Wednesday – Agenda

Parallel Sessions

Panel Discussion | Evolving U.S. Federal Digital Accessibility Legal Landscape: Legislative, Regulatory, and Enforcement Updates, Expected Impact

Grand Ballroom

Several legislative, regulatory, and enforcement initiatives impacting digital accessibility are currently underway in the United States at the national level. These include proposed legislation as well as on-going and planned rulemaking, and recent official agency guidance on topics ranging from AI hiring tools to telehealth accessibility.  At the same time, enforcement of existing laws continues by both federal agencies and private sector advocates. This session will provide an overview of what is happening in the federal digital accessibility legal space and what to expect in 2023 and 2024.  What impact will current initiatives have over time, and will they change compliance considerations for organizations?  Topics include:

• Proposed federal legislation impacting websites, software applications, accessibility in airline travel, and the CVAA (21st Century Video Accessibility Act)
• Federal agency rulemaking initiatives on web accessibility standards, self-service transaction machines (kiosks), higher education digital accessibility and possibly more
• Statutory Changes in Federal Agency Accessibility Responsibilities
• Federal agency digital accessibility initiatives beyond rulemaking [from Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Education (DOE), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and Federal Communications Commission (FCC)]
• Trends in digital accessibility enforcement by federal agencies and private lawyers and advocates.

Session Chair: Lainey Feingold, Disability Rights Lawyer and Author, Law Office of Lainey Feingold

Panelists:

• Eve Hill, Partner, Brown, Goldstein & Levy
• Sachin Dev Pavithran, Executive Director, U.S. Access Board
• Anil Lewis, Executive Director, Jernigan Institute, National Federation of the Blind (NFB)
• Jennifer Mathis, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice

Parallel Sessions

A11y Chats

Studio A - "Global Studio"

Programming Schedule.

Parallel Sessions

Panel Discussion | Promoting the Role of Startups for Digital Inclusion and Accessibility Innovation

Studio B

Startups are drivers of innovation, most often the source of disruptive technologies and key job creators across all economic sectors.  How are startups contributing to digital inclusion and accessibility innovation?  Are persons with disabilities involved in accessibility innovation and value creation though start-ups?  What specific attributes of the digital accessibility eco-system may present barriers or opportunities?  This session, led by successful entrepreneurs dedicated to digital accessibility innovation, will examine case studies and explore possible policies, partnerships, funding sources, incubators programs, channels and market access regulations that may help further the role of startups in advancing digital accessibility innovations.

Session Chair: Tomer Aharoni, Founder and CEO, Nagish

Panelists:

• Siddhant Chothe, Co-Founder, TekVision
• Regina “Gina” Kline, Founder and Managing Partner, Enable Ventures
• Sandy Lacey, Executive Director, Howe Innovation Center, Perkins School for the Blind
• Cat Noone, CEO and Co-Founder, Stark
• Michal Rimon, CEO, Access Israel

Parallel Sessions

Panel Discussion | The Role of International Cooperation in Advancing Digital Accessibility

Studio D

Impactful public and private sector initiatives are helping realize Art. 32 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on international cooperation.  This session will feature examples of impactful projects helping facilitate the transfer of knowledge or the implementation of digital accessibility around the world including innovative public-private partnerships.

Session Chair: Francesca Cesa Bianchi, VP, Institutional Relations and Advocacy, G3ict

Panelists:

• Sabine Wachernig, Strategic Partnerships, Zero Project
• Irene Mbari-Kirika, Founder and Executive Director, inABLE
• Christopher M. Lee, Ph.D., Managing Director, G3ict/IAAP
• Mohammed A. Loutfy, Ph.D., CPACC, Director, Capacity Building and Advocacy, G3ict
• Monica Duhem, Ph.D., Director, Global Advisory Center (GAC), G3ict

Parallel Sessions

Thought-Leadership Session | Human-Centered AI and Accessibility

Studio E

Presented by Deque Systems

With ChatGPT and OpenAI in the news, there’s a lot of hype around AI. Despite all the recent progress in the field, AI and ML can be seen as dirty words in the digital accessibility community.

There are some solutions that claim that using AI can solve all digital accessibility issues on a page like a magic pill. However, neural networks like ChatGPT don’t work well for digital accessibility because it's trained on a very large general dataset of all the code on the internet that is mostly inaccessible.

The truth is that AI-augmented tools can be ethical if they are built by accessibility experts and used to simplify the testing process. AI can significantly expand what is possible for automated accessibility testing and lower the barrier of entry for non-experts to do manual testing.

Attendees of this session will learn:

• What computer vision and human-centered AI are and how they can be used to help digital accessibility testing.
• The unique challenge of creating a specialized AI system to help analyze user interfaces to test for digital accessibility.
• How AI-augmented tools can significantly improve the efficiency of the digital accessibility testing process.

Speaker: Dylan Barrell, Chief Technology Officer, Deque Systems

Parallel Sessions

Panel Discussion | The Rapid Evolution of Canadian Legislative and Regulatory Frameworks

Grand Ballroom

A complete update on the recent advances of the Canadian legislation on accessibility and inclusion, its implications for the public and private sectors and in matters of enforcement. Panelists will also compare key features of the Canadian legislation with those of the US and EU accessibility legislative and regulatory frameworks.

Session Chair: Jutta Treviranus, Ph.D., Chair, ASC Standard Committee and Director, Inclusive Design Research Centre (IDRC), OCAD University

Panelists:

• Philip Rizcallah, P. Eng, CEO, Accessibility Standards Canada, Government of Canada
• Stephanie Cadieux, Chief Accessibility Officer, Government of Canada
• Sambhavi (Sam) Chandrashekar, Ph.D., CPACC, Global Accessibility Lead, D2L
• Monica Ackermann, Head of Accessibility, Scotia Digital, Scotiabank

Parallel Sessions

A11y Chats

Studio A - "Global Studio"

Programming Schedule.

Parallel Sessions

Panel Discussion | M-Enabling in Action – How Mobile Service Providers’ Partnerships with Civil Society Help Scale Up Digital Accessibility

Studio B

With more than 7.2 billion active subscribers with 3G or higher generations mobile networks covering 95% of the world population and driving 60% of Internet connections globally, mobile service providers are the most powerful communications channel that ever existed to promote digital accessibility. Thanks to advanced accessibility features offered by the leading mobile operating systems, service providers have engaged in a variety of powerful partnership to promote the digital inclusion of persons with disabilities. This session will stage some of the most impactful examples of partnerships in action around the world.

Session Chair: Sabine Lobnig, Director of Communications, Mobile & Wireless Forum

Panelists:

• Susan Mazrui, Director, Global Public Policy, AT&T
• Seth Bravin, National Sr. Executive, Accessibility Government & Business Strategy, T-Mobile
• Zachary Bastian, Manager, Strategic Alliances, Verizon
• Marcie Roth, Executive Director, World Disability Institute (WID)

Parallel Sessions

Special Presentation | Changing Landscape and Imperatives for Section 508 Programs: How legislative mandates and executive guidance is changing Section 508

Studio D

Session Chair: Andrew Nielson, Government-wide Section 508 Program, U.S. General Services Administration

Speakers:

• Judy Brewer, Assistant Director for Accessibility, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (invited)
• Sachin Dev Pavithran, Executive Director, U.S. Access Board

Parallel Sessions

Panel Discussion | Marrakesh Treaty 10th Anniversary: Why Its Implementation Matters?

Studio E

The Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled – is designed to remove legal barriers to making books and other copyright-protected works available in accessible formats such as Braille and digital audio. Now ratified by 117 countries including the United States and Canada, it creates an international legal framework for organizations to share accessible format copies with other countries that have joined the Treaty. This session will examine the progress made globally in implementing the Marrakesh Treaty, its impact and implementation in the United States and other leading ratifying countries and why promoting its universal adoption matters to both industry and advocates.

Session Chair: Everette Bacon, Secretary, Board of Directors, National Federation of the Blind (NFB)

Panelists:

• Noel Duffy, Chair of the Board, Dolphin Computer Access
• Ayan Kishore, CEO, Benetech
• Matt Ater, Vice President, TPGi, A Vispero Company
• Doug Hacker, Director of Product Accessibility, Pearson
• Jason Broughton, NLS, U.S. Library of Congress

Parallel Sessions

Panel Discussion | AI-Generated Images: Challenges and Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities

Grand Ballroom

With the advent of AI-generated images, and the exponential growth of the usage of graphic content for everything digital, specific challenges and opportunities lay ahead for Persons with Disabilities. Panelists from advocacy organizations and companies involved in leading digital image technologies and applications will brainstorm and share their perspectives on how AI-generated images may impact Persons with Disabilities, including but not limited to their potential influence on disability representation, how AI-generated images or graphics may contribute to cognitive accessibility solutions, and how much progress is achieved in embedding AI-generated alternative text. The panel will also explore how to ensure the accessibility and compatibility with assistive technologies of emerging solutions to authenticate real Vs AI-generated images and of AI-enabled digital rights management solutions.

Session Chair: Jennison Asuncion, Co-Founder, Global A11y Awareness Day & Vice-Chair, GAAD Foundation
Panelists:

• Andrew Kirkpatrick, Director, Accessibility, Adobe Systems
• David Berman, CPACC, CPWA, ADS, President, DB Communications, and Author
• Christopher Patnoe, Head of Accessibility and Disability Inclusion, EMEA, Google
• Saqib Shaikh, Software Engineering Manager, Project Lead for Seeing AI, Microsoft
• Susanna Laurin, CPACC – IAAP Honorary Chair & EU Representative

Parallel Sessions

A11y Chats

Studio A - "Global Studio"

Programming Schedule.

Parallel Sessions

Panel Discussion | New Imperatives for Kiosks and Self-Service Payment Systems

Studio B

Given their pervasive usage, the accessibility of kiosks, ATMs, and automated self-service payment systems is a key area of concern for persons with disabilities and older persons.  This session will examine accessibility requirements for all forms of kiosks, relevant regulatory and jurisprudence references including the latest work of the U.S. Access Board, and examples of solutions that exist today and may be replicated in all sectors of activity.

Session Chair: Matt Ater, Vice President, TPGi, A Vispero Company

Panelists:

• Rick Smith, Director, Business Development, Elo Touch Solutions
• Marshall Law, Co-Founder and Business Development, Rivalry Tech
• Peter Jarvis, Senior Executive VP, Storm Interface
• Clark Rachfal, Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs, American Council of the Blind (ACB)

Parallel Sessions

Panel Discussion | Serving Persons with Disabilities – Digital Accessibility Improvements in U.S. Federal Programs Directly Serving the Disability Community

Studio D

Session Chair: Alison Sutton Levy, Director, Office of Technical and Information Services, U.S. Access Board

Panelists:

• Mark Urban, ATSDR Accessibility Program Manager, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Aaron Allen, Section 508 Program Manager, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
• Sherman Gillums Jr., Director, Office of Disability Integration and Coordination, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) (invited)
• Josh Mendelsohn, Designated Federal Officer, Disability Advisory Committee, and Attorney, Disability Rights Office, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) (invited)

Parallel Sessions

Thought-Leadership Session | Using TICs to Provide Full Accessible Content for Cable TV at FIFA World Cup 2022 during Brazil Games

Studio E

Presented by Claro Brasil / Beplay

For the first time in history people with disabilities in Brazil could watch on Cable TV the Brazil football matches during the FIFA World Cup 2022.

Claro – America Mobil provided accessible content such as audio description, Brazilian sign language and real-time captions for their Cable TV clients.

Beplay was the innovative technology used to transmit accessible content to mobile and computer devices of people with disabilities, so that they could have full comprehension at one of the Brazilians Passion – Soccer Games.

This session has the objective of share experiences and share the process to show how technology and the engagement of people with disabilities guaranteed full access to soccer games. The success of the initiative was only possible with the partnership among Claro, Globo Television and Beplay, with the objective to create a simple and scalable methodology that can be used for everyone.

Speaker(s):

• Andrea Campos, Costumer UX Director, Claro Brasil
• Luís Mauch, Co-Founder, Beplay

Parallel Sessions

Panel Discussion | Aging and Technology Policies: The Emergence of a Universal Human Rights Framework for Older Persons

Grand Ballroom

The digital inclusion of older persons is a challenge for governments, corporations and advocates as aging demographics grow at a fast pace alongside digital transformations in all sectors of society. This session will examine current initiatives to address those challenges and the emergence of a Universal Human Rights framework for Older Persons. The panel will explore how accessibility good practices, technology solutions and standards and policies will have to evolve to address the digital inclusion of older persons and how this will impact the accessibility profession and ecosystem.

Session Chair: Frances West, Founder, FrancesWestCo.; G3ict Committee on Digital Inclusion and Accessibility for Older Persons, and IAAP East Asia Liaison; Author of Authentic Inclusion™: Drives Disruptive Innovation

Panelists:

• H.E. Ambassador Luis Gallegos Chiriboga, President, Global Initiative on Ageing Foundation (GIA); G3ict Chair of the Board; and UNITAR Chair of the Board of Trustees
• Bianca Prins, Global Head of Accessibility, ING Global Business Accessibility
• Michael Phillips, Director, Technology Strategy and Relationships, AARP
• Gary Aussant, Director, Digital Accessibility Consulting, Perkins Access
• Daniel Frank, MSCS, MBA, CPWA, IAAP Global Leadership Council

Parallel Sessions

Innovation Sprint | Pitch Presentation

Studio A - "Global Studio"

The 2023 M-Enabling Summit Innovation Sprint is a working group dedicated to solving barriers to workplace inclusion for individuals with cognitive disabilities/individuals who identify as neurodiverse. Topics include but are not limited to:

• Understanding bias around cognitive disability and ICT
• AI and communication tools for job placement
• Clear identification of ICT barriers

The goal of the working group is to develop a resource for dissemination that shall be composed of insights and solutions that provide support for individuals with cognitive disabilities/individuals who identify as neurodiverse in the workplace setting.

Team Leaders:

• Sue Cullen, Director of Universal Design & IT Accessibility, Tech for All, Inc.
• David Fazio, President, Helix Opportunity

Parallel Sessions

Panel Discussion | FCC Accessibility Update

Studio B

To be announced.

Parallel Sessions

Spotlight | U.S. DOD, CAP Accessibility Update

Studio D

Presenter(s): Randy Cooper, Director, U.S. Department of Defense Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program, DHRA DSSC CAP

Parallel Sessions

Thought-Leadership Session | AI-Powered Inclusion: Emerging Opportunities in Employment

Studio E

Presented by INNoVA

In the ever-evolving landscape of business, harnessing the potential of Artificial Intelligence is not just a trend; it’s a transformative force for those ready to embrace it.

INNoVA is an employment strategies firm focused on dynamic inclusion to create systemic change. We strive to innovate solutions that resolve inequitable employment models, remove barriers, and create accessible and inclusive environments. We thrive with the purpose of making new connections to talent, enhancing accessibility, and creating equitable solutions to foster employment of people with disabilities.

How do you leverage accessibility as an advantage in AI? Our session on AI-Powered Inclusion aims to support businesses to utilize AI as an asset to create a more inclusive and diverse workforce. The session will explore how AI can revolutionize Recruitment, Onboarding, and Employment practices, while simultaneously discussing ethical considerations and best practices in the context of employment.

Speakers:

• Stephen Irish, Business Services Manager, INNoVA
• Sawyer Burton, Front-End Application Developer, INNoVA
• Charan Karusala, Data Analyst, INNoVA

Parallel Sessions

Panel Discussion | Smart Cities for ALL – Eliminating the Digital Divide through Procurement of Accessible Technologies

Grand Ballroom

G3ict, through its Smart Cities for All global initiative, formed a partnership with the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), the world’s largest association of cities, and the World Economic Forum Secretariat for the G20 Global Smart Cities Alliance, to help cities worldwide adopt technology procurement policies for accessible information and communication technologies. This session will review the work completed in 2023 by the G3ict Global Advisory Center with an initial cohort of six cities, including Istanbul, Kisumu, Los Angeles, Quito, Sao Paulo and Valongo in implementing a model procurement policy for Smart Cities in support of accessible technologies for city services inclusive of persons with disabilities. Panelists will discuss key learnings from this global endeavor, how technology providers can benefit from offering accessible technologies and services to cities and how they can work going forward with G3ict, UCLG and WEF to further promote good practices in accessible procurement among Smart Cities.

Session Chair: Monica Duhem, Director, Global Advisory Center (GAC), G3ict

Panelists:

• Federico Batista Poitier, Accessibility Policy Officer, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG)
• Hannes J. Lagrelius, Program Officer, Global Program for Inclusive & Accessible Urban Development, World Blind Union
• James Thurston, Accessible Digital Transformation Lead, North America, Atos
• City of São Paulo, Brazil (invited)

Parallel Sessions

Panel Discussion | Design for Every Gamer: Drivers and Solutions for Inclusive Digital Gaming

Studio A - "Global Studio"

Making digital gaming more accessible to persons with disabilities is a critical area of concern given the size and impact of the digital and video gaming market forecasted to reach half a trillion US $ by 2025. This session will examine the various sources of enabling technologies and good practices such as the Microsoft's Xbox Accessibility Guidelines, the Game Accessibility Guidelines (GAG), developed by the International Game Developers Association, AbleGamers or SpecialEffect resources, or Ubisoft’s recently promoted inclusive design practices. This session will explore how developers are implementing accessibility features in their games and involve disability experts and advocates throughout their development process. Examples of development success stories will be shared by panelists.

Session Chair: Sonali Rai, Media, Culture, and Immersive Technologies Lead, RNIB

Panelists:

• Jenna Issary, Producer, Live and Interactive Audio Description, Descriptive Video Works
• Alex Dunn, Founder and CEO, Cephable
• Yashar Moradbakhti, CEO, Lingio
• Charlie Merritt, Co-Founder and VP of Business Development, Stalwart COM LLC; Co-Founder and CEO of Stand Up for Me Inc.; Apex Team Pro Gamer, United Spinal Atlanta - Nerve Gaming; @QuadCapable (remote speaker)
• Ben Breen, Accessible Gaming Officer, RNIB; @SightlessKombat (remote speaker)
• Will Schell, DRO Deputy Chief, FCC (invited)

Parallel Sessions

Panel Discussion | Breaking Barriers for Inclusive Retail and Customer Service Experiences

Studio B

Whether on-line or in physical retail locations, competitive, inclusive customer services in business, government or education seek to offer effective interactions that eliminate barriers resulting from a variety of disability situations or conditions that are difficult to anticipate, most often not disclosed by customers, including among older adults. Panelists from a variety of sectors including advocates, experts in assistive solutions and alternative communications will share practical methods and solutions to anticipate those barriers and to scale up holistic and responsive customer service interactions online and in physical retail situations for different types of disabilities.

Session Chair: Geoff Freed, Director, Digital Accessibility Consulting, Perkins Access
Panelists:

• Jonathan Thurston, Director of Digital Accessibility, Walmart
• Chaithanya Mamidoju, Accessibility Lead, TracFone Brands - Verizon Value Org
• Kelsey Koupal, User Experience Researcher, Accessibility User Research Collective (AURC), Shepherd Center
• Craig Radford, Co-Founder, 360 Empower Consulting, 360 Direct Video

Parallel Sessions

Panel Discussion | Disability-Inclusive Risk Management for AI Hiring Technologies

Studio D

In April 2023, the Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology (PEAT) collaborated with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to host a virtual think tank on the use of AI tools in hiring. Following this successful think tank, PEAT, NIST, and community stakeholders are collaborating to create an Inclusive Hiring Profile (“Profile”) based on the NIST AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF). Once completed, this Profile will serve as a policy framework that organizations can use to ensure fairness in their use of AI hiring tools. This session will outline progress being made with developing this AI RMF Profile, one of the first Profiles developed using the NIST AI RMF.

Session Chair: Bill Curtis-Davidson, Co-Director, Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT)

Panelists:

• Eyra Abraham, ForHumanity Certified Auditor (FHCA) – Disability Inclusion & Accessibility and Steering Committee Member, AAPD Start Access 
• Ryan Carrier, Executive Director & Founder, ForHumanity
• Patrick Hall, NIST AI RMF Contributor & Assistant Professor, The George Washington University

Parallel Sessions

Innovation Spotlight | The Latest in Inclusive Solutions for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons

Studio E

This session will stage presentations of innovative technologies that open new paths to mainstream accommodations for deaf and hard of hearing persons in the workplace, for education and social and cultural activities. Short presentations by companies participating in the M-Enabling Summit will include Q&As and an opportunity to network with presenters.

Session Chair: Greg Pollock, Vice President of Business Development, Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD)

Presenters:

• Wendy Adams, Senior Design Consultant, Sorenson Communications
• Johanna Steiner, Senior Learning & Business Development Manager, Lingvano
• Becky Copeland, CEO, VTCSecure, LLC
• Howard Berke, President and CEO, Enable Interactive Technologies