WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 20, 2021)—The American Foundation for the Blind's Chief Technology Officer, Matthew Janusauskas, has been appointed to Verizon’s newly established Disability Advisory Board. Verizon made the announcement on May 20, in celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness Day.
According to Verizon, this will be “an external board of trusted leaders from disability organizations that will ensure accessibility is a lens we bring to all of our initiatives. The Disability Advisory Board will partner with senior leaders to make recommendations that will inform and support Verizon’s accessibility journey.”
“It’s an honor to join Verizon’s disability advisory board, and a responsibility I take quite seriously,” Janusauskas said. “Verizon has long demonstrated a strong commitment to always improving the accessibility of its products and services, and I look forward to contributing to the disability inclusion conversation along with the other disability advisory board members.”
Janusauskas has over 20 years of experience working with assistive and mainstream technology, including roles in accessibility and technical services, information technology, training, team management, and product management. His extensive technical expertise, leadership, and communication skills have assisted a number of international accessibility teams in their digital inclusion journeys.
Verizon is a past recipient of AFB's Helen Keller Achievement Award, as well as a co-collaborator on Teach Access, a collaboration among education, industry, and disability advocacy organizations to address the critical need to enhance students’ understanding of digital accessibility as they learn to design, develop, and build new technologies with the needs of people with disabilities in mind.
The board will hold its first meeting in June.
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About the American Foundation for the Blind
Founded in 1921, the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) is a national nonprofit that creates a world of no limits for people who are blind or visually impaired. AFB mobilizes leaders, advances understanding, and champions impactful policies and practices using research and data. AFB is proud to steward the Helen Keller Archive, maintain and expand the digital collection, and honor the more than 40 years that Helen Keller worked tirelessly with AFB. Visit: www.afb.org
