TechShare Pro 2020

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TechShare Pro is organised by AbilityNet and is one of Europe's premier accessibility and inclusive design events, with an engaging blend of inspiration and practical insights, including business strategy, accessibility leadership and digital practice.

TechShare Pro 2020

Access all recordings from TechShare Pro 2022:

11.05 Microsoft's Inclusion Journey and Sony's Commitment to Inclusion

  • Jessica Rafuse, Microsoft

Why is Sony investing in inclusion? And how does it work with its partners to build accessibility across its eco-system?

  • Shiro Kambe, Senior Executive Vice President, Corporate Executive Officer, Sony Corporation 
  • Ulrike Haltrich, Senior Manager, Sony Europe 

11.15 Update on the Valuable 500

How are the world's biggest brands responding to the Valuable 500 campaign to put disability on their agenda?

  • Mark Walker
  • Caroline Casey

11.30 ESG and the Business Case for Accessibility 

Robin Christopherson and Paul Smyth discuss how Environmental, Social and Governance factors affect the business case for accessibility.

  • Robin Christopherson, AbilityNet
  • Paul Smyth, Barclays

11.50 PANEL: Business Leaders Panel 

What tangible benefits does inclusion and accessibility bring to business?

Hear from senior leaders about the way their organisations are using inclusion and accessibility to build competitive advantage.

  • Cindy Rose, Microsoft
  • Mark Read, WPP
  • Leena Nair, Unilever
  • Corie Brown, Channel 4

13.00 Microsoft Accessibility Features Deep Dive 

  • Casandra Marrero, Microsoft
  • Michael Vermeersch, Microsoft
  • Dan Fernandez, Microsoft
  • Elena Cordova Russ, Microsoft

13.00 Understanding Accessible Documents

14.00 PANEL: Accessibility and Customer Service in the COVID age with introduction from Paul Smyth, Barclays 

What changes has Barclays made to reflect the needs of its vulnerable customers during the COVID pandemic?

  • Paul Smyth MBE, Barclays

How the sector has responsed to the needs of its customers in response to COVID:

  • Chair: Paul Smyth, Barclays 
  • Steven Busuttil, Lloyds Banking Group
  • Charlotte Grannan, NatWest
  • Gordon McCullough, RiDC

15.00 PANEL: Breaking Down Barriers to Accessible Information in Financial Services

Accessibility specialists from the finance sector will share challenges, successes and unexpected discoveries in their work to deliver accessible and inclusive financial services. 

  • Chair: Jane Black: Crawford Technologies
  • Natalie Ledwood, Monzo
  • Christine Hemphill, Open Inclusion 

16.00 Accessibility in Games: Challenges and Progression with SightlessKombat
 

16.00 The Future of Accessible Information Hosted by UKAAF

A discussion about the future of accessible document formats, featuring:

  • Roger Firman, UKAAF
  • Tim Nelms, Crawford Technologies
  • Duff Johnson, PDF Association
  • Richard Orme, Daisy Consortium

17.00 Understanding How Business Sees Accessibility

Casper Klynge is VP for European Government Affairs at Microsoft and was previosuly a tech ambassador for the Danish Government in Silicon Valley.

Microsoft's Director of Accessibility, Jenny-Lay Flurrie leads their work on accessibility and inclusion.

Sam Latif is a Company Accessibility Leader at Proctor & Gamble and will be asking Casper and Jenny about the challenges of building a shared vision for accessibility across an organisation the size of Microsoft. 

  • What do the leaders of the tech industry typically understand about accessibility?
  • How does it impact on their decision-making, if at all?
  • What lessons can we learn about embedding accessibility and inclusion across the C-Suite?

11.05 Understanding Disability in a Digital Society

Elisabeth Ward, Accessibility Specialist - Scope

11.20 Update on the UK Government's National Strategy for Disabled People (NSFDP)

Overview of the purpose of the strategy and an update on progress. 

  • Alex Fleming, Cabinet Office, UK Government 

11.35 The Digital Divide and Disability 

Being unemployed, retired, disabled, living on a low income, no or few qualifications: these are the biggest predictors of being on the wrong side of the digital divide. 

The Good Things Foundation is proposing a Blueprint for 100% Digitally Included UK- what impact could it have on the lives of disabled people?

  • Helen Milner, OBE, The Good Things Foundation

11.50 PANEL: Carrot vs Sticks- How can policy influence accessibility?

We have various laws which relate to accessibility and inclusion but disabled people still encounter discrimination, inequality and digital exclusion on a daily basis. What is the best mix between persuading people to address accessibility - using carrots - and using legal powers force change - using sticks?

  • Chair: James Taylor, Scope
  • Malin Rygg, Norwegian Digital Agency
  • Angela Matthews, Business Disability Forum
  • Chris Heathcote, Government Digital Service, UK Government 

13.00 Understanding Accessible Documents

14.05 Update on EU Accessibility Act

The EU Accessibility Act aims to make accessibility part of a huge range of electronic goods and is due to become law in 2025. Find out more about what it aims to achieve and current progress on its implementation. 

  • Inmaculada Placencia Porrero, European Commission

15.00 Assistive Technology Policy for Employment and Beyond

  • Geena Vabulas, Policy Connect

15.15 Accessibility Statement Research Update

  • George Rhodes, All Able

15.30 Accessibility Regulations, Monitoring and Reporting

  • Richard Morton, Government Digital Service

14.00 PANEL: Working from Home in a COVID-19 World 

  • Chair: Lucy Ruck, Business Disability Forum
  • Sara John, NatWest
  • Neil Eustice, KPMG
  • Michael Vermeersch, Microsoft
  • Darren Rowan, Lilly

15.00 PANEL: Returning to the Office, a Blended Approach

  • Chair: Lucy Ruck, Business Disability Forum
  • David Banes
  • Sean Gilroy, BBC
  • Bela Gor, BDF
  • Beth Hartley, Sainsburys

16.00 PANEL: Accessible Entertainment & Media 

  • Chair: Sonali Rai, RNIB
  • Steven Scott, TV & Radio Producer
  • Richard Kurzik, BBC
  • Jonathan Penny, ITV
  • Larry Goldberg, Verizon Media
  • Cathy Taylor, Ofcom

MAIN STAGE 

17.00 Audio Augmented Reality 

Jarnail Chudge, Microsoft demonstrates the power of audio and augmented reality at the core of the amazing Soundscape which can guide people with visual impairments through their environment.

17.30 PANEL: Accessible Smart Cities 

Join our panel of global experts to learn how tech can make our cities more accessible to all, and why that matters to our cities of the future. 

  • Chair: Joanna Wootten, Independant Disability Advisory Group, Tfl
  • Victor Calise, New York City Mayor's Office
  • Dr. Victor Santiago Pineda, President, World Enabled
  • Faith La Grange, Microsoft
  • James Thurston, G3ict

11.05 Starting a Movement... How to Make Accessibility Scaleable

What goals should an accessibility evangelist set themselves? Gareth-Ford Williams explains what has been achieved at the BBC - and looks at what he'd do differently if he had a chance to start again.

  • Gareth Ford Williams, BBC
  • Mark Walker, AbilityNet

11.20 PANEL: Beyond the Lone Evangelist 

Accessibility is joining diversity and inclusion on the agenda of organisations of all shapes and sizes, but we all know the sense of being the lone voice trying to change the way things are done around here. What can we learn from what others have achieved? How do we start a movement and make accessibility scaleable?

  • Chair: Hector Minto, Microsoft
  • Charlie Turrell, BBC
  • Heather Hepburn, Skyscanner
  • Andy Black, Department for Education

12.00 How to change cultures - Creative Leadership & Inclusion

How do creative leaders make change happen inside organisations?

  • Rama Gheerawo, Helen Hamlyn Centre for Inclusive Design, RCA
  • Christina Mallon, Wunderman Thompson

13.00 Native App Accessibility 

  • Helen Burge, AbilityNet

13.00 Introduction to Accessible Formats 

14.00 PANEL: Understanding Accessible Fonts

  • Chair: Sarah Zama, Sony 
  • Gareth Ford Williams, BBC
  • David Bailey, BBC
  • Bruno Maag, Dalton Maag

15.00 Update on WCAG3.0 

  • Alastair Campbell, Nomensa

15.15 Practical Methods for Assessing Whether Something is 'easy to see' on Mobile 

  • Sam Waller, University of Cambridge

16.00 Networking the Accessibility Champions Networks 

  • Charlie Turrell, BBC
  • Michael Vermeersch, Microsoft
  • Andy Black, Department for Education 
  • Gareth Ford-Williams, BBC

17.00 Accessibility and Business Entrepreneurs 

  • Henrik Eskilsson, CEO & Co-Founder, Tobii 
  • Emma Lawton, Co-Founder, More Human
  • Alexander Hauerslev Jensen, BeMyEyes

17.30 PANEL: Accessibility Leadership

  • Sumaira Latif, P&G
  • Christopher Patnoe, Google 
  • Christopher Lee, IAAP
  • Yuval Wagner, Access Israel
  • Irene Mbari-Kirika, inABLE
  • Robin Christopherson, AbilityNet
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