Events
Accessibility in Industry: MIDA Panel
Event Start Date: Wednesday, April 2, 2025 - 4:30 pm
Event End Date: Wednesday, April 2, 2025 - 6:00 pm
Location: Virtual / Zoom EST
Description:
Accessibility ensures everyone can effectively use digital tools, games, platforms, and resources, regardless of their abilities or circumstances.
Hear from industry leaders at Microsoft, AccessForge, and Level Access as they share insights on driving accessibility innovation in the digital world. Join the Maryland Initiative for Digital Accessibility as we explore this important topic and learn ways you can contribute to making technology more usable for everyone. Registration is required.
Angela Lean is Microsoft’s Senior Business Program Lead for Accessible Employee Experience as well as the global co-chair of their Families Employee Resource Group. A graduate of Yale University and NYU’s Stern School of Business, she has been at Microsoft for over 14 years and previously worked at T-Mobile, J. P. Morgan Chase, and American Express. Angela also chairs NYC’s Center for Workplace Accessibility and Inclusion Advisory Council and serves as an advisor to The Huddle for Families, a non-profit dedicated to helping parents and educators advocating for kids with disabilities. She is mom to Luke (21) and Sofia(17), and lives in New York City.
Mark Barlet is a pioneering advocate for disability inclusion and accessibility. He is the founder of AbleGamers, a nonprofit dedicated to using the power of play to combat social isolation for people with disabilities, and the co-founder of AccessForge, a consulting firm that partners with industries to create accessible experiences in gaming, travel, banking, and beyond. A service-disabled Air Force veteran, Mark brings over two decades of leadership at the intersection of technology, accessibility, and social impact.
Corbb O’Connor is Director of Accessibility Advocacy at Level Access. A hands-down nerd, Corbb taught himself HTML, CSS, PHP, and mySQL alongside Adobe Photoshop to build a resource for webmasters in 1998. JustForWebmasters.com died a long time ago, but he’s still building. He started a B2B communications firm by mistake, kicked off U.S. Bank’s accessibility initiative, and mentored salespeople into certified accessibility testers. He was appointed by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to a statewide council overseeing the State Services for the Blind and has twice been elected its chairman. A Chicago native, recovering journalist, amateur radio operator, and occasional cowboy, Corbb has a question for any occasion.
Description:
Accessibility ensures everyone can effectively use digital tools, games, platforms, and resources, regardless of their abilities or circumstances.
Hear from industry leaders at Microsoft, AccessForge, and Level Access as they share insights on driving accessibility innovation in the digital world. Join the Maryland Initiative for Digital Accessibility as we explore this important topic and learn ways you can contribute to making technology more usable for everyone. Registration is required.
Angela Lean is Microsoft’s Senior Business Program Lead for Accessible Employee Experience as well as the global co-chair of their Families Employee Resource Group. A graduate of Yale University and NYU’s Stern School of Business, she has been at Microsoft for over 14 years and previously worked at T-Mobile, J. P. Morgan Chase, and American Express. Angela also chairs NYC’s Center for Workplace Accessibility and Inclusion Advisory Council and serves as an advisor to The Huddle for Families, a non-profit dedicated to helping parents and educators advocating for kids with disabilities. She is mom to Luke (21) and Sofia(17), and lives in New York City.
Mark Barlet is a pioneering advocate for disability inclusion and accessibility. He is the founder of AbleGamers, a nonprofit dedicated to using the power of play to combat social isolation for people with disabilities, and the co-founder of AccessForge, a consulting firm that partners with industries to create accessible experiences in gaming, travel, banking, and beyond. A service-disabled Air Force veteran, Mark brings over two decades of leadership at the intersection of technology, accessibility, and social impact.
Corbb O’Connor is Director of Accessibility Advocacy at Level Access. A hands-down nerd, Corbb taught himself HTML, CSS, PHP, and mySQL alongside Adobe Photoshop to build a resource for webmasters in 1998. JustForWebmasters.com died a long time ago, but he’s still building. He started a B2B communications firm by mistake, kicked off U.S. Bank’s accessibility initiative, and mentored salespeople into certified accessibility testers. He was appointed by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to a statewide council overseeing the State Services for the Blind and has twice been elected its chairman. A Chicago native, recovering journalist, amateur radio operator, and occasional cowboy, Corbb has a question for any occasion.
Speaker(s): Angela Lean, Mark Barlet, Corbb O’Connor