AXSChat Podcast
AXSChat Podcast
Antonio Santos, Debra Ruh, Neil Milliken
Podcast by Antonio Santos, Debra Ruh, Neil Milliken: Connecting Accessibility, Disability, and TechnologyWelcome to a vibrant community where we explore accessibility, disability, assistive technology, diversity, and the future of work. Hosted by Antonio Santos, Debra Ruh, and Neil Milliken, our open online community is committed to crafting an inclusive world for everyone.Accessibility for All: Our MissionBelieving firmly that accessibility is not just a feature but a right, we leverage the transformative power of social media to foster connections, promote in-depth discussions, and spread vital knowledge about groundbreaking work in access and inclusion.Weekly Engagements: Interviews, Twitter Chats, and MoreJoin us for compelling weekly interviews with innovative minds who are making strides in assistive technology. Participate in Twitter chats with contributors dedicated to forging a more inclusive world, enabling greater societal participation for individuals with disabilities.Diverse Topics: Encouraging Participation and VoiceOur conversations span an array of subjects linked to accessibility, from technology innovations to diverse work environments. Your voice matters! Engage with us by tweeting using the hashtag #axschat and be part of the movement that champions accessibility and inclusivity for all.Be Part of the Future: Subscribe TodayWe invite you to join us in this vital dialogue on accessibility, disability, assistive technology, and the future of diverse work environments. Subscribe today to stay updated on the latest insights and be part of a community that's shaping the future inclusively.
When Safety Meets Access: Can AI Become A Civil Right?
If AI is rewriting the rules of work and the web, who makes sure accessibility isn’t left behind? We sit down with Rylin Rodgers, Director of Disability Policy at Microsoft, to chart where policy, product, and lived experience meet—and how that intersection can unlock rights, innovation, and real productivity gains for everyone. We start with three pillars that guide Microsoft’s approach: shaping digital and AI regulation so it accelerates accessibility rather than blocks it, modernisi...
Mar 9
29 min
Turning Any Webcam Into An Accessibility Tool For Work And Games
What if a simple webcam could unlock your computer and games without touching a mouse? We sit down with SensePilot co-founder Mike Hazlewood to unpack how head tracking and facial gestures become fast, precise inputs for everyday work and high-stakes play. Built for Windows and running entirely on-device, SensePilot keeps latency low, privacy intact, and enterprise approvals realistic—no cloud uploads, no special hardware. Mike traces the journey from a 2024 hackathon to a 2025 launch, where...
Mar 3
25 min
Inside Responsible Annotation: Neurodiversity, Quality, And Ethics In AI
Want AI that works the first time instead of the tenth? We sit down with Andreas Schachl, co-founder of Responsible Annotation Services, to unpack the quiet truth behind reliable models: ethical, high-quality training data produced by people who take clarity and precision seriously. Andreas shares how a single internship sparked a company built around neurodivergent talent, turning data labeling from a churn task into a strategic advantage. We walk through why annotation isn’t going anywhere...
Feb 23
34 min
Why Inclusion Works When Everyone Owns It
What does it take to make inclusion real for 420,000 people across 55 countries? We sit down with Karine Vasselin, Group Head of Inclusive Futures at Capgemini, to unpack a pragmatic playbook that turns diversity into business value and culture into daily practice. Karine shares how a simple shift in language—“inclusive futures for all”—opened the door for everyone to see themselves in the work, from parents and caregivers to neurodivergent colleagues and people with disabilities. Across the...
Feb 16
25 min
From Twitter To Salesforce: Building Accessible Products That Scale
What if accessibility wasn’t a checkpoint but a capability baked into every release? We sit down with Shlomit Shteyer, a technical program leader at Salesforce, to explore how large organizations make accessibility real, measurable, and scalable without slowing product velocity. Her journey from shipping features at Twitter to building accessibility programs offers a candid look at turning strategy into operations and aligning teams around customer impact. We unpack the practical models that...
Feb 2
23 min
Heather Hepburn: Leading the Charge for Accessibility at Skyscanner
A single UX critique and one candid email from a blind traveler set off a chain reaction inside Skyscanner: a grassroots movement, a formal program, and a culture that treats accessibility as core product quality. We sit down with Heather Hepburn—Head of Accessibility at Skyscanner and co-founder of the Champions of Accessibility Network—to unpack how real user stories, practical structure, and community energy turn good intentions into measurable change. Heather walks us through the early d...
Jan 29
27 min
How Competition And Collaboration Push Accessibility Tech Forward
AI can empower without overstepping, but only if we design with people, not for them. We sit down with Christopher Patnoe, Head of Disability Innovation for Google EMEA, to unpack what’s working inside Google’s Accessibility Discovery Centers and why cross-company collaboration is speeding up inclusive tech. From hands-on demos that reframe complex info for neurodivergent thinkers to camera features that help blind users take better photos, the focus is on targeted AI that removes friction wi...
Jan 23
31 min
Why Accessible Geographic Data Matters For Everyone
Maps shouldn’t say “graphic, clickable, blank” when what we really need is orientation. We sit down with Brandon Biggs, CEO of XR Navigation, to unpack why traditional map interfaces exclude blind, low-vision, and neurodiverse users—and how cross-sensory design transforms static visuals into reliable spatial understanding. Brandon makes a clear case that maps are not just about mobility; they’re about building mental models of names, distances, directions, shapes, and relationships. Without a...
Jan 14
25 min
How Late ADHD And Autism Diagnoses Shape Women’s Companies And Lives
What if the label you avoided for decades is the one that finally makes your life make sense? We sit down with researcher and entrepreneur Regina Casteleijn-Osorno to unpack why so many women learn they’re neurodivergent only in adulthood, how misdiagnosis during adolescence and menopause delays care, and what happens when that long-overdue clarity meets the realities of work and caregiving. Regina shares findings from a participatory study of late-diagnosed neurodivergent women entrepreneur...
Jan 2
32 min
Teaching Critical Thinking In An AI-Driven World
What happens when AI accelerates faster than our ability to question it—and our workplaces grow more diverse just as support for inclusion wavers? We sat down with Professor of Practice Gisele Marcus from Olin Business School to unpack the crossroads of AI ethics, DEI, and the core human skill that ties them together: critical thinking. Gisele takes us inside her course, Leading Across Differences, where students learn to work with people unlike themselves while grappling with tools that can...
Dec 16, 2025
26 min
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