Accessibility in the Current Economic Environment

Session Summary

Accessibility in the Current Economic Environment

Our economic landscape is constantly being shaped by various factors such as automation, globalization, and inequality. Within this landscape, accessibility is becoming increasingly important for businesses and organizations to ensure they are providing equal opportunities and experiences to all of their customers and employees.

In addition, the current economic environment has brought about new challenges for businesses, including the need for cost-saving measures and increased pressure for revenue generation. In the midst of these challenges, it is crucial to continue to prioritize accessibility, not only for ethical and legal reasons, but also for the potential benefits it can bring to the bottom line.

When the economy is poor, however, companies are faced with the challenge of balancing accessibility considerations with economic realities. In this session, corporate leaders in accessibility will explore practical tools and techniques for ensuring accessibility remains a priority. Panelists will also shed light on lessons learned in their careers and provide attendees with a deeper understanding of the importance of accessibility in today’s business environment and tips for staying competitive in a rapidly changing market.

Claudia Gordon
Senior Accessibility Strategy Partner at T-Mobile

Pronouns: she/her

Claudia Gordon is a dedicated advocate for people with disabilities with nearly 30 years of versatile professional expertise, with a personal mission to level the playing field and ensure the same opportunities are provided for all. She currently serves as the Senior Accessibility Strategist with T-Mobile US, Inc. In this role, she drives strategies for a disability inclusive culture and an accessible plus equitable work environment. Gordon has held senior leadership positions with Sprint Corporation, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the National Council on Disability, and the National Association of the Deaf Law and Advocacy Center. During the Obama-Biden Administration, Gordon served as the Chief of Staff for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs and the Associate Director of Public Engagement for the White House Office of Public Engagement. Notably, in November 2022, Gordon was appointed by President Biden to serve as a Council Member on the National Council on Disability, and she was subsequently tapped to serve as the Council’s Vice Chair.

Adding to Gordon’s professional expertise is her lived experience as an immigrant at the intersections of race, disability, and gender, which is the foundation for the strong emphasis on disabled individuals with multiple marginalized identities that she brings to her work. For her unrelenting commitment to advocacy, compliance, civic engagement, and mentoring, Gordon has been recognized by the American Association of People with Disabilities, Google, AT&T Humanity of Connection, National Disability Mentoring Coalition, National Association of the Deaf, National Black Deaf Advocates, and The Root 100. Gordon is a native of Jamaica, graduate of Howard University, and graduate of the American University’s Washington College of Law.

Claudia Gordon

Christopher Patnoe
Head of Accessibility and Disability Inclusion at Google

Pronouns: he/him

Christopher Patnoe is the Head of Accessibility and Disability Inclusion for EMEA at Google. He leads Google’s efforts around the accessibility of product, people, policy and partnerships across EMEA – with a particular focus on Emerging Markets. He has more than 25 years experience in Tech working at companies like Apple, Sony Ericsson and Disney where he’s built hardware, software, and services. His current passion is Accessibility at the intersection of immersive technologies (xR) and consumer hardware. He is the chair for the Immersive Captions Community Group with the W3C, is the Accessibility Working Group Chair for the XR Association, sits on the Board of Trustees for the American Foundation for the Blind and the GAAD Foundation. Christopher has a degree in Music from UC Berkeley.
Christopher Patnoe

Kathy Martinez
VP of Global Disability Inclusion at Expedia Group

Pronouns: she/her

Kathy joined Expedia Group in October 2022 and leads the development of the travel tech company’s disability inclusion and equality strategy, weaving awareness and accessibility into all physical, digital, and cultural aspects across the organization.

Kathy is an internationally recognized disability inclusion thought leader. She most recently served as President & CEO of Disability Rights Advocates (DRA). Throughout her extensive career, she has also served as SVP, Head of Disability and Accessibility Strategy for Wells Fargo, and as Assistant Secretary of the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) at the U.S. Department of Labor, putting policy priorities into practice. Kathy is on the board of The American Association of People with Disabilities and has served on the boards of the National Council on Disability, the U.S. Institute of Peace, and the State Department’s advisory committee on disability and foreign policy.

Kathy Martinez

Charlotte Dales
CO-Founder and CEO of Inclusively

Pronouns: she/her

Charlotte Dales (She/Hers) is the Co-Founder and CEO of Inclusively, the workforce inclusion platform empowering employers with accommodation insights, access, training and the support they need to attract and retain previously hidden talent. Charlotte’s cousin Cameron became the first licensed aesthetician in the state of Florida with Down syndrome and after witnessing Cameron’s career fulfillment, she became passionate about replicating her employment success story for disabled talent and started Inclusively.

Before launching Inclusively, Charlotte started her career in finance with Deutsche Bank in London working with trading desks around the world. After five years, she left her bank job and co-founded her first company, CAKE Technologies, a mobile payment and reservation application for restaurants and bars which scaled to over 200 restaurants in London and was acquired by American Express. Charlotte’s experience in technology and startups has allowed Inclusively to provide a new technology solution to drive authentic diversity and inclusion in the workplace–helping employers acquire and retain top talent based on job seekers’ needed accommodations to build sustainable livelihoods and careers. Under Charlotte’s leadership, Inclusively is proud to be modernizing recruitment by creating structure and transparency around accommodations, benefitting all job seekers. Charlotte graduated from University of Colorado, Boulder and lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband, daughter, and son.

Charlotte Dales

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