In today's digital era, the role of UX (User Experience) teams that include consumers and colleagues with disabilities is crucial. Our workshop, "Championing Accessibility: Embedding User Experience at the Core of Corporate Culture," emphasizes the strategic importance of UX teams that include disabled members and their impact on enhancing digital and physical accessibility within organizations. Feedback from UX teams helps build products and processes that are not only accessible but also welcoming, efficient, and dignified for all users.
Participants will explore how integrating UX teams into development and problem-solving processes serves as a checks-and-balances system, providing organizations with information about the real-life impact of inaccessibility and poor design. By involving UX teams from the start, organizations can design inclusive products, spaces, and experiences, reaching a broader range of people with diverse lived experiences.
Workshop Highlights:
- Role of UX Teams: Discover how UX teams can ensure accessibility goes beyond compliance to uphold user dignity.
- Integrating Feedback: Learn how UX feedback can be integrated into product development to create inclusive designs.
- Interactive Discussions and Case Studies: Engage in discussions and analyze real-world case studies.
- Practical Exercises: Participate in exercises to develop actionable strategies for promoting accessibility and inclusion.
Presenters
Mary Liz McNamara
Co-Founder, Asset Based Consulting and Seamless Customer Solutions
Mary Liz has decades of experience working on disability inclusion in education and employment. She has worked in cognitive rehabilitation for people with brain injuries, academic coaching in career counseling for the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, and has led an accessibility office for a major university. She designed and led an award-winning program for neurodiverse university students, which resulted in significant increases in degree completion and successful employment. Mary Liz consults with businesses and organizations interested in building an inclusive culture for employees and customers. She is the Co-Founder, along with Michelle Witman, of Asset Based Consulting and Seamless Customer Solutions.
Michelle Witman (she/hers)
Co-Founder, Asset Based Consulting and Seamless Customer Solutions
Michelle believes that disability is an asset. She is on a mission to build sustainably inclusive practices and experiences for all. Grounded in that mission, she works with clients to disrupt company mindset around disability, resulting in authentically developed, sustainable processes that are inclusive by design. Michelle has over 20 years of experience working with individuals with disabilities in educational and corporate settings. Michelle’s passion for helping individuals see their disability as a strength has paved the way for her success. She is the Co-founder, along with Mary Liz McNamara, of Asset Based Consulting and Seamless Customer Solution.
