2024 Speakers

Darryl Adams is the Director of Accessibility at Intel. Darryl leads a team that works at the intersection of technology and human experience helping discover new ways for people with disabilities to thrive in the workplace. Darryl’s mission is to connect his passion for technology innovation with Intel’s disability inclusion efforts to help make computing and access to digital information more accessible for everyone.

Dr. Mason Ameri specializes in disability employment. His research centers on developing evidence-based strategies to enhance the inclusion of people with disabilities in organizations and society. Mason’s research, backed by $11.7 million in grant funding, has been published in various high-impact journals and is regularly cited in popular media, including recognition in The New York Times’ “Best Live Conversations on Times Journalism.” He has delivered talks at TEDx, Accenture, Deutsche Bank, the World Bank Group, the United States Election Assistance Commission, and other influential platforms, contributing to the dialogue on promoting disability inclusion.

Jesse Anderson works as an assistive technology specialist for the state of Minnesota, working with high school and college age blind and visually impaired students to help them be a successful in education and employment. Outside of his day job, Jesse also works as a technology, games, and XR Accessibility advocate and consultant and works with app and game developers to help make their products more accessible. Jesse has been legally blind all his life, and Loves working to make technology more accessible. You can find him on YouTube, twitch, and Twitter/X by searching for IllegallySighted, or at www.illegallysighted.com. 

Brandon Biggs is an entrepreneur, researcher, inclusive designer, developer, and life-long learner. He is an engineer at the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, PhD Student at the Georgia Institute of Technology, CFO at Sonja Biggs Educational Services, and the CEO of XR Navigation. He is almost completely blind from Lebers Congenital Amaurosis (LCA). His primary work centers around building tools to may geographic information and virtual reality non-visual. He leverages his lived experience coupled with human centered inclusive design principles to create solutions that create lasting and sustainable impact. To achieve this goal, Brandon is half entrepreneur and half academic. To experience his work, visit audiom.net or brandonkeithbiggs.com.

Dr. Sambhavi Chandrashekar is a recognized accessibility champion and an award-winning inclusive design educator/researcher with nearly twenty years of strategic and operational experience in implementing inclusive design projects successfully in the non-profit, academia, and industry sectors in Canada. Sam is currently the Global Accessibility Lead at D2L Corporation, an education technology company head-quartered in Ontario, Canada. Her passion is to promote disability inclusion in education, work and life.

Sam worked with the Inclusive Design Research Centre in Toronto for over a decade and taught in the Master of Design program in Inclusive Design at OCAD University and at the iSchool, University of Toronto. Sam holds adjunct professor or doctoral committee member positions at three Canadian Universities and supervises student research in master’s and PhD programs in Inclusive Design.

Sam actively influences policy and legislation as Vice Chair of Global Leadership Council of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals, Vice-Chairperson of Accessibility Standards Canada’s Committees on Accessible & Equitable Artificial Intelligence and Accessible ICT Products & Services, Advisory Council Member of the Canadian Accessibility Network and member of 1EdTech’s GenAI Data Rubric Taskforce and TrustEd Apps Accessibility Taskforce.

Most recently Larry was Head of Accessibility at Yahoo where he directed a dedicated team of accessibility professionals and coordinates with thousands of designers and developers to ensure that Yahoo’s  many products, services and media offerings are as accessible as possible for people with disabilities. Larry previously worked at WGBH Boston, where he founded and directed its National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) and where he was directly involved in such ground-breaking legislation as the TV Decoder Circuitry Act, The Telecommunications Act of 1996 and the 21st Century Communications and Video.

After 20 years as a tech veteran managing 7-figure projects for Fortune 500 companies, one thing troubled Mike Hess, he was always the token blind guy. Knowing that the invaluable skills he developed because of his blindness were the keys to his success, he couldn’t understand why unemployment amongst the blind and visually impaired (BVI) community was so high. In his pursuit to reshape the prevailing stigmas and misconceptions surrounding Blind and Visually Impaired (BVI) professionals within corporate America, Mike undertook a transformative journey. This endeavor resulted in the establishment of the Blind Institute of Technology, dedicated to challenging stereotypes and fostering inclusivity for disabled individuals. Through advocacy, education, and innovative initiatives, BIT strives to create a more equitable and supportive landscape, ultimately redefining the narrative around the capabilities and potential of disabled professionals in the workforce. Using the same skills that made him a success in IT, Mike has built partnerships and placed disabled professionals in Fortune 500 companies nationwide.

To address the need for marketable tech skills among people with disabilities, Mike also established the BIT Academy. Through a partnership with Salesforce, the Academy offers specialized courses in Salesforce Administration and Digital Accessibility Analysis, empowering individuals with disabilities to compete effectively in the workforce. With a commitment to leveling the playing field, the BIT Academy is dedicated to equipping individuals with disabilities with high-level certifications for success. The BIT Academy is the only approved training provider for people with disabilities by Salesforce.

Joshua Hori is a seasoned Accessible Technology Analyst at UC Davis, working under Academic Technology Services (ATS), which is part of Information Education Technology (IET). His career in accessibility began in 2006 with a focus on alternative media conversions for textbooks and course materials, along with exploring assistive technology solutions for the Student Disability Center (SDC). Since 2021, Joshua has dedicated his efforts to accommodating faculty and staff, ensuring inclusive and accessible digital experiences.

In addition to his accessibility work, Joshua contributes to instructional design, supporting faculty in creating more effective and accessible learning environments. As the Siteimprove admin, he assists web developers across campus in integrating accessibility solutions into Content Management Systems (CMS) and documents, ensuring compliance with accessibility standards.

Joshua also serves as the Chair of the Disability Issues Administrative Awareness Committee (DIAAC), advocating for disability awareness and administrative engagement. He plays a key role in the Electronic Accessibility Committee (EAC) for the University of California system, and as a Pro Member at Large of the Assistive Technology Higher Education Network (ATHEN), he continues to support advocacy, outreach, and education in assistive technologies.

With nearly two decades of experience, Joshua is a dedicated advocate for accessibility, helping to create inclusive, accessible digital spaces at UC Davis and beyond.

Jenna is the industry’s leading expert on in-game Audio Description. She has spoken at JAMTL, GAConf, and has guest lectured at UCL. Jenna has produced AD for major titles, events, trailers, and showcases, but knows that there is always more that can be described to better serve the growing community of blind and low-vision gamers. 

Amos Miller is the founder of Glidance, a startup developing a self-driving mobility aid. Formerly, he was a Product Strategist at Microsoft AI and Research where he drove a program that sought to understand and invent accessibility in the world where artificial intelligent agents and mixed reality are primary forms of interaction. As the co-founder of Microsoft Soundscape, Amos demonstrated how the value of working with design constraints in support of mobility and independence for the blind and low vision community has resulted not only in the paradigm shifting product that is Soundscape, but how those very same innovations in audio now open up new experiences and possibilities for everyone.

Amos has a B.Sc. in Computer Science and an MBA from London Business School and enjoys a rewarding career seeking to harness the power of technology to change the world for the better.

Previously, as the director for Microsoft’s Digital Advisory Service in the UK and later in Asia Pacific and Japan, he led a program that helped Microsoft enterprise customers accelerate towards their business goals by helping them innovate and drive business value from advancements in technology.

Amos has served as president of Guide Dogs Singapore and chairman of the board for Guide Dogs for the Blind in the UK where he aligned Guide Dogs to become a multi-service, user centric charity.

As the Disability & Digital Inclusion Lead for CAST, Luis promotes the creation, delivery and use of high quality accessible educational materials, technologies and experiences to support equitable learning and employment opportunities for everyone. Luis is embedded with the Postsecondary and Workforce Development group at CAST that works to increase access to middle- and high-income careers for populations underrepresented in the workforce, including people with disabilities. Luis’s perspective is informed by his own lived experience as a person with a disability and multilingual learner. He was recognized with an International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Making It Happen! Award in 2020, and other recognitions include Apple Distinguished Educator (2009) and Google Certified Innovator (2014). He has published three books on accessibility, mobile learning, and UDL: Mobile Learning for All(Corwin Press), Dive into UDL (ISTE) and Learning on the Go (CAST Publishing). He currently serves as a Transition and Workplace Accessibility strand advisor for the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA).

James Rath, a YouTuber/Creator, TV show host, and accessibility consultant, was born with blindness. Through entertaining yet educational videos, James showcases accessible experiences, blending his love for travel, technology, and gaming. His consultancy work has enhanced accessibility in franchises like The Last of Us, God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man, and VR titles such as Cosmonious High, benefiting over 285 million people with visual disabilities worldwide. James’s mission is to empower others to “SEE DIFFERENT”.

At Microsoft, Saqib Shaikh leads teams of engineers to blend emerging technologies with natural user experiences to empower people with disabilities to achieve more – and thus to create a more inclusive world for all.

His latest project, Seeing AI, enables someone who is visually impaired to hold up their phone, and hear more about the text, people, and objects in their surroundings. It has won multiple awards, and been called “life changing” by users. Shaikh has demonstrated his work to the UK Prime Minister, and to the House of Lords. The video of the original prototype has been viewed over three million times.

Shaikh holds a BSc in Computer Science (graduating top of his class), and an MSc in Artificial Intelligence. He has been recognized by the British Computer Society as the Young IT Practitioner of the Year.

Mike Shebanek has held product leadership roles at tech  giants Apple, Yahoo, Facebook (Meta), and Be My Eyes in a technology career spanning more than 30 years. He was the product manager for the original iMac and iPad and led the creation of the VoiceOver screenreader and other accessibility features now found in every Mac, iPad and iPhone. Mike has been head of Accessibility at Apple, Yahoo, Verizon Media, and Meta. As of October 2024, he joined Be My Eyes as Product and Market Strategist, focusing on growing partnerships and developing accessible workplace solutions. Mike was instrumental in founding several pioneering industry-wide accessibility initiatives including Teach Access, the Disability Collection, and XR Access. He holds several technology patents, is an author, guest speaker, and has served as Vice-Chair on the Board of Directors at the LightHouse for the Blind in San Francisco.

Greg Stilson joined The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) in January of 2020 but has been building technology solutions for those who are blind or low vision for the past 15 years. While at HumanWare, a leading assistive technology manufacturer, Greg lead the development of such products as the BrailleNote Touch braille tablet, Trekker Breeze talking GPS device, Brailliant braille displays, and VictorReader accessible audio book devices, among others. He spent two years with a startup company Aira, developing the Aira app and smart glasses platform, to create on-demand visual information. This year he joined APH to further develop access solutions for students in the classroom or virtually learning. When not working, Greg lives in Madison WI with his wife and two children. He is a huge sports fan, and loves wine making and home brewing.

Arvind Sundaram is Senior Principal engineer in Intel’s Client Compute Group. Arvind’s focus is on developing innovative system technologies in gaming in notebook and desktop form factors, sustainable design methodologies, new display technologies, very high-speed optical communications, system integration technologies, new sensors, ultra-thin form factors, high frequency power conversion topologies and high-volume manufacturability. 

Arvind has been in the industry for well over 25 years and has worked in FMCG, Defense, Way side equipment and transportation, Communications, network and servers and in the consumer electronics industries. He has worked for giants in the industry like Samsung, GE, Toshiba, Dell, Cisco and Intel. Currently he is based in Bangalore, India.

Arvind has more than 70+ patents (issued and pending) in areas of system design, sensors, displays and high-speed connectivity solutions. Arvind holds a master’s in technology degree from IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) Delhi.

Currently, Victor leads the accessibility program for the Google Design Platform to ensure the best accessible  experience in our products for users, designers and developers. Victor also contributed to the development of Android accessibility services, such as TalkBack screen reader, Brailleback, and other accessibility initiatives and products around the company. Prior to Google Victor lead the Accessibility Teams and programs at PayPal and Yahoo! Helping to make the Internet and mobile payments usable for all. Earlier, Victor together with his wife traveled extensively teaching computers to the visually impaired users of different ages in countries of South East Asia, Middle East and Eastern Europe. In addition to his job responsibilities, Victor has a passion for jazz guitar, coffee, literature and open source software.

Jennifer Wenzel is a Product Specialist on the Braille Tech Team at the American Printing House for the Blind (APH). She brings a wide range of career experience in blindness rehabilitation, braille proofreading, and HR to this role, as well as a lifelong love of both braille and technology. Jennifer began learning braille at the age of four, and currently uses a combination of braille and speech screen reading technology in her personal and professional life. She holds a BS in Speech Communication from the University of MN and both NCUEB Unified English Braille JAWS certifications. She Co-Chairs the National Federation of the Blind’s Employment Committee and serves on the Board of Audio Braille Literacy enhancement (ABLE).

Mary J. Ziegler is the program manager for online accessibility at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Open Learning. Previously, she led the MIT Accessibility and Usability Group and the MIT Assistive Technology Information Center. Throughout her career, Mary has been instrumental in initiatives, collaborations, and technology implementations designed to increase access for persons with disabilities.