Third Cohort of Blind Leaders Grows Network to 100+ Strong
On May 2, 2023, the AFB Blind Leaders Development Program completed its third cohort of 21 fellows during a virtual celebration, growing its network to 101 empowered blind and low vision mid-career professionals and mentors.
“Our blind leaders demonstrate the true power that comes when we are able to face our challenges head-on and use it as a means to empower ourselves toward excellence,” said AFB President & CEO Eric Bridges.
Launched in 2020, the Blind Leaders Development Program was created by AFB to increase upward mobility and create meaningful leadership experiences for individuals who are blind or have low vision, and who are already employed and in the early stages of their careers.
While in the program, participants receive extensive training in leadership, networking, communication, and other key skills for advancing in their careers and improving their effectiveness as they achieve higher levels of responsibility and influence. Other facets of the program include following the “Leadership Challenge” curriculum, attending a series of webinars, and being paired with a successful blind or low vision mentor who provides honest advice and feedback about what it takes to succeed in the workforce. Their success helps close the significant gap for upward mobility experienced by many people with disabilities.
Bridges added, “All of our Blind Leaders not only cultivate the confidence to lead both at work and in the community, but also break down the misconceptions of people with disabilities who live and work alongside us each day.”
Recognizing the potential within this growing network of rising leaders to bring about real systemic change toward creating upward mobility for professionals who are blind or have low vision, AFB began undertaking an in-depth program review following completion of the third cohort, in order to identify ways the program can scale up across business sectors and create a sustainable funding model to assure its longevity for future cohorts. Updates for the next cohort will be announced in FY2024.
AFB Talent Lab Cultivates Future Generation of Accessibility Leaders
The AFB Talent Lab is an innovative workforce development program aiming to close the gap on digital inclusion by growing the number of future designers and developers with practical accessibility skills. It also upskills people with disabilities as accessibility specialists who can make an impact on an organization’s digital products, processes, and workplace.
All of AFB Talent Lab’s apprentices are assistive technology users who aim to further their careers specifically to impact the digital inclusion landscape for the disability community. The interns and apprentices learn and work alongside each other, guided by AFB’s in-house accessibility experts as they solve real-world problems through AFB’s digital inclusion consulting practice. With clients ranging from multinational corporations to small businesses, this hands-on learning experience allows participants the opportunity to deepen their individual knowledge and skills while also contributing to AFB’s work in helping organizations meet their digital inclusion goals.
“What’s been wonderful about the program is the unique pairing of our apprentices with our interns during the learning process. The collaboration between the apprentices, who bring lived experiences as software engineers with a disability, and the interns, who advance their knowledge on the latest best practices for digital accessibility, creates a unique learning experience that benefits AFB’s clients along with the larger software and web development community.” — Matthew Janusauskas, AFB Chief Technology & Workplace Programs Officer
Throughout their participation in the Talent Lab, apprentices and interns are mentored by AFB’s accessibility experts while completing learning activities, assessments, and projects, including client work, research, and content contributions for advocacy efforts, earning AFB’s digital credentials affirming their growth in the field of digital inclusion. Additionally, apprentices fulfill the necessary training requirements to earn their professional credentials in project management while working as full-time staff at AFB.
