With a lifetime of experience as a congenital quad amputee, seasoned Paralympic swimmer, and accessibility designer, Jonathan brings a worldly perspective unmatched. Fueled by his desire to trail blaze for future generations and those whose voices aren’t heard, he has set out to be the change. Jonathan thrives to find unique and out-of-the-box solutions to overcome any form of obstacle that stands in the way. Alongside his mission statements of Using What You’ve Got and Components of you, Jonathan’s unique outlook and determination serve as a model: we are all more than any one of our characteristics.

Universally Appealing – Accessibility and U(x)

Through providing a custom program and overall safe space for your event, I will guide your audience through an overall understanding of digital accessibility and universal design in optimization for end users with various disabilities. This program will include background information, as well as facts and common misconceptions of creating a digital footprint that is accessible for all. This deep dive will focus on the utilization of keywords to create a more inclusive online presence through SEO strategies. This program will also look at category such as imagery color, terminology, text, back-end development, and general universal design of a website build. Throughout this program, personal stories and open room discussions will take place.

In this workshop, attendees will learn:

• Color techniques for text on images and images in general for visually impaired
• Strategies on alt text for visually impaired
• Utilization of target keywords
• Inclusive terminology to know
• Exclusionary terminology to avoid
• How to genuinely reach a previously untapped market of disabled individuals across different backgrounds
• Many disabled potential employees and clients are being skipped over due to poor digital strategies