The Power and Perils of Empathy Accessibility Labs

In this virtual panel session, our panelists will discuss how to host empathy/accessibility lab events that build motivation in digital equality efforts. Discover the dangers of disability simulations versus the power of accessibility possibilities.  

About Glenda Sims:

Glenda Sims is the Team A11Y Lead at Deque, where she shares her expertise and passion for the open web with government organizations, educational institutions, and companies ranging in size from small businesses to large enterprise organizations. Glenda is an advisor and co-founder of AIR-University (Accessibility Internet Rally) and AccessU. She serves as an accessibility consultant, judge, and trainer for Knowbility, an organization whose mission is to support the independence of people with disabilities by promoting the availability of barrier-free IT. In 2010 Glenda co-authored the book InterACT with Web Standards: A holistic approach to Web Design.

About John Foliot:

John Foliot is a Principal Accessibility Strategist at Deque Systems. A 20-year veteran of Web Accessibility, John has previously held accessibility-related positions at JPMorgan Chase, Stanford University, and previously consulted to the Canadian Federal Government. John is also actively involved with the W3C – the international internet standards body – where he previously co-chaired a Task Force on the accessibility requirements for media elements in HTML5. Currently, he is involved in accessibility work related to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), the Cognitive disabilities, Personalization, and Pronunciation Task Forces, and emergent accessibility-related standards. John is also actively involved in the strategic discussions around "Project Silver" – the next-gen version of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

About Claudio Luis Vera:

Claudio is an accessibility leader, analyst, public speaker, and community organizer. He is currently a Senior Analyst for Digital Accessibility at Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

About Joel Moffatt

Joel Moffatt is the Principal Product Manager and CX Lead on the Comcast Accessibility Team.

About Crystal Baker

Crystal is a straightforward and transparent accessibility teacher and public speaker, bringing organization to chaos. Skilled in Section 508/CVAA/WCAG, Training, Legislative Relations, and Public Speaking. Strong business development professional with a Master of Arts focused in Human Services from St. Edward's University. 

Watch below:

Jump to specific parts of the video using our chapters list:

• 0:00 Introductions
• 10:56 Empathy Lab Experiences
• 28:33 Let's Talk About Empathy
• 39:29 One Thing I Wish I Knew Before I Set Up My Lab
• 46:38 Accessibility / Empathy Lab Resources
• 48:12 Q & A

Are you interested in helping your colleagues develop insight into the experiences of users with disabilities? Talk to us about scheduling an Empathy Lab for your team.