AXSChat Podcast
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.
Episodes
303 episodes
When Safety Meets Access: Can AI Become A Civil Right?
If AI is rewriting the rules of work and the web, who makes sure accessibility isn’t left behind? We sit down with Rylin Rodgers, Director of Disability Policy at Microsoft, to chart where policy, product, and lived experience meet—and ho...
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29:36
Turning Any Webcam Into An Accessibility Tool For Work And Games
What if a simple webcam could unlock your computer and games without touching a mouse? We sit down with SensePilot co-founder Mike Hazlewood to unpack how head tracking and facial gestures become fast, precise inputs for everyday work and high-...
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25:51
Inside Responsible Annotation: Neurodiversity, Quality, And Ethics In AI
Want AI that works the first time instead of the tenth? We sit down with Andreas Schachl, co-founder of Responsible Annotation Services, to unpack the quiet truth behind reliable models: ethical, high-quality training data produced by people wh...
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34:00
Why Inclusion Works When Everyone Owns It
What does it take to make inclusion real for 420,000 people across 55 countries? We sit down with Karine Vasselin, Group Head of Inclusive Futures at Capgemini, to unpack a pragmatic playbook that turns diversity into business value and culture...
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25:42
From Twitter To Salesforce: Building Accessible Products That Scale
What if accessibility wasn’t a checkpoint but a capability baked into every release? We sit down with Shlomit Shteyer, a technical program leader at Salesforce, to explore how large organizations make accessibility real, measurable, and scalabl...
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23:36
Heather Hepburn: Leading the Charge for Accessibility at Skyscanner
A single UX critique and one candid email from a blind traveler set off a chain reaction inside Skyscanner: a grassroots movement, a formal program, and a culture that treats accessibility as core product quality. We sit down with Heather Hepbu...
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27:21
How Competition And Collaboration Push Accessibility Tech Forward
AI can empower without overstepping, but only if we design with people, not for them. We sit down with Christopher Patnoe, Head of Disability Innovation for Google EMEA, to unpack what’s working inside Google’s Accessibility Discovery Centers a...
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31:33
Why Accessible Geographic Data Matters For Everyone
Maps shouldn’t say “graphic, clickable, blank” when what we really need is orientation. We sit down with Brandon Biggs, CEO of XR Navigation, to unpack why traditional map interfaces exclude blind, low-vision, and neurodiverse users—and how cro...
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25:03
How Late ADHD And Autism Diagnoses Shape Women’s Companies And Lives
What if the label you avoided for decades is the one that finally makes your life make sense? We sit down with researcher and entrepreneur Regina Casteleijn-Osorno to unpack why so many women learn they’re neurodivergent only in adulthood, how ...
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32:21
Teaching Critical Thinking In An AI-Driven World
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 cros...
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26:52
Who Decides What Inclusion Means?
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 Banglade...
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24:21
AI Can’t Learn Accessibility From A Broken Web
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 pas...
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28:38
Tourette’s, Inclusion, And The Power Of Lived Experience
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 int...
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26:42
Choose The Human First: Rethinking Innovation, Power, And Accessibility
What if the way your team talks is the blueprint for every product you ship? We sit down with Erika Hall—co‑founder of Mule Design and author of Just Enough Research and Conversational Design—to connect the dots between internal communication, ...
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29:23
From Mission-Driven Branding To Real-World Accessibility
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...
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32:28
Why Accessible Toilets Decide Where We Go And Who Gets To Be Welcome
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 move...
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27:40
Inside Forrester’s Wave: How Accessibility Platforms Stack Up
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 ...
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31:22
How We Build AI That Includes The Outliers
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...
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26:21
Building Tech People Actually Want
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. Fr...
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28:23
Who gets to joke about pain—and why it matters
What if the fastest way to change a mind is to make it laugh first? We sit down with comedian and writer-performer Juliette Burton to explore how humor can turn stigma into understanding without losing its edge. Julliet shares the craft behind ...
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32:22
From Developer to Advocate: Building an Accessible Future in Germany
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, ...
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24:18
Are We Losing Ourselves to Artificial Intelligence?
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 ...
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25:13
Steve Tyler's Vision for Global Disability Leadership
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....
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28:03
The Invisible Link: Hypermobility and Neurodivergence
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 betwee...
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27:28