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
Tuesday Feb 25, 2020
Tuesday Feb 25, 2020
With brands like Yahoo, HuffPost and TechCrunch, Verizon Media helps people stay informed and entertained, communicate and transact, while creating new ways for advertisers and partners to connect. They are committed to inclusion both in the accessibility of products and in media representation.
Speaker:
Samantha Soloway, Accessibility Lab Manager, Verizon Media
Download a text transcript of this episode from the AbilityNet website.
All speaker info and slides are available on the TechShare Pro 2019 schedule page.
Follow us on Twitter with #TechSharePro. Get in touch via enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk with feedback, questions and comments.
Thursday Feb 20, 2020
Thursday Feb 20, 2020
What lessons can we learn from others about how to win the case for accessibility within our organisations? And what are the best tactics for achieving lasting change? Let's let the panel enlighten us with their take on this important issue.
Chair:
- Christopher Lee, Managing Director, IAAP
Panel:
- Jenny Lay-Flurrie, Chief Accessibility Officer, Microsoft
- Sarah Herrlinger, Director of Global Accessibility Policy & Initiatives, Apple
- Christopher Patnoe, Senior Programs Manager, Google Accessibility
- Paul Smyth, Head of Digital Accessibility, Barclays
Download a text transcript of this episode from the AbilityNet website.
All speaker info and slides are available on the TechShare Pro 2019 schedule page.
Follow us on Twitter with #TechSharePro. Get in touch via enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk with feedback, questions and comments.
Tuesday Feb 18, 2020
Tuesday Feb 18, 2020
Another great episode today. It's the Groupe Speciale Mobile (GSM) Association's take on the potential of mobile phones to change the lives of disabled people. Don't I know it.
Speaker:
Clara Aranda-Jan, Insights Manager, GSMA
Download a text transcript of this episode from the AbilityNet website.
All speaker info and slides are available on the TechShare Pro 2019 schedule page.
Follow us on Twitter with #TechSharePro . Get in touch via enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk with feedback, questions and comments.
Thursday Feb 13, 2020
Thursday Feb 13, 2020
Creating accessible immersive experiences for multi-media audiences is at the forefront of industry best practice. Let's hear from the experts who are pushing the frontiers of future, inclusive experiences.
Chair
Dr. Ben Shirley, Acoustic Research Centre, University of Salford
Panelists
- Larry Goldberg, Senior Director & Head of Accessibility, Verizon Media
- Dr Chris Hughes, Computer Science Lecturer, University of Salford
- Rupert Brun, Broadcast Consultant, Fraunhofer
- Jamie Hindhaugh, Chief Operating Officer, BT Sport
Download a text transcript of this episode from the AbilityNet website.
All speaker info and slides are available on the TechShare Pro 2019 schedule page.
Follow us on Twitter with #TechSharePro . Get in touch via enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk with feedback, questions and comments.
Monday Feb 10, 2020
Monday Feb 10, 2020
Today's is a great session by two experts from Lenovo; Paul Walsh and Haben Girma. I'm sure everyone who attended the session (or heard our earlier interview with them both) would agree that Haben is the real superstar here (sorry Paul). She is the first deafblind graduate of Harvard Law School, an advocate for people with disabilities and the first Lenovo Accessibility and Inclusion Advisor.
She travels the world teaching individuals and organisations how inclusion is an opportunity for innovation, which aligns perfectly with Lenovo’s vision of a world that delivers Smarter Technology for All and a digital future that is inclusive of everyone, everywhere.
Speakers
Paul Walsh, Chief Digital Officer, Lenovo
Haben Girma, Accessibility and Inclusion Advisor, Lenovo
Download a text transcript of this episode from the AbilityNet website.
All speaker info and slides will be available on the TechShare Pro 2019 schedule page.
Follow us on Twitter with #TechSharePro. Get in touch via enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk with feedback, questions and comments.
Thursday Feb 06, 2020
Thursday Feb 06, 2020
What is the best way to overcome the barriers created by people and organisations who do not consider accessibility and inclusive design when building digital services and products? Do we simply need to raise awareness of the business benefits of accessibility, or do we need more effective legal frameworks to focus the minds of decision-makers?
Our panel offered a perspective on this question from around the globe - including the US, Europe, Israel and Norway.
Chair
Eleanor Southwood, Chair of Trustees, RNIB
Panelists
- Alejandro Moledo, Policy Co-ordinator, European Disability Forum
- Malin Rygg, Head of Authority for Universal Design of ICT, DIFI, Norway
- Stuart Seaborn, Managing Director of Litigation, Disability Rights Advocates
- Yuval Wagner, Founder and President, Access Israel Org
Download a text transcript of this episode from the AbilityNet website.
All speaker info and slides will be available on the TechShare Pro 2019 schedule page.
Follow AbilityNet on Twitter with #TechSharePro. Get in touch via enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk with feedback, questions and comments.
Monday Feb 03, 2020
Monday Feb 03, 2020
The Big Hack is an ambitious programme being developed by Scope as a call to action for the tech industry to become more inclusive of disabled people. It includes a range of projects and new resources which aim to win the case and provide the practical tools for inclusive design.
Speakers
- Kristina Barrick, Head of Digital Influencing, Scope
- Craig Moss, Research Manager, Scope
- James Taylor, Head of Policy and Campaigns, Scope
- Anel Touchet, Senior Economist, ScopeDownload a
of this episode.
Download a text transcript of this episode via the AbilityNet website.
All speaker info and slides will be available on the TechShare Pro 2019 schedule page.
Follow us on Twitter with #TechSharePro. Get in touch via enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk with feedback, questions and comments.
Thursday Jan 30, 2020
Thursday Jan 30, 2020
Artificial Intelligence is changing our world at an incredible rate, powering innovations such as speech and image recognition in ways which can transform the lives of disabled people. However, we are also seeing many examples of AI-powered services which create unintended barriers for disabled people, whether through poor design, lack of representative data or flaws in algorithms. Our panel placed the needs of disabled people at the centre of the discussion, whilst looking at a range of social and technology issues which needed to be addressed.
Chair -
Abi James, Accessibility and Usability Consultant, AbilityNet
Panelists -
Christopher Patnoe, Senior Programs Manager, Google Accessibility
Sarah Herrlinger, Director of Global Accessibility Policy & Initiatives, Apple
Reema Patel, Head of Public Engagement, Ada Lovelace Institute
Anja Thieme, Senior Researcher in Human-Computer Interaction, Microsoft
Download a text transcript of this episode.
All speaker info and slides will be available on the TechShare Pro 2019 schedule page.
Follow us on Twitter with #TechSharePro
Get in touch via enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk with feedback, questions and comments.
Wednesday Jan 29, 2020
Wednesday Jan 29, 2020
I defy anyone not to be moved by Caroline's amazing keynote about the importance of strongly including disability in the broader diversity agenda. It starts with a fantastic video called '#Diversish'. You can easily find it by searching for that hashtag on YouTube.
Download a text transcript of this episode from the AbilityNet website.
All speaker info and slides will be available on the TechShare Pro 2019 schedule page.
Follow us on Twitter with #TechSharePro. Get in touch via enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk with feedback, questions and comments.
Thursday Jan 23, 2020
Thursday Jan 23, 2020
How can innovative collaboration with major transport providers and airports help to bring about a deeper level of staff understanding and improved customer experience - and what kind of accommodations might a ride hailing service implement to ensure that it's accessible to people with disabilities? Why is the smart home particularly helpful from an accessibility perspective - and what recent innovations might assist in enabling greater inclusion?
Chair -
Robin Spinks, Principal Manager, Digital Accessibility, RNIB
The RNIB Wayfinding project -
Marc Powell, Strategic Relationships, Innovation through Partnership, RNIB
John Worsfold, Innovation and Technology Implementation Manager, Innovation through Partnership, RNIB
Uber's approach to accessibility -
Ekaterina Petkova, UKI Accessibility Operations Manager, Uber
Download a text transcript of this episode via the AbilityNet website.
Follow us on Twitter with #TechSharePro. Get in touch via enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk with feedback, questions and comments.