I’m on a mission to educate people about the why and how to include people with disabilities and accessibility in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. I aim for the three E’s on these topics with grace and vigor: educate, entertain, and encourage action. Because of this, someone referred to me as an accessibility unicorn. [Blushes]
I speak on a diversity of disability and accessibility topics including:
- Accessibility and disability awareness
- Progress over perfection
- How to be a disability ally
- Why and how to create high-quality captioned videos
- Why and how to ensure marketing, communications, social media, and content are accessible
- What is 360-degree accessibility and why it matters
- … and more
Available for in-person and virtual events. If you’d like me to present at your company or event, please drop me a line.
Accessibility is not an all-or-nothing proposition. The key is to treat it like a journey by aiming for progress over perfection. I encourage celebrating small victories and making progress every day.
Contents
Upcoming Speaking Events
- June 6, 2023: Advocating for Accessibility in the Workplace and Beyond LinkedIn Live Audio with Catarina Rivera
- July 2023: Keynote at an APSE conference
- September 13, 2023: D CEO DEI Symposium, IDEAs (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility) with Impact
Speaking Events in 2023
- May 2023: Fireside chat with Pearson
- May 2023: The Value of Digital Accessibility and Beyond at Workday.
- May 2023: GAAD Fireside Chat moderator at North Texas Disability Chamber
- May 2023: John Slatin AccessU
- April 2023: Progress Over Perfection in Accessibility Communication at A11y Conference
- April 2023: Accessibility and Captions at Riot Games
- April 2023: Content and Social Media Accessibility at City of Plano
- April 2023: Accessibility Week at Square Cash App
- March 2023: Watercooler to Headset? The Future of Workplaces [audio only] at SXSW
- March 2023: Don’t leave anyone behind: How to make your content accessible and increase your impact at LinkedIn Rocks Conference
- February 2023: How to Create Accessible Social Media and Web Content at City of Plano
- January 2023: Shining a Light on Leaders with Disabilities at Junior League of Collin County in Plano, TX
- January 2023: Automatic Captions: Our Experiments and Best Practices for A11yNYC at 3 World Trade Center in New York City
- January 2023: GatherVerse S.H.E. Summit
Speaking Events in 2022
- November 2022: Why Accessibility Needs to Be Part of Your MVP with Sharron Rush and Albert Swantner at Austin Startup Week in Austin, TX
- November 2022: Why You Need to Involve Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Research and Testing via A11y Camp
- October 2022: The Path to Accessibility Begins with You: Progressive [Progressive attendee post]
- October 2022: Demystifying Accessible Technology: Disability and Philanthropy Forum [Short clip from Forum]
- September 2022: Gain Creative Breakthroughs by Hiring People With Disabilities: FoundedInFoCo
- September 2022: How to Create Accessible Captioned Videos: Jackson
- August 2022: Sustainable Buildings Canada’s Better Buildings Boot Camp (#BBBC)
- July 2022: Accessible Captions and Meetings: WP Engine
- July 2022: Celebrating ADA 32: Accessibility: Flatiron Health
- July 2022: Accessibility for All: Gallaudet University Information Technology program
- June 2022: XR Access Symposium: The Value of Inclusively Designed XR Workplace Tools and Inclusive Immersive Meetings and Collaboration
- June 2022: Disability Inclusive Design of XR Collaboration Apps [requires free account] at AWE USA [ARPost article]
- May 2022: Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD): Bay Area Accessibility and Inclusive Design (co-founder of GAAD)
- May 19, 2022: PwC Global Accessibility Awareness Day: PwC leader post
- May 19, 2022: State of Digital Accessibility: A Fireside Chat: 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: TEDx Talk: TEDxPlano
- March 16, 2022: Design XR Tools with Disability Inclusion in Mind with Ashley Coffey: axe-con
- February 2022: How Do We Avoid Surface-level Inclusion of People with Disabilities in Tech? Fable
- January 11, 2022: Demystifying Accessibility: PCMA Convening Leaders Conference in Las Vegas.
Speaking Events in 2021
- December 2021: Captions for Everyone! with Chris Bogue and Viktor Köves.
- December 2021: 2021 State of Accessibility Report Findings: Diamond
- December 2021: Conducting Accessible UXR: Curiosity Tank
- December 2021: How to Create Accessible Captioned Videos for WordPress Sites and Beyond: WordPress Accessibility Meetup Group
- December 2021: Digital Accessibility: The Only Way Ahead: National Ability Summit
- November 2021: Shattering Misconceptions About Deafness: A11yTalks
- November 2021: Value of Inclusive Design in XR-based Training: XR Association Limitless Future Conference
- October 2021: Why and How to Caption your Videos: MITRE NDEAM Accessibility Technical Exchange Meeting
- October 2021: What Y’all Need to Know About Captioned Videos on Social Media, Eh? A11yTO Conf
- October 2021: Early Adopters: How Embracing Assistive Technology Can Help Any Business panel with Gavin Neate, Andrew Houghton, and Andrea Mocellin:
- AccessibilityPlus
- September 2021: “Accessibility Is Everyone’s Job — Marketing Included: Content Marketing World
- September 2021: Deaf Tech: Travel Through Time from Past to Future: #ID24
- July 2021: Why and How to Create Accessible Captions: Southern Methodist University Accessibility in User Experience
- July 2021: OMG! WTH Do I Start with A11y? WordCamp Santa Clarita Valley
- July 2021: I Heart CC: Why and How to Caption Videos Folks Love: A11yNYC
- May 2021: Get the FAQ About Captions: Accessibility Camp Bay
- May 2021: How to Caption Like a Rock Star: AccessU
- May 2021: How to Create Accessible Social Media and Website Content: AccessU
- May 2021: Panel: Busting Myths About People with Disabilities: UW Husky Hackathon
- April 2021: How to Create Accessible Content for Social Media and Websites: TechAccess Oklahoma
- March 2021: Why and How to Create Accessible Social Media and Website Content: Bay Area Disability Inclusion Network
- March 2021: Accessibility in Hearing Technology Q&A: Mimi
- February 2021: Much Ado About Captioning Videos: A11yATX
Speaking Events in 2020
- October 2020: Through the Eyes of a Deaf Person: Equal Entry
- October 2020: Much Ado About Captioning Videos for WordPress and Beyond: WordCamp Los Angeles
- October 2020: Much Ado About Captioning Videos for WordPress and Beyond: WordPress Accessibility Day
- July 2020: Much Ado About Captioning Videos: WordPress San Fernando Valley Meetup
- May 2020: No Autocraptions Allowed: Why and How to Caption Videos: AccessU
- May 2020: Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD): What’s Next in Digital Inclusion and Accessibility? A. Miroe
Podcasts and Lives
- May 2023: Disability Bandwidth with Nikki Nolan and Sam Proulx
- May 2023: Is Your Business Accessible? with Aya Ehbuho, Solomon Quansah, and Jamie Shields
- March 2023: Disability and Accessibility Inclusion with Olivia Dolley of PR Hangover [Transcript in Doc]
- March 2023: Thirteen-hour Life Coach’s 100th podcast with Simon Arnold
- February 2023: Talking Deafness and Accessibility LinkedIn Live with Juana Poareo
- December 2022: #Strong with Maria Vitoratos
- November 2022: The True Meaning of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion with The Brand Called You podcast with Ashutosh Garg
- November 2022: How to Advocate for a Cause LinkedIn Live with Judy Schramm, CEO of ProResource
- October 2022: I Have Questions About Accessibility series with IfYouAskBetty podcast
- October 2022: Progress Over Perfection LinkedIn Live with Cam Beaudoin [Clip with Cam]
- September 2022: Podcast: Attract Top Talent with Inclusive Hiring Practices via The Future of Work Podcast
- June 2022: AXSChat with Neil Milliken and Debra Ruh
- April 2022: State of accessibility in entertainment via Kelly and Company Podcast [Transcript]
- December 2021: Captions for Everyone LinkedIn Live with Chris Bogue
- October 2021: Article 19 Podcast via Tamman Inc.
- October 2021: A11y Rules Podcast
- January 2021: Press This Podcast: Creating Captivating Video Captions
- August 2020: Podcast: Make It Real with Trisha Lewis
- March 2019: Podcast: Part of Me with Esi Hardy