TECHNATION Presents a Future of Work Series Event:
Raising the Bar on Tech Accessibility and Inclusion
FREE EVENT
The umbrella theme of this event is ‘Raising the Bar on Accessibility and Inclusion’ – using technology as a tool to bring people together, make communities stronger, and empower individuals to succeed. Two noteworthy Amazonians – Brendan Gramer, Sr. Manager, UX/Design – Payments Design and Global President of AmazonPwD, and Celine Lee, Alexa Canada Country Manager – will give fireside chats on how our technology teams are inventing and simplifying ways to bridge gaps, create opportunities, and build a better world.
- Fireside Chat 1: Brendan Gramer, Senior Manager, UX/Design & Payments Design, Board of Directors, Member – Amazon Design Leadership, Global President of AmazonPwD interviewed by Aleks Jeremic, Amazon PWD Canada (20 – 25 minutes)
- Fireside Chat 2: Celine Lee, Country Manager, Alexa Canada interviewed by Fawn Annan, CEO, IT World Canada (20 – 25 minutes)
Date: Tuesday, October 25, 2022
Time:
5:00pm – 5:30pm: Guest arrival and reception
5:30pm – 6:30pm: Fireside chats
6:30pm – 7:00pm: Cocktail Reception / mingling
Location: YYZ18 (18 York Street, 7th Floor, Toronto)
BIOs
Fawn Annan, CEO, President & CMO, ITWC, publisher of ITWorldcanada.com
Fawn Annan is the CEO and Chief Marketing Officer of ITWC (IT World Canada), the country’s most significant B2B IT digital media house. It produces award-winning news channels and digital marketing services for technology companies. Fawn is also a former Board Director for TECHNATION and an active member.
Celine Lee
My job at Amazon is Alexa Country Manager in Canada. My team’s mission is to work smart on delivering products and services that are delightful and locally relevant for CA customers. We work on everything from product launches (like launching a new Echo device), to new skill partnerships (like working with Apple and Spotify to make their services available through Alexa), to more consumer-focused campaigns like what Alexa’s responses should be for Canada Day or each NHL game). It’s a great professional opportunity, the best part for me is first, that I get the opportunity to work on and directly influence products that makes the life of customers easier. Second, this role gives me the ability to bring people together, which have different backgrounds and different expertise, to create something better.
Brendan Gramer
Brendan Gramer is a Senior User Experience (UX) Designer on the Consumer Payments team at Amazon, and has been with the company for 11 years. Gramer is passionate about advocating for accessible design at Amazon, and serves as an internal advisor and stakeholder within the company’s Design Tools & Resources Working Group, AUX (Accessibility to the UX Design Community), and for various initiatives focused on Deaf representation in accessibility, diversity, and inclusion. Brendan is the Global President of the AmazonPWD (People with Disabilities) affinity group, and created Amazon’s ASL logo.
Gramer is the recipient of several awards recognizing his work and advocacy, including Honorable Mention at the 2011 FCC Chairman’s Award for Advancement in Accessibility, the Northwest Access Fund’s 2016 Innovation Award, and Amazon’s 2019 Global Accessibility Awareness Month (GAAM) Award in the ‘Relentless Forward Progress’ category. Brendan is an active advocate for the deaf community, and holds various volunteer leadership roles including the Hearing Loss Advisory Council of the Washington Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Deaf Kids Code, United Airlines Accessible Travel Advisory Board, and the Deaf Thrive Steering Committee.
Brendan was born profoundly deaf in Chicago to a hearing family. He grew up using oral communication, and learned ASL later in life. He currently uses a mix of both modalities, and lives in Seattle with his Deaf wife, Deaf sons, and two yellow labs. Gramer uses his life experiences, and passion for self-advocacy and change to help make the world a more inclusive and accessible place for the Deaf community.
Thank you to our sponsors:
Host Sponsor:
Media Sponsor
Event Details