Digital Accessibility

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Interviews with accomplished accessibility professionals to learn about their career journeys

Joe Welinske


    • Jan 14, 2024 LATEST EPISODE
    • every other week NEW EPISODES
    • 26m AVG DURATION
    • 71 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Digital Accessibility

    The Importance of Being Open and Welcoming to All Kinds of Expertise

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 14, 2024 29:53 Transcription Available


    Jennifer Smith, Visa, Director of Strategic Initiatives and AccessibilityJen Smith has worked with accessibility at J.P Morgan Chase, Microsoft, and now at Visa as Director of Strategic Initiatives and Accessibility. She talks about the importance of working with colleagues at different experience levels and backgrounds. She also describes the need in accessibility for better ways to present data. Mentioned in this episode:Info about Accessibility at Blink

    A Day of Awareness to Learn About Accessibility

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 31, 2023 26:23


    Joe Devon, GAAD Foundation, AI FuturistJoe Devon has had a long career in both web development and the application of accessibility to the digital world. Joe talks about his earliest days becoming aware of the need for accessibility and building his knowledge. That lead to being a co-founder of Global Accessibility Awareness Day and the GAAD Foundation. Joe describes his interest and excitement about the application of AI to accessibility and how it might transform how assistive devices work. Mentioned in this episode:Info about Accessibility at Blink

    Being Attentive to Accessibility throughout Design

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 17, 2023 27:09


    Stéphanie Walter, Maltem, UX Research & Design ConsultantStéphanie shares her experience with a motion disability that affects her in her daily life and when interacting with digital games. She talks about upcoming changes to laws in Europe that will require accessibility in public and private web sites.Mentioned in this episode:Info about Accessibility at Blink

    Looking Forward to European Legislation for Private Sector Compliance

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 10, 2023 26:13


    Lars Holm Sørensen, Monsido, Accessibility ExpertLars Holm Sørensen resides in Copenhagen where is works on imrproving a compliance platform for organizations and municipalities. He also helps to build accessibility awareness. Lars talks about his lived life as a person who is blind using a screen reader. It created challenges in his education and early work as a software developer. Now he looks forward to greater attention to accessibility in the digital world. Mentioned in this episode:Info about Accessibility at Blink

    Open Communication Designers and Developers

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 3, 2023 28:24


    Tolu Adegbite is Product/UX designer. Her current work includes providing guidance about accessibility to designers and developers, educating others, and creating new experiences. Starting her career as a front-end developer she was introduce to accessibility early on. Tolu talks about how she learned accessibility principles and embraces the importance of communication between designers and developers. She also describes her interest in VR/AR opportunities and the need to consider the intersectionality of our identities. practical work with browser plug-ins, screen readers and keyboard acccess. Accessibility continues to be a central part of her work in helped her make sense of accessibility early on. Mentioned in this episode:Info about Accessibility at Blink

    A Huge Potential for Artificial Intelligence to Assist with Accessibility

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 26, 2023 28:14


    Ryan Shugart, Microsoft, Senior Program ManagerRich works as a an accessibility subject matter expert with the cloud and AI teams at Microsoft. He shares his experience being born visually impaired and how that affected his early use of a home computer and technology. Graduating from college in IT, he began his work as a system administrator. As a blind person, he experienced many challenges. Rich talks about some of what is involved in the process of reviewing products for accessibility - from design through to release. He also talks about artificial intelligence, the interaction of applications and assistive technologies, and the limitations of standards. Mentioned in this episode:Info about Accessibility at Blink

    Knowing What You Should Be Doing and Then Doing It Are Two Very Different Things

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 19, 2023 29:02


    Erica Ellis, Uber, Head of Product Equity DesignErica Ellis is Head of Product Equity Design at Uber. She explains how accessibility is integrated into the organization through a mindset about service design. Erica shares her early experience with a deaf family member and being an advocate for gender equity for women in technology. As a designer she became familiar with accessibility and helped to build a team to support the development. She talks about the important of top down support couple with grassroots efforts. Mentioned in this episode:Info about Accessibility at Blink

    We're Not Going to Design Things That Disable People

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 20, 2023 32:40


    Gareth Ford Williams, Accessibility Consultant, Ab11y.comGareth Ford Williams describes his current work as an accessibility consultant. He shares some childhood experiences that made aware of disabilties at an early age. Gareth provide a great review of the decades of pioneering work that the BBC has done in making their content inclusive. Mentioned in this episode:Info about Accessibility at Blink

    Boils Down to Getting Information to People Who Need It

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2023 23:04


    Sharyn Morrow, iCIMS, Principal Accessibility EngineerSharyn Morrow began her career with an early interest in communication and working with early PCs and software. That led to to learning about HTML, graphic design, and working for SiteImprove. She shares her personal challenges with her neurodiversity and how she now advocates for herself, her family, and others. Sharyn now provides accessibility documentation, training, best practices and tools to help internal staff create more accessible products.

    Making Accessibility Information Clear and Concise for Developers

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2023 35:22


    Mark Steadman, Fidelity Investments, Director, Software Engineering - Mobile AccessibilityMark Steadman is Director of Mobile Accessibility at Fidelity Investments. Mark has made a career of being a developer who helps other developers be successful in supporting accessibility. He talks about what makes an efficient and consistent process for the developer side of things. His work began at State Farm supporting the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). That led to learning about assistive technologies, working at Deque, and now his current activities with mobile. Mentioned in this episode:Info about Accessibility at Blink

    Technology Is the Great Connector Unless There Are Barriers

    Play Episode Listen Later May 28, 2023 25:39


    Jill Bateman, Ohio University, Digital Accessibility CoordinatorJill Bateman provides comprehensive accessibility support for students and staff at Ohio University. That includes reviewing tools and technology and processes for purchasing. Starting in web design, Jill found similarities between usability and accessibility. She shares the challenge of an elderly family member which helped drive her work and interest. Mentioned in this episode:Info about Accessibility at Blink

    Not About Can I Code My HTML Right but Can I Do My Relationships Right

    Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2023 38:30


    Jonathan Hassell, Hassell Inclusion, Founder & Chief ExecutiveJonathan Hassell talks about his many years of experience in accessibility. He describes the evolution and challenges at the BBC to make their content available to all across their many services. Jonathan also explains the importance of standards organizations. Mentioned in this episode:Info about Accessibility at Blink

    Make People More Self Sufficient When It Comes to Accessibility

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2023 27:41


    Léonie Watson, TetraLogical, Director Léonie Watson's early work as a web designer was interupted when she lost her sight. As she began to use assistive technologies for her own needs, she found her way into accessibility testing. This led to many years of solving accessibility problems for a wide range of organizations. Now, Léonie is the Director of TetraLogical - a consultancy for accessibility. Mentioned in this episode:Info about Accessibility at Blink

    Considering Disabilities in the Context of our Environment

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2023 47:42


    Jamie Knight, Jamie + Lion (limited), DirectorJamie Knight talks about the many activities he was involved with in eleven years working in accessibility at the BBC. Now he provides consulting and workshops. Jamie also shares his own experience as a person with disabilities and the importance of accommodations in life and work. Mentioned in this episode:Info about Accessibility at Blink

    Accessibility Support in the U.S. Federal Government

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 2, 2023 27:11


    Dominique Wheeler provides training and support for accessibility implementation within U.S. federal agencies. She started her career work at a Baltimore education non-profit organization. It was while creating training materials for the Department of Defense that she became familiar with Section 508 requirements. That led to her full-time work as an accessibility specialist. She talks about the Trusted Tester program that is open to anyone for certification. Mentioned in this episode:Info about Accessibility at Blink

    Understanding That Accessibility Is Not Just About the WCAG

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2023 37:05 Transcription Available


    Derek Featherstone, Saleforce, VP of Accessibility and Inclusive DesignDerek Featherstone VP of PAccessibility and Design at Salesforce. Derek describes how accessibility is integrated in the overall structure at Salesforce. He shared his own disability challenges and starting his own consulting firm that was acquired by Level Access.Mentioned in this episode:Info about Accessibility at Blink

    design salesforce accessibility blink wcag saleforce derek featherstone
    Not Just Making the Design Process Accessible but the Workplace Overall

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2023 16:53 Transcription Available


    Amanda Powell, Target, accessibility in user researchAmanda Powell works as a senior UX designer at Target. Her exposure to accessibility came from her own challenges of having an autoimmune disorder affecting her sight. She became an advocate for accessibility tools and processes internally at her organization. That expanded to helping research and design address the needs of disabled customers. Mentioned in this episode:Info about Accessibility at Blink

    Building Accessibility into the Engineering Life Cycle

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2023 37:51 Transcription Available


    Mike Paciello, Pearson, Director of Accessibility ImplementationMike Paciello is one of the pioneers is helping accessibility become an organized discipline for improving products and services. He began his career as a technical writer and that brought him to voluteering with the publishing of braille documents. From there, Mike formed The Paciello Group which brought usability methods into accessibility design. Mike continues his work with braille standards, the IAAP, and immersive interfaces. Mentioned in this episode:Info about Accessibility at Blink

    We Need a Lot of People Knowing Just a Little Bit

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 29, 2023 28:32 Transcription Available


    Michele A. Williams, M.A.W. Consulting, ownerMichele talks about her wide variety of experiences in accessibility. Much of her work aligned with user experience activities. This included graduate research and study, working as a researcher, and accessibility consulting. Michele has written many papers and articles and has a patent for a wearable device. Mentioned in this episode:Info about Accessibility at Blink

    The Learning with Accessibility Never Ends

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 22, 2023 30:33 Transcription Available


    Ross Mullen, CANAXESS, DirectorRoss Mullen talks about his extensive experience in working with standards organizations for accessibility. He spent many years working with accessibility for government agencies. Now, Ross has his own consulting practice.Mentioned in this episode:Info about Accessibility at Blink

    360 Degrees of Accessibility

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 15, 2023 23:47 Transcription Available


    Meryl Evans, independent, Professional Speaker and TrainerMeryl Evans is an accessibility evangelist who works as a trainer, speaker, and consultant. Her early career was with business writing and digital marketing. She then became involved with making and instructing how to make high-quality captions for video. Meryl stresses the importance of going beyond digital accessibility and considering the touchpoints with the physical world. That includes offering multiple formats for interacting with a product or service. Mentioned in this episode:Info about Accessibility at Blink

    Accessibility is a Journey

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2022 35:24 Transcription Available


    Thomas Wlodkowski, Comcast, Vice President, AccessibilityCurrently, leading the accessibility program at Comcast. Tom's team supports both employee-facing or customer-facing accessibility. He shares his experience being blind from birth and finding his way into the media world through radio at WPOP in Boston. That led to work with audio descriptions, policy-making for accessible media and then a position at AOL as director of accessibility.

    Mindset Change Doesn't Happen Over Night

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 4, 2022 16:18 Transcription Available


    Miriam Nabinger, independent, Accessibility SpecialistMiriam Nabinger began her work career at IBM where she first became aware of accessibility. She decided to study accessibility and make that the focus of her work. That led to her starting her own accessibility consulting practice. She talks about the current status of accessibility in Austria and the need to create more awareness.

    Negotiation, Leadership and Other Soft Skills Help to Become an Accessibility Professional

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 27, 2022 19:40 Transcription Available


    Rajesh Kalidindi, independent, Accessibility & User Experience ConsultantRajesh Kalidindi enables individuals and corporations through his accessibility consultancy by providing training, comprehensive validations, VPATs, usability studies, empathy workshops, etc. He began as a multimedia designer and moved into UX. Joining Microsoft, Rajesh found a passion for inclusive experiences that lead to learning about standards and observing users' challenges in usability studies. He enjoys presenting at conferences.

    Everyone Who Does Accessibility Ends up at Some Point Teaching It

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 20, 2022 25:18 Transcription Available


    Sarah Horton, University of Southampton, Research FellowSarah Horton is currently a research fellow at the U. of Southhamption working on a study about the teaching of accessibility. Her career began by working with instructional technology in academic circles and the led to her work in web development. She was part of the staff in the early days of The Paciello Group, contributing to audits, design reviews, and usability studies. Along the way she has written many books.

    Our Ability to Communicate Business Goals Is Something That We All Need to Work On

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 13, 2022 22:58 Transcription Available


    Cam Beaudoin, CIBC, Senior Manager of AccessibilityCam Beaudoin is the Senior Manager of Accessibility for a financial institution in Canada. He started as a developer at a consulting company and was immediately charged with understanding the WCAG. That led to his current position as well as consulting, speaking engagements, and his own accessibility podcast. Cam describes a bit about regulatory compliance in Canada. He also talks about the importance of melding our work with business goals, design systems, and metrics.

    Creating Carrots for Accessibility and Not Just Sticks

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 6, 2022 25:52 Transcription Available


    Rachael Bradley Montgomery, Library of Congress, Digital Accessibility SpecialistRachael talk about her work as the co-chair of the W3C's Accessibility Guidelines Working Group and her charity work in supporting accessibility for small community organizations. In her work at the Library of Congress, she help create accessible experiences for employees and patrons. She talks about her own challenge with having a chemical sensitivity disability.

    Regulations Would Improve the Tools That We Use and Awareness

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2022 31:30 Transcription Available


    Ken Nakata, Converge Accessibility, PrincipalKen Nakata helps law firms and corporation understand web accessibility issues. His career began in the Department of Justice working on the original Americans with Disability Act legislation and litigation. When Section 508 appeared, Ken started working in that area and spent a long time in that digital accessibility effort.

    With a Good Defined Workflow We Can Identify Moments for Discussing Accessibility

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 23, 2022 27:49 Transcription Available


    Marie Van Driessche, Unc, UX DesignerMarie Van Driessche helps her organization's clients understand the importance of accessibility in their web sites and apps. She shared her own experience with the many accessibility issues specific to being deaf.

    Technology Is a Lifestyle Companion That Should Fully Support People Who Are Blind

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 16, 2022 28:51 Transcription Available


    David Schleppenbach, Tactile Solutions, PresidentDavid Schleppenbach produces a braille computer for people who need tactile or haptic input. He gives a quick tour of the product and manufacturing facility. As an instructor at Purdue University, he began supporting blind students by creating a better learning environment. This led to participating in the tech entrepreneurship program at Purdue and the start of his accessibility company.

    Trying to Change Perspectives Globally About Disabilities and Accessibility

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 9, 2022 27:06 Transcription Available


    Sam Chandreshekar, D2L, Accessibility Lead Sam is the accessibility lead at an educational technology company called D2L. She began her career as an IT professional. Her post-graduate work focused on online accessibility for people who are blind or vision impaired. She taught a master's program in Inclusive Design at OCAD University in Toronto. Two of her students started Fable - now a prominent platform to connect to people with disabilities for user research and accessibility testing.

    Our Idea Is to Get Everyone Knowledgeable About Accessibility

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2022 26:28 Transcription Available


    Ian Kersey, Thomson Reuters, Senior Accessibility Specialist Ian Kersey supports the designers in customer-facing products at Thomson Reuters.  That includes adding annotations to Figma prototypes and making sure developers have everything they need. Starting in an accessibility office at a community college, Ian continued his career with accessibility consulting, including working at Level Access. 

    Gaming Accessibility Is a Very Empathy-Driven Industry

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2022 28:23 Transcription Available


    Lorelei Root, Eagle's Flight, Digital Accessibility Specialist Lorelei Root digital accessibility focus with a focus on video games. She shares her experience of becoming disabled due to multiple sclerosis. Having to learn to speak, read and write again, she used the few accessible video games to help provide the road back. This led her to her work consulting about and evangelizing the need for accessibility in video games. 

    How Often Do You Get a Chance to Make That Much of a Difference

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 18, 2022 40:28 Transcription Available


    Rich Schwerdtfeger, Retired, IBM, Former Chief Technology Officer for Accessibility Rich began his work in accessibility with the early development of a screen reader for Windows. He was a key member of the world-wide team that brought technologies like ARIA into mainstream use for accessibility. Rich chaired the board of Knowbility and currently is President and Creator at A Diver's Life YouTube Channel.

    Getting to a Point Where Everyone Is Talking About Accessibility

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 11, 2022 27:27 Transcription Available


    Charlie Turrell, BBC, Change Manager - Accessibility Champions Network Charlie onboards product development staff about accessibility and evangelizes it throughout the BBC. Starting as a personal assistant in many sections of the BBC, she found her way into user experience and then to guiding the internal accessibility champions network.

    Accessibility Needs to Be Interwoven With All the Steps in the Business Process

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 4, 2022 35:36 Transcription Available


    Sam Ogami, HP, Accessibility Program Manager Sam shares his early personal experience having a learning disability that was helped with assistive technology. That coupled with his interest in technology sparked his lifelong work with accessibility. This included assisting university students with assistive technology and with accessible procurement of products for the institutions. Now at HP as an Accessibility Program Manager, Sam describes how HP supports accessibility across a wide variety of groups within the organization. 

    Working to Integrate All Abilities Through Design

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 28, 2022 23:06 Transcription Available


    Betty Troy, Yahoo, Accessibility Specialist Betty Troy started her career through engineering with an emphasis on biomedical programs. That led to specializing in rehabilitation engineering and a position designing physical assistive technology devices for the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs. She further developed her skills as an accessibility auditor at Applause. Now she is an accessibility specialist Yahoo with a focus on user studies.

    Disrupt the Culture of Digital Product and Technology Development to Include Accessibility

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 21, 2022 34:59 Transcription Available


    Jennison Asuncion, LinkedIn, Head, Accessibility Engineering Evangelism Jennison talks about his lived life being blind and growing up with an interest in computer technology. He describes his challenges in getting employment early on until he found a place at Royal Bank of Canada working with UX and web development and accessibility. That led to his current position as Head of Accessibility Engineering Evangelism at LinkedIn.

    To Ensure That Accessibility Is Not Forgotton and Is Incorporated as Early as Possible

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 14, 2022 27:34 Transcription Available


    Mary Jo Mueller, IBM, Worldwide Accessibility Standards Program Manager Mary Jo talks about her long career with accessibility at IBM. She talks about the challenges in supporting digital accessibility in a large, global organization. 

    Raising Awareness in Public and Private Sectors of the UK

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2022 26:12 Transcription Available


    Richard Morton, Head of Accessibility for Government, Central Digital & Data Office Richard talks about his early work with usability testing that also exposed him to the opportunities working with accessibility. He describes the community and knowledge-sharing in the UK. Now he works for the UK Digital and Data Office where the team support accessibility in government organizations. 

    Getting Everyone to Understand That They Play a Role

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 17, 2022 23:15 Transcription Available


    Julie Romanowski, State Farm, Senior Digital Accessibility Specialist Starting out as a web developer, Julie is now supports a wide range of accessibility activities with State Farm. She takes about the efforts to help executive leadership understand the need for a digital accessibility team. Her team provides training and individual teams work on accessibility for their own roles. That include a focus on communication documents and video media. 

    Tapping Into the Commitment Compliance Continuum

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 10, 2022 22:25 Transcription Available


    Jeremy Katherman, USAA, Lead Accessibility Advisor Jeremy talks about his early work with accessibility through tech support at his university. After that he has enjoyed a lengthy career at USAA where he helped build an accessibility team that supports activities throughout the organization. 

    Bringing the Disability Community Together With Organizations to Work on Solutions

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2022 30:14 Transcription Available


    Lainey Feingold, Author, Negotiator, Lawyer, Speaker at Law Office of Lainey Feingold Lainey describes her career as a legal advocate for people with disabilities. She talks about her process of structured negotiation to foster change without litigation. 

    Working Accessibility Into an Organizational Culture

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 26, 2022 29:11 Transcription Available


    Christopher Land, Oracle, Senior Accessibility Technical Program Manager Chris started out in web development and was first exposed to accessibility working for the University of Michigan. That led to accessibility consulting work at Deque and Level Access where he learned from a great team of experts and did a lot of training. Now he is Senior Accessibility Technical Program Manager at Oracle. 

    Helping Colleagues to Grow and be Empowered

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 19, 2022 24:41 Transcription Available


    Poornima Subramanian, Princess Cruises, Sr. Digital Accessibility SME Poornima talks about learning on the job about disabilities and getting started as a tester with assistive technologies. She moved into the role of subject matter expert and assisted developers to understand what was relevant to their role. Her work at Holland America merges digital accessibility with a user experience that takes place in the physical world of a cruise. 

    Accessibility Spans Across All Different Industries

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 12, 2022 31:13 Transcription Available


    Glen Walker, TIAA, Principal Accessibility Architect Glen talks about his early years as a software engineer and his personal interest in keyboard support. This lead him to accessibility work that included solving screen reader issues and compliance with Section 508 and WCAG. In his consulting work he continues to help other developers by sharing knowledge in a variety of ways. 

    Imagining How Other People Experience the World

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2022 26:33 Transcription Available


    Joanne Lastort, Booz Allen Hamilton, Digital Accessibility Specialist Joanne talks about her first career as a professional pastry chef. The loss of use one of her hands moved her to working in IT. Her desire to still be a keyboard user brought her into accessibility testing at the IRS and the FCC. Now she is part of the Section 508 team at Booz Allen Hamilton at the Department of Labor.

    Designers and Developers Need to Understand the Basics of Accessibility

    Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2022 24:18 Transcription Available


    Zack Klein, iSoftStone, Software Test Engineer II Zack talks about his work as an accessibility tester and his unique perspective as a person who is totally blind. His love of technology helps him solve issues with the accessible content he relies on. He describes the tools he prefers including his Mac, iPhone and refreshable braille display.

    Need Leadership Support to Prioritize This Type of Work

    Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2022 24:20 Transcription Available


    Jen Devins, Google, Head Accessibility UX Jen talks about her journey into user experience and design and then an opportunity to work with accessibility. She considered accessibility from a UX perspective as a champion of the user. Jen describes how research helped to develop training to create more awareness about the need for accessibility. 

    Push the Conversation at Every Level of the Development Process

    Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2022 28:29 Transcription Available


    Andrew Hayward, Twitter, Accessibility Engineer Andrew Hayward talks about discovering accessibility in his early years as a web developer. He describes his path that weaved through Mozilla and most recently found him helping to set up an emerging accessibility team at Twitter. 

    Shifting Accessibility Into the Discovery and Ideation Phase

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2022 24:16 Transcription Available


    Nicole Bergstrom, Hilton, Senior Director of Digital Accessibility Nicole Bergstrom talks about her first exposure to accessibility while working in the federal government. She describes her move to Hilton and how they are building accessibility into all the touchpoints of their customers for digital services. 

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