Bio
I’m Meryl K. Evans, professional speaker and trainer, digital marketing pro, and author of Brilliant Outlook Pocketbook and the co-author of Adapting to Web Standards: CSS and Ajax for Big Sites. I’ve done a TEDx talk and have been quoted in the Wall Street Journal.
Since starting this digital marketing and writing business in 2000, I’ve written and edited for “Billiards Digest,” “The Dallas Morning News,” MarketingProfs, “PC Today,” O’Reilly, Pearson, Sams, Wiley, and WROX.
Clients hire me to speak to their employees on accessibility, inclusion, and lived experiences as a person with disabilities. If you’re looking for a motivational speaker, I’m not the right person. If you’re looking for a speaker to educate and encourage action, then contact me. Employees walk away with actionable items to create more accessible experiences for employees, customers, stakeholders, and prospective employees.
Past jobs include two Fortune 500 telecom companies, the federal government in Washington, D.C., and IT consulting. A native Texan, I live a heartbeat north of Dallas in Plano, Texas with my husband. We have three human kiddos and two fur babies where one thinks she’s human and the other thinks she’s a cat.
People call me the accessibility marketer because I educate people on the importance of accessibility. And besides, accessibility is everyone’s responsibility.
How you and your company benefits: Companies that create accessible products and experiences reach a much larger audience than those that don’t. People with disabilities have friends and family who make an effort to buy from companies that include people with disabilities in their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts.
Why work with me? Companies know about my reputation for delivering high-quality and engaging presentations and training. Most clients work with me again, some come back even after changing companies. Here are client testimonials.
Contact me to discuss what you need.
Connect
Media
Speaking
I’m a professional speaker on diversity equity inclusion (DEI) with a focus on accessibility and people with disabilities. Happy to travel to your location. My presentations and training educate, entertain, and encourage action.
- January 2023: Nonprofit (more info coming)
- Next open date: October 2022. Contact me if you’d like to chat and schedule a possible date. September is a possibility, but don’t wait too long. It takes time for me to create an E3 presto: educating, entertaining, and encouraging action.
- August to September 2022: Internal events with companies
- August 24, 2022: Sustainable Buildings Canada’s Better Buildings Boot Camp (#BBBC)
- July 2022: Internal event: WP Engine
- July 2022: Internal event: Flatiron Health
- July 2022: Gallaudet University Information Technology program (internal)
- June 2022: AXSChat with Neil Milliken and Debra Ruh
- June 9 – 10, 2022: XR Access Symposium
- June 3, 2022: Disability Inclusive Design of XR Collaboration Apps [requires free account] at AWE USA [ARPost article]
- May 19, 2022: Bay Area Accessibility and Inclusive Design Global Accessibility Awareness Day Meetup
- May 19, 2022: PwC Global Accessibility Awareness Day
- May 19, 2022: State of Digital Accessibility: A Fireside Chat at North Texas Disability Chamber in Plano, Texas
- May 11, 2022: Access services customer panel at EGA Access Services Summit
- May 4, 2022: ETS Employee Global Accessibility Awareness Day event
- May 10, 2022: How to Create Accessible Captions at John Slatin AccessU in Austin, Texas.
- April 23, 2022: Theme: Reconnecting at TEDxPlano
- March 16, 2022: Design XR Tools with Disability Inclusion in Mind with Ashley Coffey at axe-con
- February 2022: Fable: How Do We Avoid Surface-level Inclusion of People with Disabilities in Tech?
- January 11, 2022: Demystifying Accessibility at PCMA Convening Leaders Conference in Las Vegas.
- December 2021: Captions for Everyone! with Chris Bogue and Viktor Köves.
- December 2021: 2021 State of Accessibility Report Findings with Diamond
- December 2021: Curiosity Tank: Conducting Accessible UXR
- December 2021: WordPress Accessibility Meetup Group: How to Create Accessible Captioned Videos for WordPress Sites and Beyond
- December 2021: National Ability Summit
- November 2021: A11yTalks: Shattering Misconceptions About Deafness
- November 2021: XR Association Limitless Future Conference: Value of Inclusive Design in XR-based Training
- October 2021: A11yTO Conf: What Y’all Need to Know About Captioned Videos on Social Media, Eh?
- October 2021: AccessibilityPlus: Early Adopters: How Embracing Assistive Technology Can Help Any Business panel with Gavin Neate, Andrew Houghton, and Andrea Mocellin
- September 2021: Content Marketing World: “Accessibility Is Everyone’s Job — Marketing Included”
- September 2021: #ID24: Deaf Tech: Travel Through Time from Past to Future
Want more? Here are older speaking events.
In the News and Around the Web
- August 2022: State of the Sound: How the Media Industry Grapples with Audio Accessibility via AdWeek (requires login)
- July 2022: LinkedIn Top Voices in Disability Advocacy
- June 30, 2022: Web Accessibility Recommendations for Banks: Documents, Cards and Communications
- April 24, 2022: InklusivComm Interview with Meryl K. Evans
- April 19, 2022: State of accessibility in entertainment via Kelly and Company Podcast [Transcript]
- March 23, 2022: How Web3 can help brands create an inclusive metaverse via AdAge
- February 2022: Learning Firsthand How to Make Events Accessible via PCMA
- December 2021: Dallas Morning News Holiday Cookie Contest 2nd Place Bars
- December 2021: 100+ Content Marketing Trends and Predictions for Success in 2022 via Content Marketing Institute
- November 2021: #Inclusive – Building resilience post-COVID-19 in the lives of people with disabilities via NewzHook
- November 2021: 22 Marketing Experts Share Their Best Advice to Help You Plan for 2022
- November 2021: Using Microsoft Azure and its AI capabilities, Peloton develops live subtitles for members who are deaf or hard of hearing via Microsoft
- November 2021: How Hollywood Can Make Change to Attract More People with Disabilities via Diamond
- November 2021: Why You Need to Do User Testing with Deaf and Hard of Hearing People via Fable
- October 2021: Let’s Talk About Social Media Accessibility via Link in Bio
- October 2021: Article 19 Podcast via Tamman Inc.
- October 2021: B2B Lead Generation And Demand Generation Strategies For 2022 via InfuseMedia
- October 2021: A11y Rules Podcast
- September 2021: Deaf Awareness Month: an opportunity to learn via Plano Magazine
- September 2021: Accessible Virtual Reality: Advice from a Deaf Person on How to Make It Better via Equal Entry
- September 2021: Accessibility Matters Video Interview via Accessibility.com
- September 2021: 28 Ideas for Better Virtual, In-Person, and Hybrid Event Content and Experiences via Content Marketing Institute
- September 2021: 22 Content Marketers Share Their Take on TikTok, Clubhouse, and Trendy Social Spaces via Content Marketing Institute
- August 2021: How to Keep Calm and Carry on When Captions Disappear During a Live Video via Diamond
- August 2021: Are They Feeling It? 22 Expert Ideas for Connecting With Your Audience via Content Marketing Institute
- August 2021: 26 Eye-Opening Ideas for Putting an End to Digital Content Fatigue via Content Marketing Institute
- July 2021: How to Ensure Telehealth is Accessible for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing via Diamond
- July 2021: Twitter Adds Captions for Voice Tweets After Criticism via Wall Street Journal
- June 2021: Meryl Evans Is Leading the Charge to Caption the Internet via InclusionHub
- May 2021: Making technology accessible for people with disabilities will end up making life easier for everyone via Dallas Morning News OpEd
- April 2021: TikTok Adds Automated Captions, Making Platform More Open to Deaf People via Wall Street Journal
- April 2021: What We’ve Learned from Hosting VR Meetups in Mozilla Hubs for One Year via Equal Entry
- April 2021: Should I Add Closed Captions to All of My Videos? via KeystoneClick
- April 2021: What It’s Like for a Deaf Person at a Captioned VR Presentation via Equal Entry
- March 2021: How to Mitigate Accessibility & Digital Inclusion Obstacles for the d/Deaf Community via InclusionHub
- March 2021: Exercising with Hearing Loss: 4 Smart Strategies via HearingTracker
- February 2021: Concentration Fatigue via DeafBlind UK
- January 2021: Press This Podcast: Creating Captivating Video Captions
- December 2020: Web Histories
- November 2020: Planning a Virtual Thanksgiving? 5 Ways to Boost Communication at Hearing Tracker
- October 2020: Q&A with Meryl Evans, Digital Marketing Expert at Equal Entry
- September 2020: Share This with Coach Deb — “Reach Millions More People with These Accessibility Apps”
- August 2020: Captions 101: How Do Captions Work on Videos? at Accessly
- August 2020: Podcast: Make It Real with Trisha Lewis
- May 2019: Interview with Meryl, a digital marketer, and master of home office organization
- April 2019: How to Caption Your Instagram Stories to Make Them More Accessible
- March 2019: Podcast: Part of Me with Esi Hardy
Want more? Here are older article appearances.
In Books (as an editor, contributor, or researcher)
- Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions: Contributed personal story
- 102 Ways to Earn Money Writing 1,500 Words or Less: Story on page 208.
- The Well-Fed Writer: Story
- Adapting to Web Standards: CSS and Ajax for Big Sites: Co-author
- Brilliant Outlook Pocketbook: Author
- Blog Schmog: The Truth About What Blogs Can (and Can’t) Do for Your Business: Resource
- The Secret Power of Blogging: How to Promote and Market Your Business, Organization, or Cause With Free Blogs: Interviewee and contributor
- CSS Cookbook: 2nd Edition: Contributor
- What No One Ever Tells You About Blogging and Podcasting: Real-Life Advice from 101 People Who Successfully Leverage the Power of the Blogosphere: Contributor
- The Corporate Blogging Book: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know to Get It Right: Researcher
- The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living: Resource
- Weekend Entrepreneur: 101 Great Ways to Earn Extra Cash: Interviewee
- Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer: Acknowledgments
- The Well-Fed Writer: Back For Seconds A Second Helping Of “How-To” For Any Writer Dreaming of Great Bucks and Exceptional Quality of Life: Resource
- Stories of Strength: Contributor
- Sams Teach Yourself Movable Type in 24 Hours: Tech editor
- Words You Thought You Knew: 1001 Commonly Misused and Misunderstood Words and Phrases: Contributor
- Beginning Dreamweaver MX: Tech editor
History
Meryl first joined the Internet pre-revolution in 1992 with Internet in a Box.
Why the name meryl.net?
I racked my brain to come up with a name that would stick. Alas, nothing came. Ironically, I love to read about names and the meanings behind them. I’m even a professional namer! Yet, I couldn’t name this electronic baby.
I never had a nickname, a big hobby or a way for making up a creative name using my name. For example: If your last name was Boot, then a good Web name would be “Reboot.” Although I had a handle from my BBS (pre-Internet) days, I was embarrassed for ever having used it. Considering “meryl” is so uncommon considering the lifetime of misspellings and mispronunciations, I used it thinking a better name would come later. No brilliant idea ever came. So, meryl.net stuck.
Not So Vital Info
Bio: The cool version
I’ve been hanging out on the pre-Internet aka BBS since 1986. (I appear in BBS: The Documentary, which landed me my own IMDB.com page. Color me shocked.) I met the Internet in 1993. In digital years, that would be the 1800s. I fell in love with it at first text.
I’ve written for anything and everything relating to Web design, technology, content marketing, writing, automotive and buffaloes (not kidding).
I’m the president, CEO, CIO, CMO, CFO, and founder of meryl.net, writing, editing, digital marketing, content marketing, email marketing, social media, tech fixer-upper, and all that extra stuff services.
I’ve blogged about living life as a deaf person. You can find this southpaw in the Lone Star State … not wearing 10-gallon hats.
Stats
- Sign: Cap-Aquarius (some say Capricorn and some say water bearer).
- Birthday: January 20 – Inauguration Day.
- Myers-Briggs: ISTJ, ISTJ, ISTJ. (Every single time since taking the first one in ’90.)
- Birth order: The youngest of three, but practically only child.