with high-impact community strategy, why rest is part of the mission, and how starting from lived experience can shape a values-driven career in tech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you usually start your day? Is there a habit or routine that helps you stay centered before diving into your work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I start my day with silence, just sitting still before the noise begins. No rushing, no notifications, no emails. It\u2019s my way of checking in with myself before the world checks in with me. Then I head to the gym. There\u2019s something the gym does for me. It wakes my mind up in the most beautiful way. I move my body, feel my breath, and let go of any tension I carried from the day before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the time I\u2019m done, my thoughts are clearer, my energy is lighter, and I feel like I\u2019ve already accomplished something important. A happy mind makes the dream work, and the gym is my happy place. It\u2019s where I reflect, rehearse ideas, and plan my day with intention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, I\u2019ll even replay conversations in my head that I want to have in my community or imagine how a new initiative could unfold. I\u2019ve solved problems mid-set and journaled ideas right after a workout. It\u2019s not just about fitness. It\u2019s my reset button, my strategy room, and my safe space all rolled into one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting the day this way helps me show up fully, present, grounded, and ready to do meaningful work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You work at the intersection of tech, accessibility, and community. What does a typical workday look like for you in that space?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Every day feels a bit like puzzle-solving, with people, processes, and purpose at the center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the JSON Schema community, my day often starts with thinking about the contributor experience. I’m always asking: How do we make it easier for someone new to feel like they belong here?<\/em> That means refining onboarding process, streamlining documentation, and advocating for more approachable pathways into the project. But it doesn\u2019t stop there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Community management in open source is not just about hosting meetings or creating Canva assets (though I do plenty of those too). It\u2019s about designing human-centered systems of belonging. Welcoming contributors, checking in on stale pull requests, translating technical progress into community wins, and making sure people feel seen and valued, not just useful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes it’s helping a contributor figure out Git for the first time. Other times it’s strategizing with core maintainers on community roadmaps or mentoring someone through their first open issue. It\u2019s incredibly fulfilling work, and it keeps me grounded in the idea that tech is people first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Mozilla Common Voice, my role leans heavily into documentation and accessibility, ensuring that the language we use is inclusive, that contributors from different backgrounds can participate meaningfully, and that the open data we build reflects real-world diversity. It\u2019s a collaborative ecosystem, and I love being part of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then there\u2019s Spectrum of Speech<\/a>, the community I founded for people with atypical speech patterns. That space is both deeply personal and wildly energizing. My workday often includes moderating conversations, checking in with members, planning podcast episodes, and designing supportive spaces for people who\u2019ve never had the language or confidence to share their stories before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes I\u2019m writing blog posts that capture lived experiences. Other times I\u2019m mapping out new ways to talk about speech diversity with nuance and strength, while keeping it rooted in community and joy. We\u2019ve built an active Discord space<\/a>, launched a new website, and are continuously thinking about how to reimagine the future of voice tech and inclusion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And sure, it can get overwhelming, but I\u2019m constantly reminded that this work matters. Small acts, like answering a new contributor\u2019s question or hosting a vulnerable conversation, are shaping something bigger. That\u2019s what keeps me going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve built and led initiatives around speech diversity and inclusive AI. What first drew you to that work, and what keeps you motivated?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For as long as I can remember, I\u2019ve navigated the world with a stutter. And for just as long, I\u2019ve quietly wrestled with the fear that my voice didn\u2019t belong in certain spaces. Whether it was being overlooked in conversations, or feeling left behind by tools that didn\u2019t understand how I spoke, I internalized a belief that fluency was the price of participation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not just about tech not catching my words. It\u2019s about a world that often doesn\u2019t make space for voices that sound different. So naturally, I\u2019ve been drawn to this work, not just to find my place, but to help build spaces where others don\u2019t have to question if their voice is valid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s what led me to create Spectrum of Speech<\/a> and also start a stuttering and speech diversity initiative<\/a> in the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF)  Slack community. I wanted to see what could happen if we opened the door wider. And I was blown away. I heard from people who clutter, people with aphasia, those with cochlear implants or who are hard of hearing and speak with unique rhythms. It was beautiful, so much more than I expected. And I realized this isn\u2019t just about stuttering. It\u2019s about all of us. It\u2019s about honoring the full spectrum of human communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That moment became a turning point for me. Speech diversity deserves to be mainstream. People should know these voices exist, that they carry stories and innovations and power. Whether through inclusive AI, better documentation, or community design, we can make room for every voice, not in spite of how they sound, but because of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What keeps me going is the feedback I get from people who say, \u201cI\u2019ve never heard anyone talk about this before,\u201d or \u201cThis feels like the first time I\u2019ve been able to show up as myself.\u201d That means everything. That\u2019s the fire. Because for every person who still feels invisible or misunderstood because of how they speak, I want them to know they\u2019re not alone, and that their voice matters. We\u2019re changing that narrative, one voice at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Balancing advocacy, program management, and developer relations can be intense. How do you manage your energy and stay focused?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Balancing advocacy, program management, and developer relations can absolutely be intense, but for me, it comes quite naturally because these areas aren\u2019t separate silos, they\u2019re deeply connected by a shared purpose. At the end of the day, it often feels like I\u2019m doing just one thing: building inclusive, human-centered spaces in tech where every voice is heard and valued. Whether I\u2019m shaping community programs, representing underrepresented voices, or engaging developers, it all feeds into the same mission. That alignment gives me clarity and momentum, even when the workload is full.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What helps me stay focused is knowing when to pause, restrategize, or take a step back altogether. I don\u2019t try to power through when something isn\u2019t clicking. Instead, I ask myself core questions like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n