Access Matters – Details, episodes & analysis

Earlier this year, Aira received an award from the renowned Zero Project, a globally recognized conference on accessibility. In this interview, we delve into the conference with Frances West, IBM’s inaugural Chief Accessibility Officer and the current CEO of Frances West & Co., and Florian Gutman from our Engineering Team. Additionally, CEO Troy Otillio shares his experiences with the Zero Project and offers valuable insights into Aira’s international growth and the future prospects, particularly in the field of AI. 

Learn more about Frances West at www.franceswest.co Learn more about visual interpreting on our web site, www.aira.io.

Questions or comments about the show? Email us at accessmatters@aira.io.

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Access Matters  Season 2 Episode 8  Team With A Vision 

The Boston Marathon, one of the world’s most iconic races, is back this year, and we’ve managed to catch up with Laura Alpert about the Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired’s Team with a Vision  . Running the marathon is a personal journey for many, and Ellen Goldberg, a 15-time Team with a Vision member, shares some of her unforgettable experiences. Blind and low vision runners often rely on guides to help them navigate the race, and Rebecca Trachsel, Jared Broughton’s guide, provides insights into the role of guides in the marathon. Cheyenne Meyer and Brett Simms have a  great story about the teamwork of a couple who met while running the marathon. Don’t forget to support the team by checking out their various Give and Gain pages. 

Ellen Goldberg  https://tinyurl.com/TWAVEllen

Rebecca Trachsel, running guide for Jared Broughton  https://tinyurl.com/TWAVRebeccaJared

Cheyenne Meyer and Brett Simms, running couple Cheyenne as guide  https://tinyurl.com/MABVICheyenneBrett

Learn more about MABVI at https://mabvi.org 

United in Stride https://unitedinstride.com

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Access Matters  Episode 9: Access at the County Level with Heidi Johnson 

The global pandemic proved that access to local government information is crucial. In this episode Jenine takes a look at access at the county level with Heidi Johnson, ADA Coordinator for Miami-Dade County, Florida. Did you know there are 3207 counties or county equivilants in the United States, including the parishes of Louisiana. You might be surprised at how many services are provided at the county level in your area. Heidi tells us about everything from public health to parks, libraries, voting and even the water that comes from your tap in Miami-Dade County, and how her office helps all of the agencies involved provide inclusive environments.  

Access, and more specifically the ADA, involve social equity in all programs, services, activities and facilities at the state and county levels. Heidi’s own life experience in the regulatory field as well as being someone with a disability has served her well in her current role. Join us for a virtual trip around Miami-Dade County and all it has to offer.  

Learn more about Miami-Dade County services at: https://www.miamidade.gov

Phone: 305-375-2013  For a list of ADA coordinators by county department, visit: https://www.miamidade.gov/global/ada-coordinators.page 

Contact the podcast at accessmatters@aira.io. Thanks for listening. 

Find out more at https://access-matters.pinecast.co

Access Matters Episode 8 Access at work for all Featuring Dan Frye and Joy Mistovich 

In our second podcast spotlighting National Disability Employment Awareness Month, we talk with Dan Frye, Director of Employment and Professional Development with the National Federation of the Blind. Dan has held various roles in state agencies and private industry. We’ll hear his crucial points that lead to success in  job seeking and workplace accessibility. An example of such accessibility is Joy Mistovich, Education Department Assistant and Digital U X Accessibility Specialist at the Butler Institute of American Art. In fact, it’s her job. Joy tells us about her journey. 

Learn more about Dan and his work at the National Federation of the Blind at https://nfb.org. You can email him at dfrye@nfb.org. You can call him at NFB’s national office, 1.401. 659.9314 Ext. 2393.  

Learn more about the Butler Institute of American Art and Joy’s work in accessibility at https://butlerart.com  You can email her at joymisto@gmail.com. 

The Butler is one of our Aira Access Network locations. You can get visual interpreting assistance to browse their collections and web site. 

Find out more at https://access-matters.pinecast.co

Access Matters  Episode 7: Access in a room full of elephants with Jonathan Mosen 

October marks National Disability Employment Awareness Month in the United States. That means Jenine and her guests will be talking about access in the workplace. The subject isn’t limited to the US though.   A familiar name within the blind and low vision community, Jonathan Mosen MNZM currently serves as CEO of Workbridge, the largest New Zealand-owned agency dedicated to the employment of disabled people. He also hosts the popular Living Blindfully podcast, heard by members of the blind community in more than 113 countries. The “elephants” they’ll discuss include disclosure in the hiring process, career advancement and how technology will affect disabled people in the future. 

You can learn more about Jonathan and find helpful links to his podcast at https://livingblindfully.com. 

Learn more about Workbridge at https://workbridge.co.nz.

Comments about the show? Email us at accessmatters@aira.io.

Find out more at https://access-matters.pinecast.co

Access Matters  Episode 6: Practical Access with Anthony Corona 

What causes someone to strive for greater access to the community? For Florida Council of the Blind’s Governmental Affairs Chair, Anthony Corona it comes down to listening from the human heart. This native New Yorker and former AP East Coast Entertainment Editor shares his story and how he works toward more extensive access in the Miami area. Continuing the theme of practical access, Everette Bacon demonstrates how one feature of an app can provide security through access to visual information. 

Listen to Anthony on ACB Radio Sunday Edition, https://www.acbmedia.org/category/se/, email sundayeditionac@gmail.com. You can also catch him on the Pride Connection and Take 2 Radio Soaps podcasts. , 

Learn more about visual interpreting at https://aira.io. 

Have questions or comments about the show? Email us at accessmatters@aira.io. 

Find out more at https://access-matters.pinecast.co

Access Matters  Episode 5 Access on Target with Steve Decker 

“Accessibility shouldn’t just be a box you check. It should be cool.” … Steve Decker 

Shopping,  whether it’s on-line or in a store, involves many factors when it comes to access. Target was one of Aira’s initial national retail partners with nearly 2000 locations and  400,000 team members throughout the US, plus their web site and mobile apps. Target’s Senior Manager of Accessibility, Steve Decker, talks about how his team has built inclusion through accessibility into the Fortune-50 retailer’s offerings. Jenine will take a look at how access to retail services happens, and as always, she’ll have thoughts. 

To learn more about Target’s accessibility efforts, visit https://target.com/accessibility. Share your experiences with Target both in-store and on-line at accessibility@target.com 

Questions or comments? Email us at accessmatters@aira.io. 

Find out more at https://access-matters.pinecast.co

Episode 4: From Acting to Accessibility

Everette Bacon joins Aira as our Vice President of Blindness Initiatives. In this episode Jenine talks with him about his journey and what access means to him. We’ll also contemplate what it means to both be an actor regarding one’s disability and designing systems that don’t force people to “act”. 

Everette Bacon can be reached at everette@aira.io. 

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Access Matters  Episode 3: Business Travel and More! Are You in?

In this episode we continue to talk about travel, this time in the context of employment with Jeff Wissel, Chief Accessibility Officer with DisabilityIn. From the Disability Equality Index to the Procure Access initiative, over 450 corporations are involved with a vast range of DEI&A resources. Jenine and Jeff discuss disclosure and how it’s played a role in their personal journeys. Jeff also talks about   their upcoming conference. For more information about any of these resources, visit http://disabilityin.org. You can contact Jeff at accessibility@disabilityin.org.

Follow the hash tag #AreYouIn to keep up with events and more with DisabilityIN. 

Find out more at https://access-matters.pinecast.co

Episode 2 Accessing the Magic of Flight 

In this episode Jenine talks with Michael Hingson, technology evangelist and blind traveler about his airport experiences. Then, what happens when over 3000 blind and low vision people and their families come to a city? Facilities like the Houston Airport System are ready! Jenine talks with Tambre` Moten, who leads ADA initiatives and innovation for the Aviation Risk and Regulatory Compliance Division of Houston Airports

Resources 

Learn more about Mike Hingson at http://michaelhingson.com.

Learn about the accommodations, features and special events in the Houston Airport System and contact Tambre` Motan for disability accommodations at https://www.fly2houston.com/

Information about the Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights, Department of Transportation can be found at https://www.transportation.gov › disabilitybillofrights

Contact us: accessmatters@aira.io. 

Find out more at https://access-matters.pinecast.co