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AXSChat PodcastAuthor: 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. Language: en Genres: Business, Management Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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When Safety Meets Access: Can AI Become A Civil Right?
Monday, 9 March, 2026
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approach: shaping digital and AI regulation so it accelerates accessibility rather than blocks it, modernising outdated benefits and employment systems that sideline disabled talent, and advancing civil and human rights through secure voting, accessible transportation, and universal connectivity. Rylin explains why safety and privacy can’t be the only guardrails for AI; accessibility must be designed into models from the start through disability-informed safety prompts, representative data, and inclusive defaults that output accessible content.The conversation moves from policy to practice: captions that handle non-typical speech, AI-generated image descriptions, plain-language conversions, and focus tools that reduce cognitive load. We examine the awareness gap—how many people use accessibility features without naming them and how many more don’t know what they already have. Framing accessibility as a productivity multiplier gives CIOs a reason to train and deploy at scale. We also explore bringing accessibility beyond the usual rooms, putting inclusive coding and AI testing on center stage at mainstream tech events.Looking ahead, Rylin outlines a ten-year horizon where inaccessible sites are fixed at creation or routed around by AI, where disabled innovators shape agentic tools, and where support expands to a wider spectrum of needs. The pace of change can be tiring, so we dig into discoverability, training, and regulatory guardrails that help people keep up without burning out. If you care about AI ethics, inclusive design, or the future of work, you’ll find concrete insights and next steps to build a more accessible world—by default.If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a colleague, and leave a review with the one accessibility feature you wish every app shipped with by default.Send a textSupport the showFollow axschat on social media.Bluesky:Antonio https://bsky.app/profile/akwyz.com Debra https://bsky.app/profile/debraruh.bsky.social Neil https://bsky.app/profile/neilmilliken.bsky.social axschat https://bsky.app/profile/axschat.bsky.social LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/antoniovieirasantos/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/axschat/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilmilliken/Vimeohttps://vimeo.com/akwyzhttps://twitter.com/axschathttps://twitter.com/AkwyZhttps://twitter.com/neilmillikenhttps://twitter.com/debraruh
