Frances is Director of the IBM Human Ability & Accessibility Center. The Center's mission is to enable human capability through innovation, so all people can reach their potential, regardless of age or ability. She is charged with the worldwide responsibility of establishing IBM market leadership by promoting IBM advanced research technology, products, services and solutions in the area of human ability and accessibility. Prior to this assignment, Frances was Director, Channels, Alliances and Business Development for the Lotus Software Group. She recruited and managed IBM Business Partners globally that specialize in Lotus software. In addition, Frances was Director, Financial Services Sector Solutions in the IBM Global Services organization. She managed investment funding and executed financial services solution plans for banking, insurance and financial markets globally. In 2005, Frances was nominated to be on the Board of Directors of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and of the Assistive Technology Industry Association. She also was invited to testified, on behalf of the IT industry, at a US Senate hearing on the impact of accessibility open standards on the European Union. In 2006, she spoke at the UN e-Accessibility Conference in New York City, an UN International Day of Disabled Persons event.
Mr. Dikter is the executive director of the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) and manages the overall mission of ATIA to bring assistive technology to people with disabilities. He is responsible for all aspects of the ATIA annual conference, public awareness, government education and work on national policy issues as it relates to assistive and accessible technologies. Dikter sits on the W3C-Web Accessibility Initiative Steering Council and works with diverse groups to promote AT and the needs of individuals with disabilities.
Michael Paciello is Founder and President of The Paciello Group, LLC, a software accessibility consultancy. For more than 25 years, Mr. Paciello has served as an international leader, technologist and lecturer in the areas of emerging technology, usability, technical & legal standards, and accessibility. In 2006, Mike, along with colleague Jim Tobias, was appointed co-chair to the United States Federal Access Board's Telecommunications and Electronic and Information Technology Advisory Committee (TEITAC). Mike was also invited by United Nations Ambassador Luis Gallegos of Ecuador to speak on the theme, "Identifying Core Areas of Opportunity to Foster Greater ICT Accessibility" at UN headquarters for the UN's Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies (G3ict) event. He received numerous other awards and recognition for his accessibility work and authored the book "Web Accessibility for People with Disabilities".
Fred Gonzalez currently works as the Web Accessibility Specialist for the City and County of San Francisco conducting Web site accessibility reviews, analysis, remediation, and training.Mr. Gonzalez has been working with individuals with disabilities since 1993 as a former chair and volunteer of the local chapter of PUSH America, an organization that provides disability education to the general public and enhances the lives of people with disabilities. Mr. Gonzalez has volunteered his time and efforts to various organizations promote accessibility on the Web since 1997. His educational background is Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Management San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California.
Mike Scott is an assistive technology and accessibility specialist, currently focusing his efforts on improving the accessibility of information systems for people with disabilities. Mike works with a wide range of public- and private-sector clients to help assess the accessibility of existing systems, design and develop new accessible systems, and train staff on how to successfully implement accessibility in system design and development. Mike has spearheaded many accessibility initiatives, including development of the Illinois Web Accessibility Standards and the Illinois Information Technology Accessibility Act.
Marsha S. Schwanke, Web Developer, CTRS, has eight years experience designing, programming, testing and managing content-rich, database-driven web applications that maximize accessibility and usability based on “best practices” research and established guidelines, such as the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and Section 508. She is currently responsible for the development, content management, and support of five webcourses and the web projects of the DBTAC: Southeast ADA Center – A Project of the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University. Marsha has a Bachelors Degree in Therapeutic Recreation from Ohio University and a Masters Degree in Information Technology from American Intercontinental University. She is a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) with over twenty years experience as a manager and practitioner working with children and adults with disabilities in hospital and community settings. Since 1995, she has authored and facilitated numerous trainings on disability awareness, web accessibility, and assistive technology.
Mr. Creagan is the Senior Accessibility Specialist with the U.S. Access Board. He recently served as the Designated Federal Officer for the Telecommunications and Electronic and Information Technology Advisory Committee (TEITAC) which prepared and submitted a report of recommendations to the Access Board concerning the refresh of the Section 508 standards and the Section 255 guidelines. He was formerly the Director of Consumer Training for ITTATC, and before that he was the Director of Public Policy for Hearing Loss Association of America (formerly SHHH). Mr. Creagan is a nationally recognized expert on accessible electronic and information technology and telecommunications.
He has spoken and written extensively on disability rights, digital wireless telephones, Internet relay services, and IVR systems. Mr. Creagan has testified before state legislatures and multiple federal agencies on the importance of assistive technology to people with disabilities. Mr. Creagan received his J.D. from the Catholic University of America.
Kevin Price, MSW ATP is the Assistive Technology Specialist and Chair of the Web Accessibility Committee at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) . He has 18 years of experience in working with assistive and accessible information technology. At UIC, He completes frequent trainings on making PDF files and other file formats accessible for people with disabilities.
Cynthia Waddell is the Executive Director and Law, Policy and Technology Subject Matter Expert for the International Center for Disability Resources on the Internet. She is the author of the first accessible web design standard for local government that let to recognition as a best practice by the federal government and contributed to the eventual passage of legislation for strenghthening Section 508. She also was the built environment and accessible technology expert for the United Nations Ad Hoc Committee that drafted the treaty on rights of persons with disabilties. She is a frequent writer and speaker and assists countries in the implementation palns for ratification of the treaty. She is co-author of two books on web accessibility and in 2006 published the first survey of countries around the world that had adopted accessible web laws or policies. Cynthia Waddell is co-creator of CynthiaSays™ a web accessibility checker at cynthiasays.com. Cynthia Waddell holds a Juris Doctorate from Santa Clara University School of Law where she graduated with Honors as a Public Interest Disability Rights Scholar. She received her BA cum laude from University of Southern California. Her global speaking schedule is online at www.icdri.org
Neal Albritton has often been referred to as a "Section 508 Guru." He is best known for his work in the field of web accessibility as a national consultant, web designer, and through his contributions to the State of California's implementation of Section 508 Web Accessibility Standards. He currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of ADCS-LLC and Section508Guru.com; is the Citywide ADA Coordinator for the City of Sacramento, California; is Vice President of the California Association of ADA Professionals; and a member of the California Association of Equal Rights Professionals. In 2009, through a grant from the Department of Rehabilitation and the Alliance for Technology Access, Neal authored the "Accessibility Checklist", a document outlining best practices for organizations to create accessible alternative formats, electronic communications and collaboration tools, and website content. In 2006, he co-authored the Accessibility Standards that were adopted for planning new and redesigned California state government websites. He has collaborated with Google and Adobe to improve the accessibility of their search engine and PDF products. Neal continues to deliver workshops on such technical topics as "Designing Accessible Websites", "Creating Accessible PDF", "Customer Service Aspects of Accessibility", and "Section 508 Compliance".
Jonathan Spalter is the Chairman of Mobile Future. He has a long track record building and leading innovative media, technology, and research companies in the U.S, Asia/Pacific, and Europe. He founded the independent investment research company, Public Insight, and was CEO of Snocap, the digital music licensing and company founded by the creators of Napster. Spalter has also held senior management roles at the Paris headquarters of Vivendi Universal, the global media, telecommunications, and entertainment group. He was senior vice president of the company's public policy team worldwide, and also served as executive vice president of business development and strategy for Vivendi Universal Net, and CEO of company affiliate Atmedica Worldwide. Spalter has also been a principal at Dewey Square Group, a Washington-based grassroots marketing firm. During the Clinton/Gore Administration, Spalter was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate for the position of associate director to the US Information Agency, where he also was appointed chief information officer. He also served in the White House as the director of public affairs for the National Security Council staff, and chief international affairs spokesman and speechwriter for Vice President Al Gore. He also co-founded and chaired the non-profit animation studio Climate Cartoons, which produces media content about global warming. One of its productions, "Big Fun with Global Warming," recently won the Emmy Award for National Public Service Announcements/Broadband. Early in his career, Spalter held various production and editorial roles in broadcast and cable - among them, foreign affairs reporter for PBS' MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour.
The ADA Audio Conference Series is Coordinated by the Great Lakes ADA Center. For assistance with any of our conferences contact us at (877) ADA - 1990 or (877) 232 - 1990 (V/TTY). We reserve the right to cancel sessions at any time without notice. A full refund will be provided for all paid sessions should the sessions be cancelled.