My Activities 2015

Ontario Accessibility Standards Advisory Council (ASAC)

The province of Ontario is a global leader in setting legislative Accessibility Standards for an inclusive society. I encourage you to support Ontario efforts to Make A More Accessible Ontario. As an Appointee, from 2013 to 2016, member on the Accessibility Standards Advisory Council (ASAC) for the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario (Ministry of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure), I assist in the review of current legislative Accessibility Standards, and advise on new Accessibility Standards, to achieve our goal for a fully accessible Ontario by 2025.
Minister Dr. Eric Hoskins speaks about the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), November 8, 2013.

Ryerson University Hack-cessibility October 23 through November 9, 2015

Ryerson University Invited Creative Innovators to Collaborate In A Hack-cessibility Event This special event brought students, professionals, community members, business owners and people with disabilities, together to collaborate and envision creative and innovative solutions to make Ontario more accessible. As a mentor and innovations entrepreneur, I joined in on this exciting and competitive challenge, to offer my accessibility subject matter expertise. The policy hack challenge asked teams to consider the question: "How can we accelerate the dialogue on accessibility with the goal of helping to shift attitudes and change behaviour?" Hack-cessibility was an opportunity for anybody with an interest in improving accessibility in Ontario to bring their ideas to the table, no matter their background, skills or education.
"New discoveries in life-changing accessible technologies are a crucial part of building our province's competitive edge. Our government is proud to tap into the innovative skills of students at Ryerson University to accelerate new thinking in accessibility that will help people with disabilities achieve their full potential, and contribute to a cultural shift towards a more inclusive province. This partnership will help facilitate a more constructive, engaging dialogue between businesses and persons with disabilities, leading to a more inclusive society." Brad Duguid; Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure.

CNIB 2015 National Braille Conference

The CNIB 2015 National Braille Conference will be held on October 29-30, 2015, at the Courtyard by Marriott Downtown Toronto. This event will host many workshops and speaker sessions. Join me on Friday, October 30, in workshop 603 Vision Through Digital Communications. Emerging GPS, WayFinding and Crowd-Sourcing technologies are changing our lives, and giving independence and confidence to persons with vision loss. Come learn how BlindSquare and iBeacon services can expand your world with new possibilities. Explore the new frontier through digital communications, and enjoy the freedom of travel as a participant in an increasingly mobile society.
View the speaker notes.

University of Guelph Open Learning and Educational conference 2015

Join me at the University of Guelph Open Learning and Educational conference, being held on May 25-27 2015. I will be speaking on the Built Environment with a focus on Vision Through Digital Communications. Explore the world with confidence and freedom of independence, through the BlindSquare virtual accessible user interface. Come and share in the exciting experience of an increasingly mobile society. Emerging GPS, WayFinding and Crowd-Sourcing technologies are changing our lives and having a liberating impact on persons with vision loss. Learn about the power of real-time information and how you can be a collaborating partner in building the digital infrastructure. This interactive dialog session will inspire and motivate participants with creative ideas for barrier free innovative mobility tools. Digital communication is bridging the gap between the blind and sighted world!
Read about BlindSquare international award winning press Releases,
AMI Inside offers an in-depth look at the University of Guelph Annual Accessibility Conference,
View speaker notes.

CSUN 2015

Join me at the 30th CSUN Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference. The 2015 CSUN Conference will be held in San Diego from March 2 to March 7, 2015 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel. The CSUN Conference is the largest of its kind in the world, and provides a forum that showcases cutting edge technology and practical solutions that can be utilized to remove the barriers that prevent the full participation of persons with disabilities in educational, workplace and social settings. Discover Technologies will be presenting the Discover 508 SharePoint Accessibility Solution. The Microsoft SharePoint out-of-the-box experience falls short when it comes to those using screen readers to navigate, those using magnification software to see, those using voice activation applications to navigate, and those who are spatially challenged.
The Discover 508 SharePoint Accessibility Solution can transform your SharePoint environment into a user friendly platform with immediate productivity gains, and avoid all though time consuming customization requirements.

Ontario AODA Review

The Lieutenant Governor in Council appointed Dean Mayo Moran of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law to conduct the second independent review of the province's accessibility legislation in September 2013. Her mandate as reviewer was broad, and Dean Moran, From March through April 2014, examined Ontario's progress towards achieving the goals for accessibility set out in the AODA. Dean Moran welcomes your comments or submissions on the AODA legislation.
Visit the official website for the 2013-14 legislative review of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).

CNIB 2014 National Braille Conference

CNIB National Braille Conference The conference will be held on October 30-31, 2014, at the Courtyard by Marriott Downtown Toronto - 475 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON M4Y 1X7
This event will host many workshops and speaker sessions. Join the conference and be a participant in Ontario's inclusion strategy. I invite you to the "Digital Intelligence And The Social Conscience (Bridging The Digital Mind-set)" workshop. Digital communications and the power of knowledge is shifting the balance of society. From corporate control to crowd sourcing influence, we are changing the world and the role we each play. I will Explore the emerging global economy and the impact on disabled Canadians. What is the future of education and employment for blind, low vision, and deaf-blind Canadians? Lets consider the global trends we need to be aware of, and the motivation we need in shaping our own destiny.
View the speaker slide notes.

Association of Registered Graphic Designers (RGD) Web Design Accessibility Conference

The Association of Registered Graphic Designers (RGD) Web Design Accessibility Conference. Held at the Toronto Reference Library on October 8, 2014.
This conference will educate graphic design and web design professionals so that they may assist their clients to effectively deliver web design solutions that meet web accessibility requirements. The Web Design Accessibility Conference is a component of an exciting RGD initiative: AccessAbility for the Web, a co-partnership with the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario's Enabling Change Program. This initiative aims to promote understanding of website accessibility to the design and communications sector in Ontario. The Designing for the Future Panel will consider the "But it's Compliant" and Other Fallacies that entrap designers.

University Carleton International Accessibility Summit 2014

Join me in Ottawa Ontario, for the first International Summit on Accessibility, at the Ottawa Convention Centre on July 12-15, 2014. The International Summit on Accessibility, Making it Happen: From Intention to Action, embraces the positive progress in creating accessible and inclusive communities and brings together a diverse leadership collective to share achievement and create action. the conference promotes access and inclusion for persons with disabilities in all aspects of life. This International Summit is organized by Carleton University with support from the Province of Ontario and the City of Ottawa.
View speaker notes.

University of Guelph Open Learning and Educational conference

Join me at the University of Guelph Open Learning and Educational conference, being held on May 26-28 2014. I will be speaking on the Integration of Accessibility into the Project Life Cycle & IT Governance Principles. The theme this year, Ca11yboration. Working with others is the best strategy to accomplish a common goal. The Conference presentations will focus on collaborative solutions to accessibility issues.
View speaker notes.

Association of Registered Graphic Designers (RGD) DesignThinkers 2013 conference

Co-presentor with David Berman Communications, at the DesignThinkers 2013 conference, hosted by the Association of Registered Graphic Designers (RGD). Workshop topic, Understanding Accessibility & Where Accessibility Meets Usability.
Held on November 8, 2013. At the Toronto City Hall.
Click here for more workshop information.

Audio/Tactile Network (ATN) 25th Anniversary

Guest speaker at the ATN Access 25th Anniversary Celebration, hosted by ATN Access Inc. Held on November 14 2013, at Tony Banquet Centre. As a founding partner of the ATN Access Centre (1980), I reflect on the beginnings of a dream, nurtured by Dr. John Hart, a friend and mentor during my university days.
Audio/Tactile Network (ATN) specializes in computer training and computer assisted learning for persons with disabilities.

Ontario JOIN inter-corporate Employee Resource Group (ERG) innovation symposium 2013

Lead the first annual inter-corporate Employee Resource Group (ERG) innovation symposium, hosted by Ontario JOIN and sponsored by HSBC. Interactive workshops discussing about best practices, from the start-up phase throughout the life cycle of maintaining a vibrant PWD Employee Resource Group, to sustaining and innovating the state of ERGs of the future. Held on September 19 2013, at the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel (1 Harbour Square, Toronto).
Learn more about the JOIN Inter-Corporate ERG Council.

StarCanada 2013 Integrating Canadian Accessibility Requirements into Your business Projects

Presented at the StarCanada Conference, April 7-11, 2013 at the Toronto Ontario Eaton Chelsea Hotel. Topic, Integrating Canadian Accessibility Requirements into Your business Projects.
View W3C/WAI presentation demo.

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