In this special episode we share the New England Drupal Camp keynote speech from Brian Charlson.   Brian shares the struggles of a blind person using a good website and bad website. 

Brian Charlson is a national authority on assistive technology for persons who are blind or visually impaired.  Brian has worked at the Carroll Center for the Blind as both a classroom instructor and as the Director of Technology over the last 30 years.  Blind himself, he has dedicated his career to ensuring that persons with vision loss have equal access to technology and the skills to independently use it in their daily lives.

As Director of the Carroll Center for the Blind Computer Training Services program, and as the Chair of the Information Access Committee of the American Council of the Blind, he has worked with Sun Micro Systems, Adobe Systems, Microsoft, IBM and may other companies to improve the accessibility of mainstream products and services. While working with Freedom Scientific, GW Micro, AI Squared and Duxbury Systems, among others, to assure that access technology keeps up with the rapidly changing information technologies used in school, offices and places of public accommodation.

Brian has presented at national and international technology, leadership and special education conferences including traveling to Spain, Israel, Greece, England, Canada and Australia.  He is often a guest speaker on subjects related to access to technology for those with disabilities at universities, library associations and other media events. Brian has taken leadership roles in local, state, national and international consumer groups including the Bay State Council of the Blind, Library Users of America, American Council of the Blind and the World Blind Union.  Brian is an advocate for quality services for people who are blind so that they can achieve their individual best. 

Brian’s current passions include universal design so that mainstream technologies can be used by everyone; making access technology training available to everyone who needs it; Major League Baseball as a fan of the Boston Red Sox and internet radio as the co-host of the Yin Yang Show on ACB Radio Interactive.