Release Date: Wednesday – July 1, 2026
Episode description, speaker bios, transcripts, and resources for Episode 155: Technology, Accessibility, and Equality in the Real World
Guest: Esther Klang, Accessibility Professional, Speaker, Writer, and Advocate
Moderator and Host: Marsha Schwanke, Web Specialist- Southeast ADA Center
Disclaimer: Accessibility cannot be guaranteed for external websites. The Southeast ADA Center provides these resources as a courtesy and does not endorse, take responsibility for, exercise control of the organization, or monitor its website content.
Contents
- About Esther Klang
- Accessible Technology Resources
- Assistive Communication and Technology Organizations
- Digital Access Resources from the ADA National Network and Regional ADA Centers
- ADA Live Podcasts and Resources on Communication Technology and Accessibility
- Assistive Technology at Work
- About Universal Design
About Esther Klang
Website: EsthersWalkingJourney.co
Email: Esther@EsthersWalkingJourney.co
LinkedIn: Esther Klang’s LinkedIn
Esther’s Story: Words Hurt: Reclaiming the Language of Disability
Accessible Technology Resources
- How to Make Emerging Tech Work for Communities with Disabilities
Source: New America
Web: newamerica.org/insights/ai-tech-inclusion-disabilities-design - Democratizing Digital Access for People with Disabilities
Source: Southern California Easter Seals
Web: socal.easterseals.com/about-us/community-stories/democratizing-digital-access-for-people-disabilities - Accessibility Internet Rally (AIR)
Source: Knowbility
Web: knowbility.org/programs/air - New NTIA Data Show 13 Million More Internet Users in the U.S. in 2023 Than 2021
Source: National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)
Web: ntia.gov/blog/2024/new-ntia-data-show-13-million-more-internet-users-us-2023-2021 - Disability Access in Tech: Bridging the Digital Divide
Source: Changing Paces
Web: changingpaces.com/disability-inclusion-in-tech-bridging-the-digital-divide - United States Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (USSAAC)
Email: info@ussaac.org
Web: ussaac.org - What is Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASLHA)
Web: asha.org/public/speech/disorders/aac - Growing Up With AAC
Source: American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA)
Web: asha.org/public/speech/disorders/growing-up-with-aac - National Digital Inclusion Alliance
Web: digitalinclusion.org- New Digital Navigator Resources Added to the NDIA Resource Library
Web: digitalinclusion.org/blog/new-digital-navigator-resources-added-to-the-ndia-resource-library - Updated Digital Navigator Definition and New Standard
Web: digitalinclusion.org/blog/updated-digital-navigator-definition-and-new-standards - Fifty Billion Dollars, and Patients Who Can’t Log In
Web: digitalinclusion.org/blog/fifty-billion-dollars-and-patients-who-cant-log-in
- New Digital Navigator Resources Added to the NDIA Resource Library
Assistive Communication and Technology Organizations
- AAC Institute
Web: aacinstitute.org - Association of Assistive Technology ACT Programs
Web: ataporg.org - International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Web: isaac-online.org/english/home - National Joint Committee for the Communication Needs of Persons With Severe Disabilities (NJC)
Web: asha.org/njc - National Joint Committee for the Communication Needs of Persons With Severe Disabilities (NJC) Communication Bill of Rights
Web: asha.org/njc/communication-bill-of-rights - American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA)
Web: asha.org - Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America
Web: resna.org - Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Communication Enhancement
Web: rerc-aac.psu.edu
Digital Access Resources from the ADA National Network and Regional ADA Centers
- Digital Access Video Series from U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights (OCR)
Web: adata.org/ocr-videos - Digital Access Basics Resources: Check. Test. Eval.
Web: adasoutheast.org/digital-access-basic-checks-testing - Course: Digital Accessibility
Web: rockymountainada.talentlms.com/catalog/info/id:183
ADA Live Podcasts and Resources on Communication Technology and Accessibility
You can access all ADA Live! episodes with archived audio, accessible transcripts, and resources at ADAlive.org. Most episode transcripts are also available in Spanish. (Transcripciones de los episodios en español.) Listen on the SoundCloud ADA Live! channel at soundcloud.com/adalive.
- Episode 152: New Opportunities for Job Success for Workers who are Blind: The Monarch Rise Project | Episode 152 Resources
Podcast: adalive.org/episodes/episode-152
Resources: adalive.org/resources/episode-152-resources - Episode 150: A Self-Advocate Asks Questions About Using Supported Decision-Making | Episode 150 Resources
Podcast: adalive.org/episodes/episode-150
Resources: adalive.org/resources/episode-150-resources - Episode 134 Resources: ‘I Am in Here’ – Elizabeth Bonker’s Mission to Expand the Power of Neurodiversity | Episode 134 Resources
Podcast: adalive.org/episodes/episode-134
Resources: adalive.org/resources/episode-134-resources - Episode 133: ADA Rule on Accessibility of Web Content and Mobile Apps Provided by State and Local Government | Episode 133 Resources
Podcast: adalive.org/episodes/episode-133
Resources: adalive.org/resources/episode-133-resources - Episode 39: Universal Design, Accessibility, and the ADA | Episode 39 Resources
Podcast: adalive.org/episodes/episode-39
Resources: adalive.org/resources/episode-39-resources
Assistive Technology at Work
- Accessible & Inclusive Technology in the Workplace
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)
Link: dol.gov/agencies/odep/program-areas/employment-supports/technology - Universal Design in the Workplace
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)
Link: dol.gov/agencies/odep/program-areas/employment-supports/universal-design - Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT)
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)
Link: peatworks.org - Find Your State Assistive Technology (AT) Program
A national network that provides technology and devices to increase, maintain or improve functional capabilities for people with disabilities at home, at work, or in the community.
Source: National Assistive Technology Act Technical Assistance and Training (AT3) Center
Link: at3center.net/state-at-programs - Universal Design and Assistive Technology in the Workplace
Source: Job Accommodation Network (JAN)
Web: askjan.org/topics/univdes.htm - Inclusive Design Can Remove Barriers, Prevent Social Isolation
Source: Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
Web: shrm.org/ResourcesAndTools/hr-topics/behavioral-competencies/global-and-cultural-effectiveness/Pages/Inclusive-Design-Can-Remove-Barriers-Prevent-Social-Isolation.aspx
About Universal Design
- What is Universal Design?
Source: The UD Project
Web: universaldesign.org/definition - Universal Design: Process, Principles, and Applications
Source: DO-IT – Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology
Web: doit.uw.edu/brief/universal-design-process-principles-and-applications - Global Universal Design Commission
Web: globaluniversaldesign.org - Center for Universal Design
Source: North Carolina State University
Web: design.ncsu.edu/research/center-for-universal-design - Ronald L. Mace Universal Design Institute
Web: udinstitute.org - The Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access
Web: idea.ap.buffalo.edu - Institute for Human Centered Design
Web: humancentereddesign.org - Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation (CIDI)
Source: Georgia Tech
Web: cidi.gatech.edu - United States Access Board
Web: access-board.gov - National Center on Universal Design for Learning (NCUDL)
Web: udlcenter.org