Back in October 2018, I attended Microsoft's Future Decoded event in London, the presentation that stayed with me the most was from Jenny Lay-Flurrie, Microsoft's Chief Accessibility Officer.

Jenny, who is herself deaf, spoke with great enthusiasm and passion about how the work Microsoft is doing with accessibility technology was changing people's lives. As a technology enthusiast, I love to see how technology impacts the world around us, however, nothing is more inspirational than seeing how technology can literally change lives allowing people the opportunity to achieve their potential by enabling them to do something that previously they couldn't.

It's been a subject I've wanted to explore on the podcast ever since and this week I finally got the chance as I'm joined by Arran Smith, an accessibility consultant, to discuss how and why we need to make accessibility a core part of our technology strategy.

Arran himself suffers from Dyslexia and discusses how rather than hold him back it has been his inspiration to develop his own successful career. We discuss how technology plays its part in levelling the playing field for people with disabilities and how it can allow people to properly fulfil their potential.

We also discuss:

* Why accessibility shouldn't be only something "we have too" do

* While an impairment may affect a person it is often compensated by a strength elsewhere

* How Cloud is making access to accessibility technology easier

* How to build an accessibility strategy

This topic if one of the most inspiring I've had the pleasure to cover on this show and Arran provides some fantastic insights into the benefits of embracing accessibility rather than seeing it as a chore and shares his knowledge with real passion and enthusiasm.

Full show notes: https://wp.me/p4IvtA-1Gu