AbilityNet TECHSHARE PRO 2023
TechShare Pro 2023
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Check out all the sessions for Day 1 and Day 2 of TechShare Pro 2023.
Tuesday 14 November
08:45 Welcome
- Ian Stuart, CEO HSBC UK
- Viscount Younger of Leckie
09:00 The Future of Accessibility
"Accessibility is important, not only for banking and everyday tasks, but to help you enjoy your life again"
Could you beat BlindWarriorSven at a game of Street Fighter? Sven joins us on stage at TechShare Pro 2023 to share how accessibility features of technology has enabled him to enjoy his hobbies, such as gaming.
- Mali Fernando, HSBC
- Mark Walker, AbilityNet
- Robin Christopherson, AbilityNet
- Special Guest - BlindWarriorSven
09:20 Business Benefits of Disability Inclusion
09:30 How will the European Accessibility Act change the global accessibility landscape?
The European Accessibility Act will set new standards for digital devices and interfaces used by consumers across the European Union and have a direct impact on every business that wants to trade in the EU after 2025.
The Act itself is in its detailed final stages, and will then be adopted at a national level across the EU. This panel will look at how the EAA could change the global landscape for digital accessibility.
- Jessica Rafuse, Director of Strategic Partnerships and Policy, Microsoft
- Stephanie Cadieux, Chief Accessibility Officer, Canada
- Malin Rygg, Head of Digital Authority, Norway
- Susanna Laurin, IAAP Representative to the EU
- Ted Drake, Global Accessibility and Inclusive Design Leader, Intuit
10:15 BREAK with online networking sessions
11:00 Media Representation of Disability
The negative and problematic way that disability is perceived by the general public has a profound effect on the work of digital accessibility advocates. This panel will discuss how media of all kinds represents disability and what role we can play in promoting positive messages through video, advertising, images, and social media.
- Dom Hyams, Head of Strategy, Purple Goat
- Lara Davis, Head of Communications & Marketing, Business Disability Forum
- Nicole Steven, Creative Diversity & Inclusion Manager, Channel 4
- Dr Shani Dandha, Inclusion & Accessibility Strategist and Consultant, Presenter, and Actor
- Sumaira Latif, Company Acceesibility Leader, Procter & Gamble
- Lisa Stoney, Head of Planning, Adam and Eve
12:00 Accessible Gaming
Gaming is often at the bleeding edge of digital experiences. Our panel will consider the changes taking place across the industry as accessibility continues to drive innovation in hardware and games design.
- Dom Shaw, UKIE
- James Butcher, Xbox UK & Ireland
- Jo Haslam, Snap Finger Click
- Brian Parsons, Sony Playstation
- Ed Waterhouse Biggins, Rebellion
- Sam Schaffel, Insomniac Games
12:30 BREAK
13:00 Lunch and Learn (online only sessions)
- Lunch and Learn 1: Accessibility Journey at PlayStation: PS5, Access Controller & Marvel's Spider-Man 2
Brian Parsons, Sony Playstation
Sam Schaffel, Insomniac Games
- Lunch and Learn 2: Document Accessibility: PDF or HTML?
Jane Black, Crawford Technologies
- Lunch and Learn 3: How to make your communication more inclusive
Rina Wharton, AbilityNet
Lucy Woodcock, AbilityNet
Dr Melanie Thorley, The University of Greenwich
- IAAP EU Drop-in Session - Networking
Ask anything about the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) membership, professional certification, EU legislation or standardisation on accessibility!
Susanna Laurin, IAAP
Jiří Zmrhal, Actum Digital
Regine Gessner, IAAP DACH
- Inclusive Communications - Networking
Jack Baker, AbilityNet
Paul Speller, AbilityNet
14:00 Teaching Homer Simpson About Accessibility
We all have different learning needs at different times. Do you design your learning materials for Mr Spock, assuming that logic and facts will pave the way to new understanding? Or do you treat your learners like Homer Simpson and decorate your learning pathway with low hanging fruits and instant rewards? This session looks at the behavioural science of how we learn, including corporate learning resources and disability awareness for school children.
- Elaine Gallagher, Best At Digital
- Jonathan Marriot, Rick Hansen Foundation, Canada
- Zoe Portlock, Accessibility Lead, Hargreaves Lansdown (HL)
- Mark Walker, Head of Marketing and Communications, AbilityNet
14:30 Empowering the C-Suite: Overcoming Fears and Embracing Disability Inclusion
Too many people are scared of discussing disability, whether with colleagues or the people they line manage. What can the accessibility community do to help address people's fears of disability, such as onboarding resources, elearning materials, mentoring, and one-to-one ‘ask me anything’ sessions with disabled people.
- Carolanne Minashi, Global Head of Inclusion at HSBC
- Katy Talikowska, CEO, Valuable 500
- Pauline Green, Head of Product Compliance & Programs at Intuit
- Mark Walker, Head of Marketing and Communications, AbilityNet
15:15 BREAK - with online networking sessions
16:00 Accessibility in Enterprise
Microsoft has created a new model for connecting with key decision-makers. Horizons is a roadmap for helping organisations create innovative solutions for its customers, with accessibility and inclusion at its core.
Hear from senior leaders at Microsoft and its clients about how Horizons can help to connect with decision-makers in all parts of the organisation.
- Nicole Dezen, Chief Partner Officer, Microsoft
- Ruth Topham, Finance Partner, Grant Thornton
- Jonathan Castleman, Global Head of Brand and Brand Partnership, HSBC
- Mel Edwards, Global President, VML
- Hector Minto, Lead Accessibility Evangelist, Technology for Fundamental Rights, Microsoft
- David Howorth, Head of Colleague Experience, BP
- John Levell, KPMG
16:45 Making the Business Case
Microsoft's Accessibility in Enterprise session provides a new model for building connections between accessibility, disability inclusion and senior leaders from all parts of the organisation. This panel will consider what the lessons are for the accessibility community.
- Hector Minto, Lead Accessibility Evangelist, Technology for Fundamental Rights, Microsoft
- Mali Fernando, Group Head of Digital Experience and Accessibility, HSBC
- Kate Nash, CEO, PurpleSpace
- Robin Spinks, RNIB
- Amy Low, Service Delivery Director, AbilityNet
18:00 VIP Reception
Wednesday 15 November
09:00 Welcome back
- Mali Fernando, Group Head of Digital Experience and Accessibility, HSBC
- Mark Walker, Head of Marketing and Communications, AbilityNet
09:10 Microsoft and Accessibility
Jessica Rafuse explains what's new in the world of accessibility at Microsoft and how culture change is so important in building inclusive solutions.
09:30 Driving Accessibility and Inclusive Design Through Experience Labs at Sony
- Joseph Clark-Jones, Accessibility: Promotion & Advocacy, Sony
- Mark Walker, Head of Marketing and Communications, AbilityNet
09:45 Global Accessibility Trends
This panel will discuss the findings of AbilityNet's 2023 Attitudes to Digital Accessibility Survey.
- Annie Mannion, Digital Communications Manager, AbilityNet
- Robin Christopherson, Head of Digital Inclusion, AbilityNet
- Chris Holloway, Digital Accessibility Manager, PwC UK
10:00 Brands and Disability Inclusion
- Jonathan Castleman, Global Head of Brand and Brand Partnership, HSBC
- Mel Edwards, Global President, VML
10:15 BREAK with online networking sessions
11:00 AI and Ableism
How well do AI tools such as ChatGPT represent disability? How much do they perpetuate negative stereotypes and representation in the information they produce? And what be done to prevent this bias from coming through in the solutions being built with these tools?
- Ioana Tanase, Inclusive AI & Accessibility Project Manager, Microsoft
- Perry Nightingale, SVP, Creative AI, WPP
- Catriona Campbell, UK&I Client Technology and Innovation Officer, EY
- Robin Christopherson, Head of Digital Inclusion, AbilityNet
11:30 How AI can make Education more Inclusive
The rapid adoption of ChatGPT and other AI tools has left many universities, colleges, and schools have been left scrambling to adapt their learning programmes and policies.
But behind the scare stories many academics are using the power of AI to provide inclusive learning experiences for their students. This session will provide some examples of AI-driven solutions, and also consider the challenges of more widespread adoption of best practices in the face of rapid change.
- Kate Pearce, Digital Solutions Manager, Gower College Swansea
- Liam Millinship, Gower College Swansea
- Leanne Howe, Gower College Swansea
12:00 AI and a New Era for Disability Services
Be My Eyes is a ground-breaking app that harnessed the power of mobile phones to transform the lives of disabled people around the world. It is now adopting AI to provide a whole new set of tools that will provide an even greater sense of independence for people who are blind or have low vision.
- Hans-Jorgen Wiberg, CEO, Be My Eyes
- Robin Christopherson, Head of Digital Inclusion, AbilityNet
- Michelle Ward, Policy & Tooling Lead, Sony
12:30 BREAK
13:00 Lunch and Learn (online only sessions)
- Lunch and Learn 1: Safe Listening Technology, Sony
Mike Somerset, Sony
- Lunch and Learn 2: Discoverability - how do people find the AT features relevant to them?
Myles Pilling
- Lunch and Learn 3: Humanising WCAG 2.2
Claire Poste
Ashley Peacock
- AI and Inclusion - Networking
Alice Taylor
Dylan Barrell
14:00 Metrics, Storytelling and Influence
How can accessibility leaders use storytelling to influence strategy in their organisation? What role does data play in building the case for investment? What data should we collect and what should we report?
- Matthew Luken, Deque
- Doug Koppenhofer, Vice President, Accessibility Center of Excellence, Crawford Technologies
- Amy Low, Service Delivery Director, AbilityNet
- Gert-Jan Vercauteren, Lead Accessibility Engineer, SkyScanner
- Jeff Wissel, Chief Accessibility Officer, DisabilityIN
14:45 Google Accessibility Discovery Centre - What Next?
Google's Accessibility Discovery Centre opened on International Day of Persons with Disability in December 2022. SInce then it's had over 1600 visitors from all kinds of organisations from around the world. Learn more about why it exists, why it works and how it is creating a blueprint for the next set of centres.
15:00 Understanding the Procurement Process
Not every digital experience is designed and delivered in-house - third-party apps and resources are often purchased to deliver services used by employees and customers.
Procurement processes have multiple stakeholders and numerous requirements and often highlight conflicts between competing and highly diverse pressures, such as security, compatibility with existing systems or budget.
This session will help accessibility professionals understand procurement processes better, and identify the best way to achieve accessible outcomes they seek.
- Arati Rao, Senior Digital Governance Manager, HSBC
- Rory Lawson, Account Director, Kineo
- Ben Ineson, Category Lead, HSBC
- Hanna Helgesdotter, Supply Chain Sustainability Manager
- Kirsty Hames, Senior Front End Developer, Kineo
15:30 BREAK with online networking sessions
16:00 Apple and Accessibility
Apple has always been committed to accessibility and has developed a wide range of tools that have become mainstream features. This session will explore the way that Apple embeds inclusive design in its processes, and look at some of the emerging technologies that will bring new capabilities for its users.
- Sarah Herrlinger, Senior Director, Global Accessibility Policy & Initiatives, Apple
- Robin Christopherson, Head of Digital Inclusion, AbilityNet
16:30 Closing Panel: Accessibility Leaders Panel
Our panel of thought leaders will reflect on the themes explored at TechShare Pro 2023 and consider what the future holds for accessibility.
- Mali Fernando, Group Head of Digital Experience and Accessibility, HSBC
- Mark Walker, Head of Marketing and Communications, AbilityNet
- Kate Nash, CEO, Purple Space
- Susanna Laurin, IAAP Representative to the EU
- Jessica Rafuse, Accessibility Leader, Microsoft
- Irene Mbari-Kirika, Technoprose Global and InAble
18:00 ENDS