OZeWAI online event - Ask the Professionals - 16 August 2024

Introduction

OZeWAI has moved from running an annual conference to partnering with many in-person and online conferences and offering membership benefits as part of individual and organisation membership tiers. Benefits include online events to ask the tough accessibility questions of the professional accessibility specialists.

Topic: Accessibility tips and tricks for small/medium businesses and not-for-profits

This panel event will bring together accessibility specialists for you to:

• Ask questions from the experts  
• Share knowledge of similar issues
• Find where to get help with accessibility advice and expertise

Session access requirements

The session agenda and access details will be shared 2 days before the event. This is a remote online event using Zoom.

Please email info@ozewai.org if you wish to share any tools, communication methods or anything else we should consider to ensure you can fully participate in the session.

Thank you from the OZeWAI Committee

Panelists:

David Spriggs - InfoXchange (He/Him)

David is the CEO of Infoxchange, a not-for-profit social enterprise with the vision of ‘technology for social justice’.  He is passionate about creating a more digitally inclusive society and the role technology can play in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the not-for-profit sector. 

With over 25 years of experience in the not-for-profit and technology sectors, David is a strong advocate for cross sector partnerships to tackle some of our biggest social challenges through the smart and creative use of technology.

In addition to his role at Infoxchange, David is Chair of the Australian Digital Inclusion Alliance (ADIA) and Deputy Chair of Specialisterne Australia, working to create careers for people on the autism spectrum.  David is also a Director of the Alannah & Madeline Foundation, a national not-for-profit organisation dedicated to keeping children and young people free from violence and trauma wherever they live, learn and play.

David holds a Bachelor of Information Technology from the University of Queensland, a Certificate in Theology from Trinity College at the University of Melbourne and is a Graduate of the Harvard Business School Executive Education Program and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-spriggs-32531b

Frances Riggs - GetAboutAble (She/Her)

Frances has worked in the disability sector for 20 years, and is passionate about shaping diverse and inclusive communities that enable participation by people with disability. Frances has extensive experience and knowledge of project management and community development across a number of areas including in the disability sector, overseas aid, development with Oxfam Australia and as a Volunteer Abroad.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosemcalister/

Liz Leigh - Content Design Hub (She/Her)

Liz is the Co-Founder of Content Design Hub, a digital marketplace that builds content design capabilities in Australia and beyond. The company was launched to help people create inclusive digital worlds that speak the language of their customers.  

When it comes to accessibility, the easiest investment you can make is within your content (text). It doesn’t take many tools or people to write content in plain language. When you write simple content, you open information to everyone. This is at the core of content design. Instead of writing to a business objective, we write for the user.  

For over 11 years, Liz has helped companies understand the importance of user-centered content and mature their approach. She’s worked for government agencies and tech companies from Service NSW and the University of NSW to Academy Xi and Ortto. 

Now, she's turned her attention to the individual, offering 1:1 coaching, team workshops and courses that empower people to design for good. 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-leigh/ 

Moderated by:

Amanda Mace (She/Her)

Amanda is a Subject Matter Expert in Digital Accessibility with more than 10 years of experience in the industry. She manages the Australasia office for GrackleDocs while growing and promoting the brand across the region. She also manages the audit team which is responsible for manual WCAG audits for our clients. Amanda is one of only two Australian-based W3C evangelists and the W3C Australian Western Region Chapter manager.

When it comes to accessibility, she believes that innovation with accessibility built into it provides security, independence, and privacy for people with disabilities and ultimately better, more usable digital products for all. She has spent her career advocating that it is everyone's job to do their bit to remove barriers so all people can have equal access and equal opportunity in the digital world. Using her expertise in WCAG and PDF/UA to educate and help others understand digital access as well as how to go above and beyond standards, to ensuring great user experiences.

She is certified by the Australian Computer Society (ACS) as a Certified Professional. Having begun her accessibility career as a WCAG auditor/tester, she worked her way up in that small business through to management. Throughout her career, She has had many opportunities to contribute to educating others about digital accessibility including, co-authoring a book chapter for the textbook, "Web Accessibility A Foundation for Research," as well as a white paper entitled, "Digital Accessibility: Perceptions, Expectations and Reality."

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-mace-85171b77/