Welcome to The AbilityNet Podcast: Disability. Technology. Inclusion. The home of coffee-fuelled chats, insights, and the latest updates from accessibility and digital inclusion communities across the globe. We offer transcripts for every episode and many are also available as videos on our YouTube channel. AbilityNet is a UK charity with a global reach - committed to creating a digital world accessible to all, regardless of ability or age. We offer a wide variety of free online resources, such as this podcast, and our team of experts can help organisations of all types and sizes build accessible digital products and services.
Episodes
Thursday Jul 13, 2023
Thursday Jul 13, 2023
Cam Beaudoin hosts an insightful fireside chat with Euan MacDonald MBE, Co-founder of Euan’s Guide, and Maayan Ziv, CEO of AccessNow, to discuss user-generated accessibility information.
Cam, Euan, and Maayan discuss:
The origins of Euan’s Guide and Access Now
MapMissions
How they gather and use user-generated information
Whether venues, restaurants, and other locations are becoming more accessible
What lies next for Euan’s Guide and Access Now
Discover accessible places on www.accessnow.com and www.euansguide.com
Robin shares the 7 principles of universal design in his useful blog article: https://abilitynet.org.uk/news-blogs/7-principles-universal-design
Sign up to AbilityNet’s newsletter for the latest accessibility news.
Download a transcript of this session from the AbilityNet website: www.abilitynet.org.uk/podcast
Get in touch via enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk with feedback, questions and comments.
Tuesday Jun 27, 2023
Tuesday Jun 27, 2023
Liz Heaney, Senior Solutions Consultant - Program Management at Google, joins Mark Walker to discuss her advice and tips for accessible procurement.
Liz and Mark discuss:
Processes for accessible procurement at Google
How connecting and approaching your procurement team is key to advancing accessibility
The key questions to ask suppliers and vendors in regard to accessibility
Sign up to AbilityNet’s newsletter for the latest accessibility news.
Download a transcript of this session from the AbilityNet website: www.abilitynet.org.uk/podcast
Get in touch via enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk with feedback, questions and comments.
Thursday Jun 15, 2023
Thursday Jun 15, 2023
Mike Buckley, CEO of Be My Eyes, joins us this week to provide the latest on Be My Eyes and its Virtual Volunteer tool.
Mike and Robin discuss:
- The story behind the Be My Eyes app and how it works
- The benefits of using the Be My Eyes app
- The latest on Be My Eye’s Virtual Volunteer tool
Sign up to AbilityNet’s newsletter for the latest accessibility news.
Download a transcript of this session from the AbilityNet website: www.abilitynet.org.uk/podcast
Get in touch via enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk with feedback, questions and comments.
Thursday Jun 01, 2023
Thursday Jun 01, 2023
2 Weeks since Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), co-founder Joe Devon joins Robin Christopherson to discuss:
- This year’s GAAD events and whether we’re moving towards a more digital accessible world
- How Artificial Intelligence (AI) could be game-changing for accessibility
- Why accessibility overlays don’t improve a website’s accessibility
Sign up to AbilityNet’s newsletter for the latest accessibility news.
Download a transcript of this session from the AbilityNet website: www.abilitynet.org.uk/podcast
Get in touch via enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk with feedback, questions and comments.
Thursday May 18, 2023
Thursday May 18, 2023
To mark Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), we are excited to share the jam-packed opening session from TechShare Pro 2022 - featuring HSBC, Channel 4, Google, and the Valuable 500!
In the latest podcast episode, accessibility leaders and CEOs share their advice and experience of embedding inclusion and accessibility into their organisations. We also catch up with Caroline Casey from the Valuable 500, who shares the latest stats on disability inclusion from the 500.
What do organisations of all shapes and sizes think about digital accessibility? In September 2022 AbilityNet surveyed more than 400 professionals worldwide about attitudes to digital accessibility in their organisation. You can download the full report on our website: www.abilitynet.org.uk/attitudes2022
Sign up to AbilityNet’s newsletter for the latest accessibility news.
Download a transcript of this session from the AbilityNet website: www.abilitynet.org.uk/podcast
Get in touch via enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk with feedback, questions and comments.
Thursday May 04, 2023
Thursday May 04, 2023
Digit Music fuses its musical know-how with gaming design to create an environment where anybody can make music.
Si Tew, founder of Digit Music, joins Mark Walker to discuss:
- The innovative Cmpsr (previously known as Control One)
- The process and aftermath of winning a Tech4Good Award
- Exciting projects that Digit Music is currently working on
Sign up to AbilityNet’s newsletter for the latest accessibility news.
Download a transcript of this session from the AbilityNet website: www.abilitynet.org.uk/podcast
Get in touch via enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk with feedback, questions, and comments.
Thursday Apr 27, 2023
Thursday Apr 27, 2023
Celebrating its 25th Anniversary, Cosmic is a social enterprise working to close the digital divide by providing key support, skills, and motivation to people of all ages and abilities.
10 years since winning a Tech4Good Award, Julie Hawker, Co-CEO at Cosmic, joins Mark Walker to discuss:
- The work Cosmic does to help improve digital inclusion
- How Cosmic tackles digital inclusion in rural areas
- The impact of winning a Tech4Good Award
Sign up to AbilityNet’s newsletter for the latest accessibility news.
Download a transcript of this session from the AbilityNet website: www.abilitynet.org.uk/podcast
Get in touch via enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk with feedback, questions, and comments.
Thursday Apr 20, 2023
Thursday Apr 20, 2023
With 1.1 billion people living with avoidable or preventable vision impairment, Peek Vision's app is operating to provide portable eye examination kits for comprehensive eye examinations in even the remotest of settings.
Jeanette McKenna, Head of Sustainability, Marketing and Development at Peek Vision, joins Mark Walker to discuss:
- The story behind Peek Vision and how its technology continues to develop
- How winning a Tech4Good Award helped Peek Vision
Sign up to AbilityNet’s newsletter for the latest accessibility news.
Download a transcript of this session from the AbilityNet website: www.abilitynet.org.uk/podcast
Get in touch via enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk with feedback, questions, and comments.
Thursday Apr 13, 2023
Thursday Apr 13, 2023
The AbilityNet Tech4Good Awards are back, and this week's episode features what3words, the winner of the BT Ingenious Award in 2015.
Giles Rhys Jones, Chief Marketing Officer at what3words, joins Mark Walker to discuss:
- The story behind what3words
- Using what3words to find accessible entrances
- How what3words has been used by delivery companies, emergency services, and within Favelas in Brazil
Learn more about how to use what3words: https://what3words.com/ways-to-use
Sign up to AbilityNet’s newsletter for the latest accessibility news.
Download a transcript of this session from the AbilityNet website: www.abilitynet.org.uk/podcast
Get in touch via enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk with feedback, questions, and comments.
Thursday Mar 23, 2023
Thursday Mar 23, 2023
In this week’s episode, we are joined by Adi Latif, Accessibility and Usability Consultant at AbilityNet, and Debbie Bradford and Ian Milton from UK's Department for Work and Pension.
They joined TechSharePro 2022, to share recent updates to the Access to Work scheme:
- New online portal for Access to Work payments
- Access to Work support for hybrid working
- Adjustments Passports for disabled students
- Health Adjustments Passports and job seekers
- Access to Work Passports for Disabled contractors and freelancers
You can access a blog article that also explains what the Access to Work scheme updates means.
Or access our free factsheet for the ins and outs of applying for an Access to Work grant:
Sign up to AbilityNet’s newsletter for the latest accessibility news.
Download a transcript of this session from the AbilityNet website.
Get in touch via enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk with feedback, questions and comments.