Author name: Monika Tomczak

Robert McLaren is Head of Industry Technology and Innovation at Policy Connect, a cross-party think tank. He specialises in assistive and accessible technology policy, including managing the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Assistive Technology. Before joining Policy Connect in 2017, Robert worked within the assistive technology sector providing technology training and study skills tuition to disabled […]

Nicolaas Matthijs is an entrepreneur and product creator with over 10 years of experience in Educational Technology. Nicolaas has worked at several leading R1 institutions such as Cambridge University, UC Berkeley and Georgia Tech, where he developed Learning Management Systems, Academic Collaboration Tools, Learning Analytics solutions and other learning tools. He has contributed to numerous

Piers Wilkinson is a disabled representative, activist, and access consultant, who has worked with national and international organisations to promote disability inclusivity and disabled people’s rights. Current Piers sits on the National Union of Students (NUS) National Executive Council, the NUS Disabled Students’ Campaign, and NUS Sustainability Advisory Board, and during his time has contributed

Mike Tholfsen is a Principal Product Manager on the Microsoft Education team focusing on Inclusive Classroom, Learning Tools and OneNote Class/Staff Notebooks.  He is passionate about education and has been regularly working with students and teachers around the world over the past ten years to create products that improve student outcomes. Mike Tholfsen

Mike Gifford is the President and founder of OpenConcept Consulting Inc. For almost 20 years he has worked to shape open source software and the communities around them. Before adopting to Drupal, Mike was the lead developer of another open source Content Management System. In 2008, Mike began building a community of global experts in

Kate Nash OBE is creator & CEO of PurpleSpace (www.purplespace.org) – the world’s only professional development membership hub for disabled employee networks. PurpleSpace delivers leadership know-how to network leaders and is becoming the go-to global community of disabled employee network leaders across all sectors. In 2017 they launched the #PurpleLightUp a global movement to encourage

David Pollard  – a finalist in JCI’s Top 10 Outstanding Young Persons in Dublin 2018, David Pollard is the Innovation Projects Manager at the Rehab Group. He was an Institute of the Future fellow for his work on positive platforms to support people with disabilities in employment and his projects include creating smart rooms for

Richard Streitz is currently responsible for Ruh Global’s domestic and international operations, promoting accessibility inclusion strategies. Duties include strategic business development, implementing global growth strategies, and overseeing the company’s expansion of services in North America, Europe, and the Middle East. His focus is on building a robust and client-based organization while increasing efficiency across all

Kate Nicholson served in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice for more than 20 years, practicing disability and health-related civil rights law and securing powerful victories including in the U.S. Supreme Court.  She is a nationally-recognized expert on the Americans with Disabilities Act. Presently, Kate speaks, writes and advocates about the

Talita Holzer is the Co-Founder and CEO of waytoB, a tech startup dedicated to helping people with learning disabilities to navigate outdoor environments by themselves, while providing peace of mind to loved ones. She is a Manufacturing Engineer from Brazil with experience in user-centered design, and has won several awards with waytoB, including the James