You Are Invited! NYPL’s Accessible Technology Conference 2023

Dr. Cynthia Bennett is a Senior Research Scientist in Google Research's Responsible AI and Human Centered Technology organization. She researches potential benefits and harms of AI applied for accessibility use cases, and disability representation in AI. Bennett identifies as blind.

Dr. Maitraye Das is an Assistant Professor in Khoury College of Computer Sciences and College of Arts, Media and Design at Northeastern University, where she directs the Technology, Equity, and Accessibility (TEA) Lab. Her research centers around designing technologies with and for disability communities, with a particular focus on making collaboration, content creation, and AI learning more accessible and equitable in ability-diverse teams. 

Dr. Michael Madaio is a Research Scientist in Google Research’s Responsible AI and Human Centered Technology organization. His research focuses on changing the norms and practices of AI development to lead to more inclusive design and more equitable data-driven technologies.

Dr. Abigale Stangl is an Assistant Professor at Georgia Tech School of Industrial Design. Her research focuses on the intersection of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), accessibility, and Sensory AI. She is dedicated to enhancing inclusive design and manufacturing practices, with a particular emphasis on disability-first innovation, leading to transformative multimodal and multisensory experiences. #Ally

Katrina Best is the Accessible Coding Product Manager with APH. She has experience working as a Certified Assistive Technology Instructional Specialist for individuals with visual impairments, a Certified Vision Rehabilitation Therapist, a Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist, and a Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments. Her experience prior to working at APH includes serving as an itinerant TVI and O&M for 9 years in Illinois and Florida, working as an Assistive technology specialist for nonprofits, as well as co-founding a start-up educational assistive technology training company for teachers, students, and parents, and contracting as an Assistive Technology Trainer within the state of Florida. Katrina received her Bachelor of Science in Education as a Specialist in Low Vision and Blindness from Illinois State University and her Master of Science in Education in Visual Disabilities from Northern Illinois University. Katrina is passionate about accessible technology and equitable access!

Michael Buckley is Chairman and CEO of Be My Eyes, and for more than twenty-five years, has worked advising companies on a host of strategic issues. As a Board Member, Mike has helped three of his angel investments achieve exits to large technology companies. He is Chairman and co-founder of New Frontier Foods, which markets a full line of seaweed products under the brand Ocean’s Halo. Mike was also VP of Communications at Facebook where he served on the M-Team, leading all corporate, policy, internal and international communications during a period of hyper-growth. Mike has guest lectured on startups and communications at business schools including Stanford INSEAD, and NYU. He is married with two children and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Gab DeCastro is a dedicated accessibility professional working to uplift disability inclusion and accessibility across research, design, and development. With a background in social justice, the humanities, and education, Gab has found a niche for promoting accessible and inclusive cyber security practices and policies. As a Jeannette K. Watson Fellow, Gab lived and worked in the U.S., Canada, and Australia, gaining a global perspective to the legal and social differences that impact accessibility for people with disabilities. Gab looks forward to continuing their cross-discipline work as they embark on future collaborations with professionals in the fields of technology, cyber security, and more.

Everett Elam, CATIS, is a computer and assistive technology instructor at the Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. Prior to serving at LHB, Everett worked for a year in St. Louis, Missouri in the K-12 arena and also created and managed a curriculum for Assistive Technology Training. He has served in a variety of roles in the blindness rehabilitation field. He is a technology enthusiast who is passionate about helping people who are blind to reach their fullest potential. Everett believes that learning should be tailored to the learner, easy to apply in real-world situations, and should most definitely be fun. In his free time, Everett is an award-winning fiddle player and marathon runner and lives in Spokane, Washington.

Judy Dixon lives in Arlington, Virginia. She worked as Consumer Relations Officer at the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, Library of Congress in Washington, DC for forty-one years. In 2021, she retired from full-time work at the library but continues to work part-time on specific projects. She earned a B.A. from Stetson University, DeLand, Florida in 1974; an M.A. from Adelphi University, Garden City, New York, in 1976; and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology also from Adelphi in 1980. She served as Chair of the Braille Authority of North America from 2007 through 2011 and Secretary of the International Council on English Braille (ICEB) from 2008 to 2016. She currently serves as President of ICEB. She has published numerous professional articles and edited the volume "Braille into the Next Millennium" published by NLS in 2000. One of her hobbies is writing books for National Braille Press about things that are important to her. These include braille and mobile devices. She has authored or co-authored seventeen titles. Topics include iPhone photography, audio description, and GPS. She also writes articles for AccessWorld, the technology magazine of the American Foundation for the Blind.

Kiana Glanton, Development Intern, leads a number of fundraising efforts at Lighthouse Guild including corporate and community partnerships, engagement with donors and the Visionary Committee, supporting adaptive sports initiatives, and event planning. She recently drove the effort around the Lighthouse Guild’s participation in the TD Five Boro Bike Tour, which included a team of more than 30 riders raising funds and building awareness. Ms. Glanton has experience as a Research Coordinator with Stony Brook University as well as in operation sat JAM CT LLC. In addition, she has received vocational rehabilitation training at LGI and worked with our low vision doctors. Currently, Kiana participates on Team USA, which has competed internationally in blind baseball.

Sam Gould Kriveshko, Esq. is a practicing Attorney with a BA from George Washington University in International Affairs and a JD from Suffolk University and President of Open Door Theater where she has been for 23 years. She is an expert on capacity building and meaningful accessibility design in her region. Sam is a nationally recognized speaker and expert on arts access, teaching workshops and panels at the Kennedy Center’s Leaders and Exchange in Arts and Disabilities (LEAD) program, ND Council on the Arts, Massachusetts Cultural Council Universal Participation Initiative, Stage Source, Harvard University Graduate School, and others. She has been recognized widely, including winning A Lifetime Achievement Award from the Eastern Massachusetts Association of Community Theaters, the Community Partnership Award for Inclusive Theater from the Federation of Children with Special Needs, The Mike Tobia Community Leadership Award from the United Way, and recognition for Open Door as the Most Accessible Cultural Institution in the Commonwealth from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Cheryl Green, MFA, MS is an independent Access Artist with a focus as a captioner, audio describer, and multimedia digital artist. She's a 2017 AIR New Voices Scholar, 2020 DOC NYC Documentary New Leader, Digital Operations Lead, a Member-Owner at New Day Films, and a member of the Social Audio Description collective. She brings her lived experience with multiple invisible disabilities to creating media that explores politically- and culturally-engaged stories from cross-disability communities. Her audio and written blog, transcribed podcast, and documentary films are at www.WhoAmIToStopIt.com. She captions and audio describes films for Kinetic Light, Superfest International Disability Film Festival, and Cinema Touching Disability, and leads workshops for artists and museums on arts accessibility. 

Thomas Reid is an Audio Producer, Voice Over Talent, Audio Description Narrator Consultant & Advocate. Shortly after becoming blind in 2004, Thomas Reid decided to re-ignite a dormant interest in audio production. After years of combining his interest in audio with advocacy, in 2014 he was selected as a New Voice Scholar by the Association of Independence in Radio. During that same year, he began his podcast Reid My Mind Radio - featuring compelling people impacted by all degrees of blindness and disability. Occasionally, he shares stories from his own experience as a man adjusting to becoming Blind as an adult. Thomas has been thinking critically about Audio Description since his early theater experience in 2007. He's been covering the topic on the podcast since 2015 and most notably since critiquing various aspects of AD in Marvel's Black Panther in 2018. Through his Flipping the Script on Audio Description series, Reid continues to explore the art by going beyond surface-level topics and examining its implications on the community. As an Audio Description Narrator, Reid has appeared on projects for Netflix, Hulu, PBS, and more. He provides consultations for independent filmmakers, and film festivals, co-facilitates workshops, and serves as moderator or panelist for discussions on audio description and content accessibility.

Christopher Robinson works at Boston University as Coordinator of Outreach & Training of Disability & Access Services and ASL/English Interpreter and a Leader in the field of Disability Access and Equity. He has over 30 years of experience in access mentoring work as an ASL/English Interpreter nationally and as a national presenter in the content areas of inclusion practices in the Performing Arts, and as an expert mentor for Interpreters, and Cross-Cultural Mediation within Deaf and hearing communities. He is a nationally recognized speaker and trainer for Disability Justice, Deaf Equity and Anti-Ableism Practices. He has served as the Coordinator for the Conference Interpreter Mentorship Program (CIMP), a collaborative project with the then Northeastern University Interpreter Education Project and Boston University Center for Interpreter Education (BUCIE), Co-lead training series for Gallaudet University Regional Interpreter Education Center (GUREIC) Interpreter Mentoring Project and served as Advisor Lead facilitator for the Community of Practice for ASL/English Interpreters for the College of St. Catherine’s Graduation to Certification (GtC). He is a Certified Facilitator in the LEGO Serious Play methodology. He is also a nationally renowned performance ASL interpreter. Film credits: ASL Interpreter Coordinator for Oscar-winning film CODA. Memberships include the International Association of Facilitators and the National Alliance of Black Interpreters DC.

Rosanne Hoffmann holds an MA and PhD in biological sciences from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She has developed science products for students with visual impairments at the American Printing House for the Blind for the past 15 years including the DNA-RNA Kit, Protein Synthesis Kit, Build-A-Cell, and the Submersible Audio Light Sensor (SALS). Using her 20 years of experience teaching college-level biology at the University of Louisville and tenure at APH, her goal is to help level the playing field for students with vision impairments by combining her scientific knowledge with the principles of universal design.

Stefanie Koseff is an accessibility researcher, video installation artist, and educator based in Brooklyn, New York. Her work has focused on assistive technology in art museums and historical sites, accessibility in digital fabrication, and accessibility as creative practice. She has developed a novel method for creating tactile interpretations of historical textiles using digital embroidery. She holds a Master of Science degree from New York University’s Tandon School of Engineering Integrated Design and Media program, an MA in Philosophy, Media & Culture from the European Graduate School, and a BA from Sarah Lawrence College. She is a recipient of the 2023 Inclusive Excellence Award from NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering and will begin a Project Fellowship at NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program in Fall 2023.

Daniel Ryan Johnston (he/they) is a Brooklyn-based queer textile artist, researcher, and creative technologist.  Mixing a love of creepy puppets, wearables, and machine embroidery sculpture, Daniel’s work explores personal experiences with managing mental health, body image, and psoriatic arthritis. Daniel is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago (BA), the Fashion Institute of Technology (AAS), and the Interactive Telecommunications Program at NYU (MPS).

Caroline Karbowski is from Cincinnati, Ohio, and is pursuing a Masters in Sensory Impairments & Inclusion with certification in Orientation & Mobility at Ohio State University. After seeing how 3D printing could be used to make science images tactile, she became inspired to create See3D, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that organizes the printing and distribution of 3D printed models for blind people. Since 2017, See3D has distributed over 3,700 models to people in 46 states and 22 countries. She is also the Chief Community Officer of A Cubed Design, a startup that is developing a low-cost and customizable braille display. She is the recipient of the 2022 NFB Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award, and in 2023 she received certification in literary braille transcribing. 

Caroline Karbowski is from Cincinnati, Ohio, and is pursuing a Masters in Sensory Impairments & Inclusion with certification in Orientation & Mobility at Ohio State University. After seeing how 3D printing could be used to make science images tactile, she became inspired to create See3D, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that organizes the printing and distribution of 3D printed models for blind people. Since 2017, See3D has distributed over 3,700 models to people in 46 states and 22 countries. She is also the Chief Community Officer of A Cubed Design, a startup that is developing a low-cost and customizable braille display. She is the recipient of the 2022 NFB Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award, and in 2023 she received certification in literary braille transcribing. 

Loreto Dumitrescu is an occupational therapist who has worked for the New York City Department of Education for over 20 years, providing both direct service as well as AT evaluations and previously provided early intervention services. Loreto received her MA in Educational Technology from Adelphi University where she is currently an Adjunct Professor teaching courses on assistive technology and Universal Design for Learning to pre-service educators. She co-founded Zero Day Camp, a non-profit on a mission to bring computer science and media literacy to youth and educators throughout New York City. Currently, she is a volunteer co-leader for the NY Metro chapter of Makers Making Change.

Christopher Marotta is an occupational therapist who provides services to students with physical disabilities at the Henry Viscardi School in Albertson, NY. He has worked as an OT for over 20 years in a variety of settings, but his passion is assistive technology and enabling his students to be successful in and out of the classroom. Chris is an avid tinkerer and enjoys designing and fabricating adaptive devices. He shares his knowledge with others by lecturing occupational therapy students as an adjunct faculty member at Stony Brook University and Touro University. Christopher also presents and hosts workshops at national conferences and guest lectures at other schools and organizations. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in occupational therapy focusing on the impact of adapted sports on quality of life. Christopher is also volunteer co-leader of the NY Metro chapter of the Makers Making Change organization, where his goal is to teach others the skills of adaptation along with increasing awareness of disabilities.

Lauren Race is an accessibility designer, researcher, and educator working in academia and industry. She researches the design of accessible educational tools in formal and informal learning environments. Her process combines human-centered, multisensory, and co-design methods to remove barriers to information access. She earned her master’s from NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) and currently teaches Multisensory Design at ITP.

Marco Salsiccia is a San Francisco Bay Area native and was a senior animator, artist, and motion designer for 14 years before suddenly losing his vision in 2014. After learning tech and life skills through the Lighthouse for the Blind in San Francisco, Marco started his accessibility journey via Deque University. He landed a role as Lyft's Accessibility Specialist for 6 years, and now is a Senior Native Mobile Accessibility Coach for Deque Systems, training companies to build accessible and usable native apps. Marco loves coding and drawing and has found nothing but joy reconnecting to his artistic roots with tactile art and teaching others how to develop their creative tactile and digital skills, opening them up to new career paths in art, development, and design.

Chancey Fleet is a Brooklyn-based tech educator and activist who identifies as Blind. Chancey is the Assistive Technology Coordinator at the New York Public Library. In that role, she curates accessible technology in the branch, collaborates across the NYPL system to improve equity of access, and coordinates a diverse team of staff and volunteers who provide one-to-one tech coaching and group workshops, free of charge and open to all. Through a 2017 NYPL Innovation grant, she founded and maintains the Dimensions Project, a free open lab for the exploration and creation of accessible images, models, and data representations through tactile graphics, 3d models, and nonvisual approaches to coding, CAD, and “visual” arts. Chancey is a 2018-19 Data & Society Fellow and current Affiliate-in-Residence whose writing, -in-Residence whose writing, organizing, and advocacy aims to catalyze critical inquiry into how cloud-connected accessibility tools benefit and harm, empower and expose communities of disability. Chancey was recognized as a 2017 Library Journal Mover and Shaker. She currently serves as president of the NFB's Assistive Technology Trainers' Division, a board member of the LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and a member of New York State's Regents' Advisory Council on Libraries.

I am Spandita, a Human-Centered User Experience Researcher, and I recently completed my Master's in Integrated Design and Media at NYU. With an undergraduate degree in software engineering, I am also a designer at heart who also loves technology. Painting has been my passion since I was a little 6-year-old, and now, my research focuses on making art accessible to everyone, regardless of their abilities. As an artist, researcher, and designer, I am committed to creating experiences with accessibility in mind. I firmly believe that a person's physical or mental capacities should not limit their access to art or technology and I am dedicated to developing solutions that are equally available to all.

Elaine Schaertl Short is the Clare Boothe Luce Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Tufts University. She holds a PhD and MS in Computer Science at the University of Southern California (USC) and a BS in Computer Science from Yale University. Her research seeks to improve human-robot interaction by designing new algorithms that succeed in contexts where other algorithms’ assumptions frequently fail, such as in child-robot interaction, in public spaces, and in assistive interactions. As a disabled faculty member, Elaine is particularly passionate about disability rights in her service work. She is a co-PI of AccessComputing and co-chair of AccessSIGCHI, an advocacy group that works to increase the accessibility of the 24 SIGCHI conferences. 

Kat Allen is a joint PhD candidate in Human-Robot Interaction and Mechanical Engineering at Tufts University. She holds a BS in Aerospace Engineering with Information Technology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT. Her research integrates state-of-the-art human-robot communication and control techniques with research into makerspaces and human-centered design.

Reuben Aronson is a postdoctoral researcher at Tufts University. He holds a Ph.D. from the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from MIT. His research focuses on empowering users of assistive robots to accomplish complex tasks by developing novel algorithms and interaction strategies.

Dr. Peter Walters received his PhD in High-energy nuclear physics from the University of Rochester and an MS in applied mathematics/data analytics from Manhattan College. He earned a B.S. in computational physics and mathematics from Saint Bonaventure University. Dr. Walters has worked as a research scientist, as an educator, has authored many research articles about technical developments in the commercial space industry, and has apprenticed at a venture capital firm. He currently works at Independence Science where we promote STEM accessibility and inclusivity for everyone. Dr. Walters lost his eyesight as a teenager and has used assistive technology and accommodations to help him succeed at school, work, and at home for the past 25 years. He currently resides in the Bronx with his wife and children where he obsessively grows peppers

Binyan Xu is a research resident at New York University ITP, focusing on tactile interactive interface.

Wei Wu is a graduate student at Gallatin School of Individual Studies, New York University, focusing on combining traditional craft techniques and emerging interactive technologies.

Joel Zimba, a West Virginia native, graduated from West Virginia University in 1996 with a degree in Computer Science. Over the past twenty years, he has worked as a software engineer, Assistive Technology trainer, Accessibility advocate, and project manager. As Blindness Product Specialist for HumanWare USA, he provides tools and strategies allowing blind students and professionals to realize their full potential.

Bryan Ward is DeafBlind and has a big passion for technology, accessibility, and helping other people. Bryan has been working with Helen Keller National Center since 2017 as iCC Program Coordinator in which he is responsible for providing telecommunication equipment and trainings for DeafBlind individuals (or people with combined hearing loss and vision loss). Bryan has more than six years of experience providing assistive technology for DeafBlind.

As a seasoned professional with over 15 years of experience in cybersecurity and privacy, Harry is a frequent public speaker and thought leader on the importance of protecting sensitive information. He holds a Master’s Degree in Cybersecurity and numerous certifications, including the CISSP, which have enabled him to comprehensively understand the latest technologies and best practices in the industry.

Terrell Belin has worked for the New York Public Library for over 30 years with 23+ years in the IT department. He is an innovative, results-driven individual, emphasizing client support services and establishing customer relationships. A proven leader, Terrell manages multiple teams, curating talent, and developing individuals for future roles within IT.

Bill Marden has 20 years of policy, regulatory, and compliance experience at some of the world’s leading financial institutions and, prior to his time in the financial world, was a librarian in both the public and private sectors. He holds a masters degree in library science from Columbia University and a J.D. degree from the City University of New York School of Law.

Breanna Baltaxe-Admony is an engineer and disability advocate researching accessibility, technology, and equitable design practices. Bre is currently in the last stretch of doctoral work at UC Santa Cruz! Her background is in robotics engineering, where she became interested in why and how engineers and designers choose to pursue work with disabled folks. Her doctoral work digs into this question by 1) exploring how engineers learn about disability and 2) developing methodology through the lens of disability justice.

Tessa Eagle is human computer interaction researcher and fifth-year PhD candidate in Computational Media at UC Santa Cruz with a background in cognitive science, clinical healthcare, and tech. Her research interests include digital mental health, accessibility, and online communities. Tessa’s work focuses on alternative support systems for neurodivergent individuals and people with psychosocial disabilities, including community-based avenues for support. She is passionate about using and evaluating technology to improve and support wellbeing and inclusive experiences.

Kathryn ‘Kate’ Ringland is an Assistant Professor at the University of California Santa Cruz, where she runs the Misfit Lab in the Computational Media Department. She received her Ph.D. in Informatics from the University of California Irvine. Kate’s areas of interest include human computer interaction, online communities, and play. She is interested in understanding how play facilitates and subverts the ways in which we socialize with one another and view the world. She seeks to explore how play facilitates relationships, care, advocacy, and activism among community members. Current work in the Misfit Lab includes exploring how technology can support disabled and neurodivergent individuals and the communities in which they belong.

Kevin Weatherwax is a mixed-methods HRI/HCI researcher and PhD candidate in Computational Media at the University of California, Santa Cruz. His background is in psychology and HCI, as well as mental health counseling. He brings his experience with human services work and training in both qualitative and quantitative methods to study how people engage with technology.  Presently, he is completing his PhD in the MISFIT lab and Interaction Design lab, investigating how neurodivergent populations co-opt various media as colloquial assistive and augmentative technology for work and school practices.

Dr. Joshua Miele is a blind scientist, community leader, and inventor with a history of developing innovative accessibility solutions for blind people. He is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley where he received a BA in physics and a Ph.D. in psychoacoustics, and is the recipient of a 2021 Macarthur Fellowship for his creative contributions to information accessibility. For over 20 years he based his work at the Smith-Kettlewell Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Blindness and Low Vision where he led development of a number of technologies (including TMAP and YouDescribe) aimed at improving access to education, employment, and entertainment. Since 2019 Josh has been a Principal Accessibility Researcher at Amazon’s Lab126 where he helps guide the non-visual customer experience for Amazon devices, and advises widely across Amazon on inclusive design and accessible research.

Eleanor Coley-Brody is the Helen Keller National Center Regional Representative covering the states of New York and New Jersey. Eleanor is a Deaf professional from Long Island and has her Masters in Social Work from Gallaudet University. She received her B.A. in Psychology and Women’s Studies from SUNY New Paltz. Eleanor has been working with the DeafBlind community since 2016

Blake Oliver is an avid reader, blind computer science student, autodidact, and coffee lover. He's been learning iOS development to revive Soundscape, a 3d audio awareness and navigation app sunset by Microsoft research.

Lara Rondberg, Program Manager for Benetech/Bookshare supports efforts to expand Bookshare in K-12 and libraries that serve people with disabilities. Lara has a passion for leveraging technology to help people with disabilities increase knowledge, skills, and independence and has worked on a variety of public health, disability, and educational programs for both the federal government and national non-profit organizations.

Dr. Yue-Ting (Ting) Siu is a teacher of blind and low vision students (TVI) and coordinates the Northwest Center for Assistive Technology Training (CATT-NW) at the WA State School for the Blind (WSSB). She loves working with students of all ages with visual impairments and additional disabilities including deafblindness. Her mission is to advance teachers’ proficiency with access technology, promote innovations in multimedia accessibility, and motivate a new generation of “techie TVIs”. Ting is the author of the textbook Access Technology for Blind and Low Vision Accessibility (2020), available from APH Press. Connect with her on Facebook or Twitter @TVI_ting (www.tplus.education)