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Podcast by Antonio Santos, Debra Ruh, Neil Milliken: Connecting Accessibility, Disability, and Technology
Welcome to a vibrant community where we explore accessibility, disability, assistive technology, diversity, and the future of work. Hosted by Antonio Santos, Debra Ruh, and Neil Milliken, our open online community is committed to crafting an inclusive world for everyone.
Accessibility for All: Our Mission
Believing firmly that accessibility is not just a feature but a right, we leverage the transformative power of social media to foster connections, promote in-depth discussions, and spread vital knowledge about groundbreaking work in access and inclusion.
Weekly Engagements: Interviews, Twitter Chats, and More
Join us for compelling weekly interviews with innovative minds who are making strides in assistive technology. Participate in Twitter chats with contributors dedicated to forging a more inclusive world, enabling greater societal participation for individuals with disabilities.
Diverse Topics: Encouraging Participation and Voice
Our conversations span an array of subjects linked to accessibility, from technology innovations to diverse work environments. Your voice matters! Engage with us by tweeting using the hashtag #axschat and be part of the movement that champions accessibility and inclusivity for all.
Be Part of the Future: Subscribe Today
We invite you to join us in this vital dialogue on accessibility, disability, assistive technology, and the future of diverse work environments. Subscribe today to stay updated on the latest insights and be part of a community that's shaping the future inclusively.
293 Episodes
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What happens when AI accelerates faster than our ability to question it—and our workplaces grow more diverse just as support for inclusion wavers? We sat down with Professor of Practice Gisele Marcus from Olin Business School to unpack the crossroads of AI ethics, DEI, and the core human skill that ties them together: critical thinking. Gisele takes us inside her course, Leading Across Differences, where students learn to work with people unlike themselves while grappling with tools that can...
A fall from a tree, a 42-day coma, and seven years of recovery could have ended a future. For Abdus Sattar Dulal, it sparked one. We sit down with the world president of Disabled Peoples’ International to trace a path from a village in Bangladesh to the halls shaping global disability policy, and we ask what it takes to turn rights on paper into access in real life. Dulal recounts building community from the ground up: opening a small shop, organizing youth, teaching adults to read, and then...
What happens when accessibility becomes a feature, not a fix? We sit down with Eugene Woo, CEO of Venngage, to explore how a design platform can bake inclusion into every step—from contrast-aware color pickers to exporting PDF/UA files that pass compliance without a remediation gauntlet. Eugene shares Venngage’s origin story, the early pressure from education and government users, and the decision to lead with built-in accessibility even when the market wasn’t asking loudly. We dig into comm...
A life can change with a single word, but only if that word is followed by community. Paul Stevenson joins us to share how late diagnoses of Tourette’s, ADHD, and autism reframed decades of blame and opened a path to strengths, purpose, and international advocacy. We dig into the human story behind the UK box office hit “I Swear,” a film built with radical authenticity: 30 cast members with Tourette’s, a lead who studied the inner experience as much as the outward tics, and a creative team th...
What if the way your team talks is the blueprint for every product you ship? We sit down with Erica Hall—co‑founder of Mule Design and author of Just Enough Research and Conversational Design—to connect the dots between internal communication, ethical practice, and the systems that end up in people’s hands. From AI hype to accessibility debt, Erica challenges the default settings that turn “innovation” into convenience theater and shows how small, human choices reshape outcomes. We unpack Co...
What if the most powerful part of your brand is the part most users can’t see? We sit down with designer and agency founder Rochelle Ratkaj Moser to unpack how accessibility becomes a strategic advantage when it’s baked into visual storytelling, not bolted on at the end. From plain-language copy to thoughtful reading order, alt text with meaning, and semantic structure that guides both people and screen readers, we explore the practical moves that turn mission statements into experiences ever...
Need a quick test for whether a city is truly inclusive? Follow the signs to its toilets. We sit down with Gail Ramster from the Royal College of Art’s Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design to unpack how public restrooms quietly govern freedom of movement, confidence, and dignity—especially for people with continence conditions, disabilities, caregivers, and families on the go. Gail takes us from Victorian ideals to today’s fractured reality: underfunded municipal facilities on high streets versus ...
The tools that power accessibility are changing fast, but not always in the ways you’d expect. We sit down with Forrester analyst Gina Bhwalkar to unpack the new Wave on digital accessibility platforms and translate its findings into practical guidance for leaders who need results, not buzzwords. Gina walks us through what the Wave actually measures—quality of capabilities, forward-looking strategy, and real outcomes—and why it’s more than a feature checklist. If you’re choosing a platform to...
AI loves the average—and that’s exactly why too many people get left out. We sit down with David Banes, chair of the Equitable AI Alliance, to explore how we move disability from the margins of tech conversation to the center of how AI is built, funded, and deployed. From Mobile World Congress to major health and education forums, we share what it takes to get lived experience on main stages and why those introductions from sponsors and allies change the room. We dig into the mechanics of in...
Doors that don’t open themselves often open our eyes. That’s where Laura Wissiak journey began—watching visitors struggle with heavy museum doors in Vienna and realizing that access is the start of every user experience, not an afterthought. From there she taught herself UX, learned to code just enough to ship fixes, and found a voice by blogging through imposter syndrome. Along the way, she discovered that the accessibility community is bigger—and kinder—than it first appears, especially whe...
What if the fastest way to change a mind is to make it laugh first? We sit down with comedian and writer-performer Julliet Burton to explore how humor can turn stigma into understanding without losing its edge. Julliet shares the craft behind her sold-out Edinburgh Fringe runs and international tours, from relentless note-taking and collaborative rewrites to crowdwork that welcomes, not wounds. She breaks down the ethics—punching up versus punching down, consent in the room, and the differenc...
Marc Haunschild joins AXSChat to share his experiences as an accessibility consultant helping companies navigate the European Accessibility Act and comply with modern digital inclusion standards. Drawing from nearly two decades as a developer, Mark offers practical insights into the challenges and opportunities that arise when organizations commit to accessibility. The conversation explores how the German government implements an innovative scoring system for evaluating vendors that goes bey...
The fascinating yet troubling relationship between artificial intelligence and human connection takes center stage in this thought-provoking discussion. Debra, Neil, and Antonio dive deep into the paradox of technology that promises connection while potentially undermining genuine human relationships. When does AI shift from helpful tool to harmful substitute? We examine real-world cases where AI companions have impacted loneliness in unexpected ways, and confront the disturbing reality of d...
When Steve Tyler discovered that employment rates for disabled people haven't changed in six decades, he knew something had to give. The system was failing disabled people worldwide despite mountains of legislation and well-meaning initiatives. That realization led him to accept the leadership role at BillionStrong, a global organization representing disability communities across more than 100 countries. In this candid conversation, Tyler reveals the alarming disconnect between policy discus...
What happens when our bodies and brains are more connected than medicine has led us to believe? In this illuminating conversation, Jane Green MBE, founder and chair of SEDS Connective, unpacks the profound yet often overlooked connection between hypermobility and neurodivergence. After decades of being dismissed as "dim and a hypochondriac," Jane discovered that her physical symptoms and neurodevelopmental differences weren't separate issues but deeply interconnected aspects of her experienc...
What does it mean to be diagnosed with ADHD at age 50? For Moonlake Lee, it wasn't just a personal revelation – it became the catalyst for creating Singapore's first charity dedicated to supporting people with ADHD. When Moonlake's daughter received an ADHD diagnosis at 15, it sparked questions about her own lifelong patterns of hyperactivity, impulsivity, and overwhelm. Despite her success as an angel investor and tech executive, Moonlake often found herself taking on too much – half marath...
Julia Undeutsch's path to becoming an accessibility specialist defies conventional career trajectories. From studying musicology and Japanese while working as a poker dealer to becoming a passionate advocate for digital inclusion, her story reveals how diverse experiences shape innovative approaches to accessibility. When Julia first encountered coding, she noticed something peculiar on Stack Overflow: developers often presented two solutions—a standard approach and an "accessible" alternati...
Crystal Preston-Watson takes us on her fascinating journey from self-taught coder and journalism dropout to becoming a Senior Digital Accessibility Analyst at Salesforce's Office of Accessibility. With refreshing honesty, she shares how her own visual impairment and an unexpected quality assurance ticket requiring screen reader testing sparked her passion for digital accessibility. What makes Crystal's work particularly groundbreaking is her exclusive focus on internal accessibility for Sale...
What does it take to lead effectively in today's diverse business landscape? Gisele Marcus, Vice Dean at Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, brings a refreshing perspective shaped by her extensive Fortune 500 experience at companies like Accenture and Johnson Controls. The leadership skills needed today extend far beyond traditional business acumen. As Marcus explains, "Wherever I plant my feet, I want to be comfortable there and I want my colleagues to be comfortable...
Communication is everything, but what if you couldn't make a private phone call? Tomer Aharoni, CEO and co-founder of Nagish, joins AXSChat to reveal how his team is revolutionizing accessibility for deaf and hard of hearing individuals. For millions with hearing loss, the simple act of making a phone call has historically required dependence on others—interpreters, captioners, or family members. Tomer shares how Nagish disrupts this paradigm with AI-powered technology that enables truly pri...
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