Accessibility Is the Bridge Between Good Intent and Real Usability

Marissa Woodbeck, Head of Digital Accessibility at a major financial institution, shares her powerful journey from being labeled a “lazy learner” to leading enterprise accessibility strategy. Drawing from her background in special education, domestic violence advocacy, and banking governance, she explains how accessibility must be embedded into business processes—not treated as an afterthought. Marissa also discusses the role AI can play in strengthening accountability while keeping humans at the center of inclusive design.

Darren Rowan, who leads digital accessibility at Eli Lilly & Company, shares how lived experience shaped his path into accessibility leadership. He explains his “engage, equip, embed” framework for scaling accessibility across a global organization and reflects on the importance of speaking up about barriers. Darren also explores how AI and emerging technologies can make accessibility easier to implement and more impactful across teams, helping organizations move toward sustainable, embedded accessibility practices.

Sam Smith, who leads accessibility at Coinbase, shares his journey from front-end engineer to accessibility leader. He discusses scaling accessibility through design systems, transforming accessibility from an afterthought into a strategic advantage, and how rapid product development changes the way accessibility teams operate. Sam also explores the role of AI in development workflows and why personalization—features like high-contrast mode and adaptable interfaces—may represent the next frontier of inclusive design.

Souvik Sen Sarma shares his journey from front-end developer to Accessibility Advisor at Wells Fargo International. He discusses building accessibility processes from proposal through testing and sign-off, mentoring teams, and managing defect tracking at scale. Souvik reflects on how inclusivity first drew him into accessibility and why human expertise remains essential—even as AI begins to influence development workflows.

Stephen Framil, Corporate Global Head of Accessibility at Merck, shares how he embedded accessibility into enterprise digital governance across more than 125 countries. From authoring a global accessibility policy to integrating controls into procurement, SDLC, and clinical trial protocols, Stephen explains how accessibility must be “baked in” rather than bolted on. Drawing from his background as a conductor, musician, and cancer survivor, he describes accessibility leadership as orchestration—guiding experts toward inclusive outcomes while normalizing accessibility across systems and culture.

Carey Estes, Accessibility Lead at OneMain Financial, shares how he built a scalable accessibility program grounded in action, automation, and advocacy. From a life-changing experience of temporary blindness to leading DevOps integration and enterprise-wide enablement, Carey explains how accessibility becomes sustainable when embedded into systems and culture. His ultimate aim: accessibility so well integrated it creates “radio silence.”

Donna Bungard describes how her lived experience and technical background led her into accessibility leadership. She emphasizes skills-first hiring, the importance of normalizing disability, and centering real human experiences rather than compliance alone. Bungard discusses neurodiversity as a spectrum, the value of customization in both work and digital products, and why accessibility benefits everyone. She highlights the need for authentic voices, continuous learning, and careful but optimistic use of AI as a mainstream assistive technology that can reshape inclusion if guided responsibly.

Jennifer Smith, Visa, Director of Strategic Initiatives and AccessibilityJen Smith has worked with accessibility at J.P Morgan Chase, Microsoft, and now at Visa as Director of Strategic Initiatives and Accessibility. She talks about the importance of working with colleagues at different experience levels and backgrounds. She also describes the need in accessibility for better ways to present data.

Joe Devon, GAAD Foundation, AI FuturistJoe Devon has had a long career in both web development and the application of accessibility to the digital world. Joe talks about his earliest days becoming aware of the need for accessibility and building his knowledge. That lead to being a co-founder of Global Accessibility Awareness Day and the GAAD Foundation. Joe describes his interest and excitement about the application of AI to accessibility and how it might transform how assistive devices work.

Stéphanie Walter, Maltem, UX Research & Design ConsultantStéphanie shares her experience with a motion disability that affects her in her daily life and when interacting with digital games. She talks about upcoming changes to laws in Europe that will require accessibility in public and private web sites.