In this episode, Eugene Woo, founder of Venngage, talks about the journey of making design tools more accessible. "For us, coming from a small company, listening to our customers was key," says Eugene. Discover how Venngage weaves accessibility into their platform and the impact this has on small business owners and educators alike.
In this episode, David and Sandi kick off Season Two by exploring the realm of entrepreneurship with a focus on accessibility. They are joined by Matisse Hamel-Nelis, a communications consultant who shares her journey into digital accessibility.
In this episode, David and Sandi speak with Sam Sinjari, community builder, speaker, and advisor. Sam's mission is to highlight that small actions can lead to significant changes, promoting a more inclusive and empathetic society.
In this episode: David and Sandi talk with Elizabeth Doherty and Stephanie Evans, board members of NEADS (National Educational Association for Disabled Students), about their experience in post-secondary education. They share insights and tips on navigating post-secondary education as a learner with disabilities.
Elizabeth Doherty Email: elizabeth.doherty@neads.ca
Stephanie Evans Email: stephanie.evans@neads.ca
Stephanie Evans LinkedIn: inkedin.com/in/stephaniegevans
Episode transcript: cmswebsolutions.com/season-01-episode-12-accessibility-from-a-students-view
In this episode: David and Sandi talk with Kate Brown, Accessibility and AODA Consultant at McMaster University about accessibility in post-secondary education.
“Learn how to build an accessible Word doc. It’s the foundation of every digital accessibility practice.” – Kate Brown
Email: brownk33@mcmaster.ca
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathrynbrown2
Episode transcript: https://cmswebsolutions.com/season-01-episode-11-accessibility-and-post-secondary-education
David and Sandi chat with David Lepofsky, Chair of the AODA Alliance and the state of accessibility in the education sector. David and Sandi chat with David Lepofsky, Chair of the AODA Alliance, about the state of accessibility in the education sector. What barriers exist in our education system, and how can they be resolved?
"... everybody either has a disability or gets a disability. Even for students without disabilities, when you educate them about this, it's gonna help them when they later require a disability." - David Lepofsky
Email: david.lepofsky@gmail.com
Website: aodaalliance.org
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/david-lepofsky-8a4ba364/
Episode Transcript: cmswebsolutions.com/episode-10-accessibility-and-the-education-sector/
David and Sandi talk with Tim Hamilton, the founder of Accessibility Hamilton Alliance (AHA!) and member of the City of Hamilton's Accessibility Advisory Committee about the role accessibility advisory committees play in our communities.
"Accessibility is a way of thinking. Accessibility is a way of operating. Accessibility is a way of doing business. " Tim Nolan
Email: accessibilityhamilton@gmail.com
Website: accessibilityhamiltonalliance.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tim-nolan-4b909b311
Episode Transcript: cmswebsolutions.com/season-01-episode-09-accessibility-advisory-committees/
In this episode, David and Sandi talk with Jason Pomerleau, President of Elev8 Web Studio, about delivering accessible websites to clients – whether they realize it or not.
"Because sometimes customers ... they wanna bring the cost down, so they'll say, well, what if we could remove this and this? I don't even wanna have that conversation because it's not coming out. It's part of our product. We're not gonna do a website project without accessibility in mind. "
Jason Pomerleau, Elev8 Web Studio
Email: jason@elev8webstudio.com
Website: elev8webstudio.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jasonpomerleau/
In our latest episode, David and I sit down with Juan Olarte, CEO of Digita11y Accessible, to explore how AI is shaping accessibility in the workplace. We discuss the potential of AI tools to enhance productivity, the importance of ethical and secure implementation, and how understanding prompts can improve AI interaction. Juan also shares insights on AI as a personal assistant and offers practical advice for making digital environments more inclusive.
" When it comes to AI and accessibility, I see AI as a big enabler for people with disabilities."
Juan Olarte, Digita11y Accessible
Email: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juanolarte
Website: digita11yaccessible.io
Episode transcript: https://cmswebsolutions.com/season-01-episode-07-accessibility-and-ai
Listen now and join the conversation:
In this episode, Sandi Gauder and David Best chat with Jennifer Curry Jahnke, Principal Educator with AccessibilityConsulting.ca. We explore how legislation is shaping the future of accessible practices and what small businesses can do to stay ahead.
" An accessible website is a much nicer website. It's clearer, it's easier to understand, it's easier to follow. It just has better usability ... and it helps to meet legislative requirements, of course."
Jennifer Curry Jahnke, AccessibilityConsulting.ca
Email: jennifer@AccessibilityConsulting.ca
Website: AccessibilityConsulting.ca
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifercurryjahnke
Episode transcript: https://cmswebsolutions.com/season-01-episode-06-accessibility-legislation
In this episode of Practical Accessibility Insights, we hear from Trish Kelly on the importance of equity in the workplace. From navigating legislative frameworks to fostering an inclusive company culture, Trish shares insights you won't want to miss!
"Language is always evolving, and part of being an ally to people with disabilities is doing your best to stay on top of how language is changing."
Trish Kelly, Managing Director, Untapped Accessibility
Email: trish.kelly@untappedaccessibility.ca
Website: untappedaccessibility.ca
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trish-kelly-chornyj-29078032
Episode transcript: https://cmswebsolutions.com/the-business-of-equality
In this episode, David and Sandi discuss the business of integration. Our guest is Karen McCall, a document accessibility specialist.
Karen McCall is the owner of Karlen Communications. With over 22 years experience, Karen provides strategic planning, consulting and education on accessible content design/creation and inclusive education. Karen has been an advocate for a global inclusive education standard since 2009.
Her experience as an international leader in accessible content design includes participation in the following committees: ISO 32000 (PDF), ISO 14289 (PDF/Universal Access), International Association for Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) Accessible Document Specialist (ADS) Credential, Technical Standards Committee for Plain Language and Technical Standards Committee for ICT, both part of the Accessible Canada Act.
Her book “Accessible and Usable PDF: Techniques for Document Authors” was first published in 2005, with the fourth edition published in 2017. She has written books on accessible Word and PowerPoint content, and how to use Microsoft Office applications from the keyboard. She has been a Microsoft MVP for Office Apps and Services since 2009, and a Microsoft Accessibility MVP since the category was created in 2014. Karen conducts research on how those with disabilities access digital content.
"We can spend hours talking about inclusion versus integration, but we haven't moved forward in terms of actually doing anything to improve the ability of those of us with disabilities to show up and participate."
Karen McCall
Episode transcript: cmswebsolutions.com/the-business-of-integration
In this episode, David and Sandi discuss the business of independence. Our guest is Martin Courcelles, a User Experience Accessibility Consultant at CIBC.
Martin Courcelles has been working in the accessibility field for over 20 years as an access technology subject matter expert. Martin has deep experience making information and communication accessible to people with disabilities and has presented at conferences and community speaking engagements. Martin is also a runner and tandem cyclist, and brings a strong understanding of the needs of persons with disabilities to his work.
"But just having accessibility within, you know, smartphones, for example, it's all built in. And that's what I like because now accessibility it's part and parcel of everything, which is really cool."
Martin Courcelles: LinkedIn
Episode transcript: https://cmswebsolutions.com/the-business-of-independence
In this episode, David and Sandi investigate the lived experience of people with disabilities when engaging the services of an organization. Our guest is Julie Sawchuk, accessibility strategist, educator and best selling author.
Julie's life changed forever in 2015 when she was hit by a car while training for a triathlon. She is a Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification Professional and launched Sawchuk Accessible Solutions in 2018.
Julie Sawchuk, CEO & RHFAC Professional
Sawchuk Accessible Solutions: juliesawchuk.ca
Episode transcript: cmswebsolutions.com/the-business-of-dignity/
In this episode, David and Sandi introduce their new podcast, Practical Accessibility Insights. You’ll learn who David and Sandi are, and learn about what small business owners need to know in making their business inclusive.
Episode transcript: cmswebsolutions.com/introducing-the-practical-accessibility-insights-podcast
Check out The Accessibility Investment Strategy: webaccessibilityexplained.ca/courses/the-accessibility-investment-strategy/
