In this powerful episode of Investing in Accessibility, hosts Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher welcome Ben Ogilvie, Head of Accessibility at ArcTouch and board member of the GAAD Foundation. Ben shares his deeply personal journey into accessibility—from adapting technology for his father after a life-changing accident to advocating for inclusive design following the birth of his son with a brain injury and epilepsy.

The conversation explores how Ben turned lived experiences into a career mission, ultimately shifting ArcTouch’s product philosophy to include a third pillar: accessibility, alongside usefulness and delight. Ben breaks down how ArcTouch supports clients—from scrappy startups to Fortune 100 corporations—by embedding accessibility into the entire product lifecycle. He emphasizes that accessibility is no longer a "why" conversation, but a “how,” and he illustrates the power of real user feedback over compliance checklists in driving change.

Key Topics Covered:

• Personal stories that fuel professional impact
• ArcTouch’s accessibility-first design philosophy
• Working with startups vs. large enterprises on inclusive design
• The Inclusive App Accelerator and its ecosystem of partners
• The role of AI and low-code platforms in scaling accessibility
• Strategic advocacy through GAAD Foundation and industry leadership

Links & Resources:

• Ben Ogilvie: LinkedIn
• ArchTouch: Website
• ArcTouch’s State of Mobile App Accessibility Report: Report
• GAAD Foundation: Website
• A11Y NYC Meetup: Website

COMING SOON!

American Sign Language (ASL) and Captioning for each episode will be provided on our YouTube channel. Go to handle @SamaritanPartners.