Philly Tech Week 2018

Mikey Ilagan is an Accessibility Specialist at Think Company. He works full-time as part of the Comcast Accessibility Team. He's spent the past decade building digital experiences using a lifetime of passion for technology. Today, he uses a diverse background to work with product teams to ensure Xfinity's offerings are usable and well-designed for customers using assistive technology.

Mikey's Talk at Introduced by Technical.ly:

Digital Accessibility: What You Say vs What I Hear

If accessibility is essential for some and useful for all, then why is it regarded as a feature instead of a requirement? Why do we have the perception that accessibility is so difficult to design and develop for? And how does compliance actually fail people with disabilities?

To answer those questions, let’s reframe the conversation. Instead of focusing on compliance, let’s look at the personal and cultural changes we can make that will influence our work. With that, we'll come to an understanding of where we fail the people who may need us most. When thinking about my history as a developer, I regret much of my attitude and inexperience. I’ll share real-life anecdotes of working with engineering teams from the perspective of a developer-turned-accessibility specialist.

A CHSP certified professional, Adria is the Program Assistant for the Information Systems & Technology department at the Camden Coalition. Prior to joining the Coalition, Adria was a trainee and intern at Hopeworks’n Camden, overcoming tremendous obstacles to achieve her current level of success. Her journey is described in the award-winning documentary Hope Works Here, which recently won first place at the Philadelphia Freedom Shorts Film Festival.

Josh is the founder and CEO of Bluecadet, an experience design agency that works with cultural institutions, universities, and mission-driven organizations.

With offices in both Philadelphia and New York, Josh built Bluecadet’s interdisciplinary team to unite revolutionary innovations with a sense of human craftsmanship. He has overseen the design and development of interactive experiences and planning strategies for clients such as MoMA, The Smithsonian Institution, Doctors Without Borders, National Geographic, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

As a pioneer in the technological transformation of the cultural sector, Josh is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and symposia, has appeared on CNN, CBS News, and NPR, and has been featured in publications including The New Yorker, USA Today, HOW magazine, Communication Arts, and People magazine. His work has been widely recognized with top awards including an Emmy from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, as well as honors from the American Alliance of Museums, the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, The American Institute of Graphic Arts, and South by Southwest.

Josh holds a B.A. from Tufts University and studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. He lives with his wife and two children in Philadelphia, where he is an active member of the design and technology community.

Dr. Sophia B Liu is an Innovation Specialist at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Science and Decisions Center focused on participatory science and innovation. Dr. Liu is also the Co-Chair of the Federal Community of Practice for Crowdsourcing and Citizen Science (CCS) as well as the CCS Coordinator for USGS and the Department of Interior (DOI). She was recently mission assigned to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to be one of the first FEMA Crowdsourcing Coordinators in response to the 2017 hurricanes. As a USGS Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Liu previously worked at the USGS National Earthquake Information Center in Colorado on the Tweet Earthquake Dispatch project, the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal Marine Science Center in Florida on the iCoast – Did the Coast Change? project, and the USGS National Center in Virginia with the Minerals program organizing GeoHackJams. Dr. Liu was also awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship in 2006 conducting research on social media use in disasters. She received her Ph.D. at the University of Colorado, Boulder in an interdisciplinary program called Technology, Media, and Society. She received a B.A. at University of California, Irvine in Social Science with a minor in Information & Computer Science and in Digital Arts.

David Dylan Thomas serves as Principal, Content Strategy at Think Company and is the creator and host of the Cognitive Bias Podcast. He has developed digital strategies for major clients in entertainment, healthcare, publishing, finance, and retail. A co-organizer of Content Strategy Philly, he previously consulted at the Corzo Center for the Creative Economy and is the creator, director, and co-producer of Developing Philly, a web series about the rise of the Philadelphia tech community. He has given standing-room-only presentations at TEDNYC, SXSW Interactive, UX Copenhagen, and the Wharton Web Conference on content strategy and emerging content trends.

Considered a visionary by many, Jumoke K. Dada is a technologist, consultant, and the founder of the Tech Women Network. Dada holds a B.S. in Computer and Information Sciences and Real Estate certification from Temple University. She is also a certified Scrum Master. Her technical experience includes working as an application developer, business/ systems analyst, quality assurance tester, and technical project manager. As the principal of Signature RED, she provides tech consulting services and creates tools and resources for women interested in careers in technology. Over the years she hast hosted several educational events and workshops including Building iOS Mobile Apps, Rails Girls, Techies Who Brunch (Philadelphia, London and Cape Town), and the inaugural HUE Tech Talk. Dada has been recognized in the media for her innovative ideas, leadership skills, hard work ethic, and community involvement. In addition to her work with growing the Tech Women Network globally, she is a diversity in tech contributing writer for Forbes.com. To learn more about her work, her words, or her world, visit dadaverse.org.

As the head of Human Resources for SAP North America, Jewell Parkinson provides HR leadership across the region for all board areas, and leads the HR Business Partner organization. In this trusted - advisor role, she provides consultation and delivery of solutions that ensure SAP’s people strategy and programs meet the needs of the region’s more than 1 9,000 employees.

Jewell joined SAP in 1997, and has spent the majority of her tenure as an HR Business Partner supporting sales, sales support, and corporate functions within the North America region. She has supported global business units within Global Customer Operations, including Business Networks, the office of the COO, and Corporate Strategy in the office of the CEO, providing leadership on various global strategic projects in the areas of global workforce productivity, organization design , and change management. She has a thorough understanding of the SAP business and the intricacies across multiple functional areas.

Prior to joining SAP, Jewell served as an HR consultant in organizational development at Arco Chemical Company.

Jewell earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology and business administration from Millersville University of Pennsylvania in Millersville, Pennsylvania, and holds a master’s degree in human resources development from Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania. Jewell support s organizations committed to improve people’s lives such as Habitat for Humanity, Red Cross House, Jack Academy, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Kip Wetzel is a Principal at Navigate. As the leader of Navigate’s Digital and Strategic Design practice, Kip brings extensive digital strategy and product management experience to the firm. Through his years in media, communications, and banking, Kip understands that starting with a need or problem, not a technology solution will help companies drive innovation in their customer experience and business offerings. Kip and his team focus on supporting digital transformation, emerging technology adoption, and Hybrid Thinking programs (a focused approach using design thinking, systems thinking and service design) for organizations throughout the Greater Philadelphia business community. Prior to Navigate, Kip was Vice President of Emerging Technology and Social Media Strategy at Capital One, where he developed and executed a company-wide strategy to maximize associate and customer experiences through emerging technology. He started his career with Accenture and spent eight years at Comcast as a digital product manager and strategy lead. Although born and raised in Oregon, Kip is a long-time and passionate member of the Philadelphia community. He is entering his second year on the board of the Arts & Business Council, he serves as a trustee for the Philadelphia Outward Bound School, and he is an advisor to the Radnor Memorial Library.