This May, Knowbility will feature some of the world's most prominent digital inclusion experts during its annual web accessibility training conference.

AUSTIN, TX, USA, February 12, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Knowbility, an Austin-based nonprofit working in digital accessibility training and advocacy, is preparing for John Slatin AccessU Conference 2020 to be held May 11-14 at St. Edwards University. During this three-day accessibility training conference, keynote speakers representing disability rights advocacy and web accessibility will share their insights on their careers in the field and the way forward amid a changing digital world.

The speakers are Joe Devon, a web developer and entrepreneur who co-founded Global Accessibility Awareness Day; Chancey Fleet, a blind disability rights advocate and technology trainer; and Anne Forrest, an expert on accessibility for cognitive disabilities.

This will be Joe’s second time attending AccessU. Last year, he led a session called “Dark Patterns Through the Lens of Accessibility” in which he explored how deceptive user interfaces affect accessibility for people with disabilities. He also gave the breakfast keynote on Global Accessibility Awareness Day.

Chancy Fleet is a newcomer to AccessU. She is an accessibility technology coordinator at the New York Public Library’s Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library. In 2017, she was named a Library Journal Mover and Shaker. She’s also president of the Tech Trainers Division of the National Federation of the Blind.

Longtime friend of Knowbility Anne Forrest is the third keynote of the conference. In 1997, she was involved in a car accident which resulted in a traumatic brain injury. A PhD economist by training, Anne has developed adaptive strategies to cope with her injury and participate in society. Among the experts who worked with Anne post-concussion was Dr. John Slatin, who created several initial breakthroughs that made it easier for Anne to use technology.

“John Slatin launched my speaking career, patiently guiding me along as a peer and showing me a path,” Forrest shared about her mentor. “One of the things about brain injury is that I knew my brain was not like it used to be, but I did not know how to articulate that when others told me I looked fine.”

“John encouraged me to speak about what life was like for me, how I was recovering, and how difficult it was to develop the skills I needed to be productive and to return to work. He said, ‘Once you articulate it, it will help you and others understand this space that no one else does.’ And that’s part of what has drawn me forward about giving this keynote. Good mentors internalize a voice in you that helps you go forward, even after they’re gone.”

Dr. John Slatin, for whom AccessU is named, was a pioneering leader in web accessibility and the Director of the Institute for Technology and Learning at the University of Texas at Austin.

For the sixteenth year in a row, John Slatin AccessU will teach designers, developers, programmers, and other web professionals how and why to ensure that people with disabilities can use their digital products.

AccessU is unique among accessibility conferences in offering real hands-on skills training in several tracks to meet the needs of learners who work in different roles. Optional deep dive all day workshops are offered on Monday May 11th in each topic area. Tracks include: Business, Dev/Coding, Testing, UX/Design, Document/Content, K12 Education, Gaming/VR/AR. Attendees are invited to attend special events each evening such as receptions for the keynote speakers and after hours entertainment like ASL interpreted karaoke and accessible game nights.

Ticket prices range from $335 to $845. Early Bird registration is open now through February 28, 2020.

About John Slatin AccessU

The John Slatin AccessU conference is named after the late Dr. John Slatin of the University of Texas, a pioneering leader in web accessibility. For the last 16 years, this three-day web accessibility training institute teaches accessibility, usability, and inclusive design skills in an interactive and communal environment where anyone in any role will learn valuable, useful skills to integrate accessibility and inclusive design into their company development practices.

About Knowbility

Knowbility, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission to create a more inclusive digital world for people of all abilities. The organization developed from a community collaboration – the Accessibility Internet Rally – to raise awareness of the need for access to technology for people with disabilities. AIR Austin proved to be an effective model for engaging the information technology sector and the social services community in disability issues and in 1999 Knowbility incorporated to develop additional programs and services. Today, Knowbility’s team of experts is internationally recognized for its role in creating the worldwide standard for web accessibility implementation and training.

Jillian Fortin
Knowbility, Inc.
+1 512-527-3138
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