July 5, 2017 — In June of 2012, podcaster and veteran web dev Ed Finkler spoke openly about his lifelong struggles with mental illness with co-host Chris Hartjes. Four years later, a non-profit corporation with a dozen volunteers is working to change the tech and open source community. In this talk, Finkler tells the story of how the episode happened, the incredible response they received, and how it grew into a charity dedicated to changing and saving lives — all by using the principles of open source culture.
June 24, 2016 — Mental disorders are the largest contributor to disease burden in North America, but the developer community and those who employ us are afraid to face the problem head-on. In this talk, we’ll examine the state of mental health awareness in the developer workplace, why most developers feel it isn’t safe to talk about mental health, and what we can do to change the culture and save lives. Attendees will leave with 5 things they can do to make their workplace safer for those dealing with mental health disorders.