WEBVTT Kind: captions; Language: en

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Hello, my name is Bill Tipton and

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I work for Hewlett Packard Enterprise

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as a Product Accessibility Champion.

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As part of my responsibilities,

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I educate and advise our product designers,

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developers, and decision-makers

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on accessible user experiences.

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Unfortunately in May of 1999,

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I suddenly went completely blind.

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Since then, I have used a screen reader daily

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to access the internet and other

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digital technologies.

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I often experience what it is like

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to attempt to use software with

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many accessibility and usability issues.

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It is not a pleasant feeling or experience

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when you are excluded from accessing a product

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due to technical issues that could have easily

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been avoided if somebody took the time

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to incorporate accessibility early in the

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design or development process.

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Although I am a member of the disabled community,

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I cannot speak for all people with disabilities.

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However, I personally would like the chance

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to be able to use all

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digital technologies including software effectively,

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so I am able to participate equally

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in all of life's digital opportunities.

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Through direct engagements, live demonstrations,

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and usability evaluations,

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I highlight the requirements, design standards, and value

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to our business success

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by supporting a diverse set of user personas,

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including our valued customers with disabilities.

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I encourage all researchers, product designers,

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developers, product managers, and others

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to incorporate accessibility and usability to create

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more accessible products and experiences.

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In life and in our work,

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it is important to continuously advocate for

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inclusive environments for all,

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including becoming an ally for our

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disabled community.

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Thank you, and now

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let's go out and create some positive change.
