Collective

Aiann is passionate about creating accessible and meaningful design solutions. She has over a decade of design experience working in communications within the public and non-profit sector. As our Digital Learning & Design Educator, she works with subject matter experts to ensure their online educational and training content is accessible and engaging. In previous roles, Aiann led the design and development of products from annual reports to fundraising campaigns.

Currently, Aiann works in the provincial government as an instructional designer, where she creates eLearning for clients across the public service. She has an interest in evaluating the usability of emerging tools such as gamification and generative AI in online learning.

Aiann holds a Bachelor of Design (York University ’11), a Graduate Certificate in Accessible Media Production (Mohawk College ’18) and a Master of Educational Technology (UBC ’22). She is an active conference presenter and has spoken at the University of Guelph Accessibility Conference and at the Accessing Higher Ground: Accessible Media, Web & Technology Conference in Denver, Colorado. She is a volunteer with Yonge Street Mission, teaching web design and coding skills at the Computer Literacy Centre.

Karen is the owner of Karlen Communications. With over 22 years experience, Karen provides strategic planning, consulting and education on accessible content design/creation and inclusive education. Karen has been an advocate for a global inclusive education standard since 2009.

Her experience as an international leader in accessible content design includes participation in the following committees: ISO 32000 (PDF), ISO 14289 (PDF/Universal Access), International Association for Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) Accessible Document Specialist (ADS) Credential, Technical Standards Committee for Plain Language and Technical Standards Committee for ICT, both part of the Accessible Canada Act.

Her book “Accessible and Usable PDF: Techniques for Document Authors” was first published in 2005, with the fourth edition published in 2017. She has written books on accessible Word and PowerPoint content, and how to use Microsoft Office applications from the keyboard. She has been a Microsoft MVP for Office Apps and Services since 2009, and a Microsoft Accessibility MVP since the category was created in 2014. Karen conducts research on how those with disabilities access digital content.

Joanne is the Founder of Lakeshore Media Services. A leading specialist in described video and media accessibility. Over the past 15 years, Joanne has led the creation and production of more than 15,000 hours of DV.

Joanne is a strong proponent of innovation who works closely with industry professionals to promote accessibility and inclusion. She contributed to the development of the Best Practices Guidelines for Postproduction and Live DV (Audio Description) in association with Accessible Media Inc. (AMI) and the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB). Joanne was part of the former Accessible Media Production program at Mohawk College, where she taught DV.

Giuseppina (Pina) D’Intino is the owner of Aequum Global Access Inc., where she is a sought-out international accessibility speaker and entrepreneur. Pina has over 30 years of experience working with large organizations, municipalities, provincial and federal government, financial institutions and more, where she turns their accessibility visions into reality.

Pina is a strong advocate for disability rights and inclusion. She serves as a Special Advisor to Minister Carla Qualtrough on the development of a Canadian Business Disability and Inclusion Network. Pina is the co-chair of the Canadian Accessibility Network (CAN), the Canadian representative for the Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs G3 – Smart City, a member of the AODA’s Information and Communication Standards and Employment Standards Committees, and an active member of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals.

For the last decade Lianne has worked to enhance and advance teaching and learning in post-secondary education.  She entered educational development from working with students with disabilities as a learning strategist and this experience has always informed her educational approach.

She continues to use principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), active learning, culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogies, and reflective practice in her work; while continually returning to anti-ableism to reassess and revise. Also, alignment between design, instructional practices, and assessment—to design for the edges—is integral to her work and her reflection. Lianne taught Diversity Perspectives as part of the former Accessible Media Production program (AMP). Part of this course reflected on how particular beliefs and practices (positive and negative) about disability, influence accessible and inaccessible design.

Her focus and commitment to teaching more learners more of the time, whether it is learners in a classroom, a professional development (PD) workshop, or people who teach and facilitate PD, this commitment continues through her domestic and international work as an Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) facilitator and trainer. As a specialist in Educational Development she consults with individuals, small groups, and programs, to design and modify courses, classes, and curricula.

As a web accessibility specialist, Sandi has been developing modern, accessible websites for over 15 years. She also coaches designers, developers, and content producers on best practices for meeting web accessibility guidelines.

She has led workshops for businesses, municipalities and web development firms on web accessibility and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). She has spoken at conferences and has appeared as a web accessibility expert in webinars.  Sandi developed the curriculum and taught Web Content and Social Media Accessibility at Mohawk College as part of the former Accessible Media Production Graduate Certificate program. Management and technical audiences welcome her clear, common-sense approach.