Welcome to the 2021 XR Access Symposium
June 10, 2021 | Virtual Event
At the 2021 XR Access Symposium, we’ll celebrate another year of progress toward a more inclusive future.
About the Symposium
About the 3rd XR Access Symposium
In 2020, XR Access grew with a new strategy, new Work Streams, and new ways to connect. At our 2021 Symposium, we’re excited to present the work of our members, as well as big ideas for the future of XR accessibility.
The 3rd XR Access Symposium will feature a keynote talk and plenary panels on building accessible technologies, creating an inclusive XR ecosystem, ensuring diverse talent pipelines, and more.
Stay tuned for more about our 2021 program!
Where We’ve Been
At the first XR Access Symposium, in 2019, over 120 technologists, advocates, researchers, and industry leaders gathered for talks, demos, and working group sessions that generated actionable plans for making XR more accessible.
Despite 2020’s unprecedented challenges and opportunities, our mission remains the same: to ensure that as XR technologies become more pervasive in our work, school, and social lives, they’ll be designed and developed to be accessible by and for people with disabilities.
Stay Connected
Stay in the loop during the Symposium with the #XRAccess and #XRAccess2021 hashtags on Twitter. If you’ve registered, you’ll receive an email with a link to join the Symposium Slack channel, where you can connect directly with other Symposium attendees.
Be sure to follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn. You can also stay in touch with us after the Symposium by signing up for our newsletter.
10 AM ET | Welcome
Shiri Azenkot, Associate Professor of Information Science, Cornell Tech
Larry Goldberg, Senior Director & Head of Accessibility, Verizon Media
10:02 AM ET | Agenda & Keynote Intro
Bill Curtis-Davidson, Co-Director & Senior Consultant, PEAT
10:05 AM ET | Keynote: Seizing the Moment: Immersive, Inclusive and Equitable Innovation
Chike Aguh, Chief Innovation Officer, U.S. Department of Labor
10:25 AM ET | XR Access Rebooted
Dylan Fox, Coordination and Engagement Team Leader, XR Access
Jessie Taft, Research Initiative Coordinator, XR Access/Cornell Tech
10:35 AM ET | Plenary: Designing for Equity
Christine Hemphill, Managing Director, Open Inclusion
Johan Verstraete, Inclusive Design Management Principal, Thinklusive
Regine Gilbert, Industry Assistant Professor, NYU
Molly Bloom, Inclusive Design Researcher, Adobe
James O’Loughlin, User Experience Designer for Virtual & Augmented Reality, Indepdendent
11:20 AM ET | Break
11:35 AM ET | Special Guest Remarks: Global Accessibility Awareness for XR
Joe Devon, Co-Founder, Diamond and Co-Founder, Global Accessibility Awareness Day
11:40 AM ET | Plenary: Building for All
Ashley Coffey, Director of Technology & Integration, XALTER
Andrew Eiche, COOwl and Cable Slinger, Owlchemy
Mari Kyle, Game Producer, Facebook Oculus
Roland Dubois, Adjunct Faculty Teacher for Immersive Design, A-Frame & WebXR NYC
Sophia Moshsasha, VP, Washington DC Chapter, VR/AR Association
12:25 PM ET | Plenary: Realizing Inclusive Value
Elizabeth Hyman, President & CEO, XR Association
Shane Kanady, Senior Fellow, G3ict
George Karalis, Group Product Manager, Strivr
Deb Mayers, Software Engineer
1:10 PM ET | Break
1:40 PM ET | Research in Accessible XR
Shiri Azenkot, Associate Professor, Cornell Tech
Martez Mott, Senior Researcher, Ability Group, Microsoft Research
Amy Pavel, Postdoctoral Fellow, Carnegie Mellon University
Kyle Rector, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, University of Iowa
2:30 PM ET | Break
2:40 PM ET | A Greater Purpose: Diverse Talent Pipeline
Neil Milliken, Global Head of Accessibility, Atos
Josh Christianson, Project Director, Partnership on Inclusive Apprenticeships
Nina Salomons, Founder, XR Diversity Initiative
Christopher Lafayette, Founder, Black Technology Mentor Program
Andreas Forsland, CEO & Founder at Cognixion, Brainiac Council
3:25 PM ET | Looking to the Future
Dylan Fox, Coordination and Engagement Team Leader, XR Access
3:30 PM ET | End of Show
2021 Keynote Speaker
Chike Aguh
Chief Innovation Officer, United States Department of Labor
Distinguished Keynote: “Seizing the Moment: Immersive, Inclusive, and Equitable Innovation”
Presenters & Organizers
Plenary Discussions
Designing for Equity
Building for All
Realizing Inclusive Value
Research in Accessible XR
Building a Diverse Talent Pipeline
Supporters
The 2021 XR Access Symposium is made possible by these supporters.
Accessibility accommodations for the XR Access Symposium are generously supported by Oculus from Facebook.
