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HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons hosts the most downloaded sports podcast of all time, with a rotating crew of celebrities, athletes, and media staples, as well as mainstays like Cousin Sal, Joe House, and a slew of other friends and family members who always happen to be suspiciously available.
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In this episode of Investing in Accessibility, co-hosts Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher sit down with Angela Lean, Senior Accessibility Program Lead at Microsoft, for a powerful conversation about turning disability into a true competitive advantage. Angela shares her lived experience of having a stroke at age 12, how her perspective shifted from “succeeding despite disability” to “succeeding because of it,” and why she now sees disability as a core asset in her life and work.
Angela walks us through her unconventional career path—from answering phones in Senator Tom Harkin’s office just after the ADA passed, to shaping accessibility and AI initiatives inside one of the world’s largest tech companies. She explains how Microsoft is using AI to support employees with disabilities, improve tools like screen readers and captioning, and build services such as the Enterprise Disability Answer Desk. The conversation digs into why accessibility is not a cost center but a massive market opportunity touching 1.5 billion people, how entrepreneurs can plug into Microsoft’s ecosystem, and how AI can personalize work so that disabled and non-disabled people can use the same tools on an equal footing. If you care about inclusive innovation, the future of work, or investing in accessibility as good business—not just good intentions—this episode is for you.
Links & Resources:
Angela Lean: LinkedIn
Microsoft Accessibility Support for Customers: Website
Microsoft Marketplace: Website (trusted source for cloud solutions, AI app, and agents)
The Huddle for Families: Website
COMING SOON!
American Sign Language (ASL) and Captioning for each episode will be provided on our YouTube channel. Go to handle @SamaritanPartners.
Chapters
1. Warm Welcome And Banter (00:00:00)
2. Introducing Angela And Lived Experience (00:01:40)
3. From Deficit To Asset Mindset (00:05:25)
4. Disability As Innovation Fuel (00:10:45)
5. The 1.3 Billion Market Case (00:12:40)
6. Career Zigzag To Microsoft Accessibility (00:15:40)
7. Building An Internal Accessibility AI Agent (00:19:10)
8. Inclusive Design And Screen Reader UX (00:23:20)
9. Enterprise Disability Answer Desk (00:26:20)
10. Go‑To‑Market For Accessible Tech (00:29:00)
11. Beyond Screen Readers: AI For All Disabilities (00:33:40)
12. Tech Transitions And Learning Curves (00:38:00)
13. Leadership With Lived Experience (00:41:20)
14. Real‑World Use Cases: Pacers And Hunter College (00:45:40)
24 episodes
