Meet the Speakers at 3Play’s 2024 ACCESS Conference

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Register for ACCESS 2024 [Free Virtual Accessibility Conference]

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3Play’s 2024 ACCESS conference is just around the corner!

At this year’s ACCESS, we’re gathering influential accessibility leaders, experts, and professionals across a variety of industries. 

Together, we’ll explore challenges, learn how to provide actionable solutions, and discover all the latest trends, innovations, and best practices in accessibility.

We have an exciting lineup of speakers spread out over concurrent sessions and across three tracks:

• Amplify: Focus on the advocacy, policy, and global impact of accessibility.
• Act: Highlight organizational integration and practical application of accessibility.
• Advance: Discover innovative techniques and emerging technologies in accessibility.

Read on to learn more about what you can expect and who’s speaking at this year’s ACCESS conference at 3Play.

ACCESS 2024’s Exclusive Collaboration with Two Blind Brothers

This year, 3Play Media is collaborating with Two Blind Brothers to offer a limited edition “Shop Blind” experience for all registrants leading up to ACCESS 2024.

Two Blind Brothers makes ultra-soft clothing and gifts for the sole purpose of funding blindness research. 100% of their profits go back to research for eye disease through Foundation Fighting Blindness. The company also hires blind workers through organizations like Industries for the Blind to help make their items.

All 2024 ACCESS conference registrants will receive a 10% discount code valid through May 1st!

What to Expect at 3Play’s 2024 ACCESS Conference

Day One

We’re kicking things off on Tuesday, April 30th, with an opening keynote by Neil Milliken, Global Head of Accessibility & Digital Inclusion at Atos. 

Drawing from his experience, Neil will delve into how accessibility can serve both as a cornerstone of organizational culture and a catalyst for innovation. Neil offers a fresh perspective on how businesses can transcend mere compliance and strategically embed accessibility into their fundamental operations.

After Neil’s keynote, we’ll break out into concurrent tracks, with sessions exploring “Advocating for #SafeDeafAI Regulations”, “Grassroots Strategies for Building Buy-In for Digital Access”, 3Play’s “State of Automatic Speech Recognition” report, and more.

Break time! Enjoy a pause in programming with an inclusive dance session led by Marisa Hamamoto of Infinite Flow. Infinite Flow is an award-winning Los Angeles-based nonprofit and professional dance company that employs disabled and nondisabled dancers with diverse, intersectional identities with a mission to create a more inclusive world, one dance at a time.

We finish off Day One of 3Play’s 2024 ACCESS conference with an ending keynote, “ACCESS in Focus: Privacy, Security, & Ethical AI.” This panel session features industry leaders from AT&T, Fable, the GAAD Foundation, and 3Play Media as they unravel the complex intersection of accessibility, data privacy, security, and responsible AI. In this dynamic dialogue, our panel will confront questions shaping the future of technology with accessibility as their guiding compass. 

Day Two

We’ll jump right into our second day of 3Play’s 2024 ACCESS conference on Wednesday, May 1st, with a dynamic keynote by Katy Talikowska, CEO of The Valuable 500. In “The Power of Authentic Disability Representation,” Katy will discuss why authentic disability representation is not merely a moral imperative but a strategic business necessity.

Moving right along, we’ll break out into our respective tracks with sessions on “Accessible Brand”, “Holistic Accessibility Management and the Banyan Tree”, “Enhancing Accessibility for Deaf People through Augmented Reality”, and more.

Next, take a breather and enjoy a poetry performance by Jjjjjerome Ellis. Jjjjjerome is a disabled artist who stutters. Through music, performance, writing, video, and photography, Jjjjjerome asks what stuttering can teach us about justice.

Finally, we end ACCESS 2024 with a special interview with acclaimed writer and performer, Ryan Haddad. Throughout the interview, Ryan will perform segments of his autobiographical Dark Disabled Stories.

Save Your Spot at ACCESS 2024 ☑️

Meet the ACCESS 2024 Conference Speakers

As one of North America’s leading accessibility conferences, 3Play’s ACCESS includes an incredible lineup of accessibility thought leaders across industries. Here’s just some of the speakers you can expect to see at our 2024 ACCESS conference:

Joe Devon

Co-Founder & Chair – GAAD Foundation

Pronouns: he/him

Joe Devon is a technology entrepreneur and web accessibility advocate. He co-founded Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) and serves as the Chair of the GAAD Foundation, focusing on promoting digital accessibility and inclusive design. Joe also explores AI’s potential to revolutionize digital accessibility, developing AI solutions to enhance online experiences for people with disabilities.

Brenden Gilbert

Technology Leader and Accessibility Advocate

Pronouns: he/him

Brenden Gilbert’s 20+ year journey as a Technology Leader and Accessibility Advocate is rooted in his mother’s  strong  belief in his abilities.

As a Deaf person, he’s experienced the challenges of a world that doesn’t consider the needs of people like him.  His mother never allowed these challenges to define him and  constantly reminded him that he could achieve anything he set his mind to.

His experience spans multiple roles at companies such as IBM, Meta, Convo Communications, VSL Labs, and Tive Technology. Today, Brenden is driven to create a world where everyone can thrive. He collaborates with companies to revolutionize accessibility through technology and loves to speak on various technical and accessibility topics.

Marisa Hamamoto

Founder – Infinite Flow Dance

Pronouns: she/her

Marisa Hamamoto is the first professional dancer named People Magazine “Women Changing the World.” A leading authority on disability inclusion and building a culture of belonging, Marisa was recently named LinkedIn Top Voice, and has been featured on Good Morning America, NBC Today, Forbes, Fast Company, amongst other media outlets. As a sought-after international speaker and performing artist, Marisa has shared the stage with Tim Cook at Apple HQ’s Steve Jobs Theater, and her clients and partners include Google, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Red Bull, Deloitte, adidas, PayPal, Farmers Insurance, Kaiser Permenente, among other forward-thinking brands. Marisa is a stroke survivor, a late-diagnosed Autistic, and a proud fourth-generation Japanese American. She is the founder of Infinite Flow, an award-winning dance company and nonprofit that employs disabled and nondisabled dancers with a mission to create a more inclusive world, one dance at a time. Marisa is bilingual and bicultural. She completed her BA & MA from Keio University, Tokyo.

Kate Kalcevich

Head of Accessibility Innovation – Fable

Pronouns: she/her

Kate Kalcevich started as a digital accessibility practitioner in 2001. Since then she’s led design teams, managed products, and built accessibility programs. Kate is currently the Head of Accessibility Innovation at Fable, a leading accessibility company enabling the development of inclusive digital products. In her role at Fable, she focuses on helping large organizations practice innovative approaches to accessibility. Kate has lived experience with disability as a life-long hearing aid wearer.

AnnMarie Killian

CEO – TDI

Pronouns: she/her

AnnMarie Killian is a trailblazing leader and advocate with over 20 years of experience championing accessibility and inclusion in information communication technology (ICT). As the first Deaf woman to lead TDIforAccess (TDI), she made history and continues to pave the way for greater representation and accessibility. Prior to joining TDI, AnnMarie served as Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion at ZP Better Together, where she leveraged her expertise to drive impactful initiatives. In her role as CEO, she is deeply involved in ensuring the voice of the deaf and hard of hearing community is heard.

Susan Mazrui

Director, Global Public Policy – AT&T Services, Inc.

Pronouns: she/her

Susan Mazrui began work in Communications in 1994 at Pacific Bell in Disability Marketing. In 1998, she moved to the wireless field, where she developed corporate strategies for state and federal legal and regulatory compliance. Under her leadership, Cingular Wireless became the first national carrier to offer “talking” cellphones and establish a task force on accessibility. Mazrui worked closely with Telecommunications for the Deaf, Inc. and the Hearing Loss Association of America and other industry members to address hearing aid and TTY compatibility with digital wireless handsets.

At AT&T, Mazrui was instrumental in establishing the Corporate Accessibility Technology Office which assessed over 50,000 AT&T products and services. She was the architect of AT&T’s Accessibility and Inclusion Program with cross company teams addressing the needs of deaf and disabled employees and their family members. In 2021, she received AT&T’s Connection Award recognizing significant individual achievement toward organizational priorities that demonstrate AT&T’s cultural pillars.

AT&T has consistently received scores of 100 in the Disability Equality Index and the National Organization on Disability’s Leading Disability Employer. Mazrui was named a Corporate Fellow by the Summit on Leading Diversity and inducted into the Spinal Cord Injury Hall of Fame in 2008. In 2013, she was recognized as Employee of the Year by Careers and the disABLED, and in 2014 by AT&T as a Champion of Diversity. In 2016, she received the Digital Accessibility Leadership Award from G3ict and the Stephen Garff Marriott Award for mentoring from American Foundation for the Blind. In 2019, Mazrui was honored by The Community of Connection and TDI for her work in the disability field.

She has served several terms on Federal Advisory Committees and currently serves on the board of G3ict and the World Institue on Disability. When not working, Mazrui enjoys dragon boating, trivia games, and cozy mysteries.

Neil Milliken

Vice President and Global Head of Accessibility & Digital Inclusion – Atos

Pronouns: he/him

Neil is Vice President and Global Head of Accessibility & Digital Inclusion at Atos. His role is to help organisations move from disability confidence to disability competence; setting strategy and providing governance at group level, simultaneously delivering change programmes that resulting better technology for customers and staff, embedding inclusive practice into the processes of organisations with thousands of employees and turnovers of billions. He firmly believes that accessibility and disability inclusion is a business topic and created the ESG aligned framework that Atos deploy for their accessibility program.

Korey Singleton

Deputy ADA Coordinator for Accessibility and ATI Manager- George Mason University

Pronouns: he/him

Korey Singleton is the Deputy ADA Coordinator for Accessibility and Assistive Technology Initiative (ATI) Manager for George Mason University (GMU). Operating under Mason’s Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the ATI is tasked with guiding and implementing a university-wide strategy for addressing the information and communications technology (ICT) accessibility needs of students, staff, faculty, and visitors with disabilities. This includes providing assistive technology supports and services for individuals with disabilities, ensuring media content is accessible (i.e., captions, transcripts, audio description), reviewing websites and documents for accessibility, alternate formats for textbooks and assessments, and training. He is also an adjunct professor in the College of Education and Human Development’s Learning Design and Technology Dept. teaching web accessibility and design. His education credentials include a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering (Mechanics) from Northwestern University, Master of Education (Special Education/Assistive Technology) from George Mason University, and a PhD in Education (Learning Technologies Design Research) from George Mason University.

Katy Talikowska

CEO – The Valuable 500

Pronouns: she/her

Katy is CEO of the Valuable 500, the global business partnership of 500 companies working together to end disability exclusion. She played an instrumental role in the initiation of the Valuable 500 when she partnered with Dr Caroline Casey to launch the programme at DAVOS 2019. With over a decade of experience at AMV BBDO, Katy held leadership roles, including Chief Client Officer, Chair of BBDO EMEA Talent Engagement Council, and Head of Account Management and Managing Partner. She played a key role in the ground-breaking 2016 Maltesers Disability campaign, which garnered prestigious awards and became Maltesers’ most successful campaign in 18 years.
Katy’s expertise extends to multi-discipline communications across 25 markets and includes serving as the Global Omnicom lead for Rexona, and the Global BBDO lead for Snickers. She has been acknowledged as a Marketing Trailblazer of 2019 and has recently served as a Leadership Mentor for Disability Rights UK. More recently, Katy has made valuable contributions to the executive leadership team at PINWHEEL, a corporate sustainability company.

An exciting lineup, right? And that’s just a sampling of who you can expect at ACCESS 2024. Check out our session agenda to see which other accessibility visionaries are joining in on this year’s conference.