In this episode of Investing in Accessibility, hosts Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher sit down with Lauren Lobrano, Head of Accessibility and Global Disability Inclusion at Amazon’s Inclusive Experiences and Technology (IXT) group. Lauren shares her powerful journey from public service and humanitarian work with the American Red Cross and Wounded Warrior Project to leading accessibility efforts at one of the world’s largest companies.

Together, they explore the realities of acquired and non-apparent disabilities, the importance of long-term support systems, and why disability inclusion must be designed into products and workplaces—not bolted on afterward. Lauren introduces Amazon’s “Three Bs” framework—Bolted On, Built-In, and Born Inclusive—and explains how this mindset helps organizations reduce burnout, innovate faster, and scale accessibility globally.

This conversation dives deep into:

• Why most disabilities are acquired during working age
• How inclusive design benefits everyone, not just people with disabilities
• The role of lived experience in driving meaningful innovation
• What it takes to deliver consistent, global employee accessibility at scale
• Why community, collaboration, and courageous leadership matter now more than ever

If you’re a business leader, technologist, investor, or advocate looking to go beyond compliance and create systems that truly work for all, this episode is for you.

Links & Resources:

Lauren Lobrano: LinkedIn

Amazon Inclusive Experiences & Technology: Website

Amazon In This Together: Website

COMING SOON!

American Sign Language (ASL) and Captioning for each episode will be provided on our YouTube channel. Go to handle @SamaritanPartners.

In this in-person episode of Investing in Accessibility, Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher are joined by returning guest Joe Devon—accessibility pioneer, GAAD co-founder, and longtime technologist—for a deep dive into one of the most urgent questions of our time: Is artificial intelligence being built accessibly?

Joe introduces AIMAC (AI Model Accessibility Checker), a new benchmark designed to measure how accessible AI-generated code really is—and to force AI companies to compete on inclusion, just as they do on speed, accuracy, and intelligence.

What AIMAC uncovered is both surprising and revealing.

When Joe tested 36 leading AI models, the results challenged common assumptions across the industry. Google’s Gemini, despite excelling in traditional AI benchmarks and having extensive accessibility tools at its disposal, performed poorly on accessibility. Anthropic—often positioned as a leader in ethical and responsible AI—delivered middle-of-the-road results, raising questions about how ethics translate into inclusive outcomes. In contrast, OpenAI’s ChatGPT models consistently led the pack, a result Joe attributes to intentional focus on accessibility and sustained engagement with the disability community. The takeaway is clear: when accessibility is prioritized, it shows up in the results.

Beyond rankings, the conversation explores why inaccessible AI coding tools—especially command-line AI interfaces—pose a serious risk of locking people with disabilities out of the future of work and innovation. At the same time, Joe, Kelvin, and Chris make the case that accessible AI represents a massive opportunity: for better technology, stronger businesses, and real empowerment for disabled entrepreneurs and creators.

This episode is a call to lean in, demand table-stakes access, and ensure the AI revolution does not repeat the exclusionary mistakes of the past.

If AI is shaping the future, accessibility must shape AI.

Links & Resources:

AIMAC (AI Model Accessibility Checker): Website

Joe Devon: LinkedIn

COMING SOON!

American Sign Language (ASL) and Captioning for each episode will be provided on our YouTube channel. Go to handle @SamaritanPartners.

In this “CES All-Stars” episode, co-hosts Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher team up as they track down the most exciting accessibility innovations on the CES Expo floor. From the company that helped spark this very podcast, to products that could redefine mobility, gaming, shopping, indoor navigation, and even how Deaf individuals experience music—this episode is a rapid-fire tour of the people and companies pushing accessibility into the mainstream conversation. In addition, Kelvin shares his perspectives throughout on what it's like to navigate CES as a Dear/Blind individual.

You’ll hear highlights from:

• Aira (Troy Otillio) expanding access with on-demand ASL interpreting and a hybrid AI + human agent future for the blind / low vision community
• Disabled Life Alliance (Paul Kent) connecting innovators with capital via the Disabled Life Innovation Gateway (“Zillow for disability innovation”)
• Good Maps (Theresa Reno-Weber) high-accuracy indoor navigation & wayfinding without beacons—and why transportation hubs, campuses, and venues are jumping in
• NewHaptics (Alex Russamanno) a multi-line refreshable Braille display built for real, tactile productivity
• Good Trouble (Arman Nobari) serving 600M+ gamers with disabilities by helping studios build games accessible for every player
• Glidance (Amos Miller) an autonomous mobility aid that guides the way—hands-on, ground-connected independence
• Remarkable (Molly Lazarus) a leading accelerator supporting startups in the disability sector
• ReviMo (Alek Malashchenko) a robotic transfer device designed to bring dignity and independence at home
• PathAble AI (Burt Brooks) scaling supports so workers with disabilities don’t fall off the services cliff
• InnoSearch (Parick Long) making shopping and customer service accessible-first with voice and AI
• Tactus (Jeremy Chow) a wearable that translates music into vibration allowing Deaf and hard of hearing individuals to truly enjoy music

Along the way, Kelvin and Chris discover CES is evolving into a true accessibility hub, and prove that sometimes the best way to cover a conference is to hold onto a backpack for your dear Deaf/Blind life.

COMING SOON!

American Sign Language (ASL) and Captioning for each episode will be provided on our YouTube channel. Go to handle @SamaritanPartners.

In this special year-end episode of Investing in Accessibility, hosts Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher take a moment to reflect, celebrate, and look ahead.

As 2025 comes to a close, Kelvin and Chris revisit highlights from the podcast’s first full year—25 episodes featuring entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and innovators who are shaping a more accessible and inclusive world. From memorable guest conversations and shared laughs to meaningful moments of vulnerability and growth, this episode is about more than a recap—it’s about momentum.

The conversation also pulls back the curtain on Samaritan Partners’ progress, including recent investments across disability tech, inclusive employment, mental health, fintech, and accessible tourism. Chris breaks down what it means to invest in accessibility, who can invest, and why accessibility is increasingly not just the right thing to do—but smart business.

Looking ahead to 2026, Kelvin and Chris preview what’s next for the podcast, including the upcoming Accelerator Series, live recordings from CES, appearances at major conferences, and continued growth in the accessibility ecosystem. They also share personal reflections—from entrepreneurship and partnership journeys to creativity, healing, and finding purpose through service.

This episode is a heartfelt wrap-up of an incredible year and an invitation to keep moving forward—together.

COMING SOON!

American Sign Language (ASL) and Captioning for each episode will be provided on our YouTube channel. Go to handle @SamaritanPartners.

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.

In this episode of Investing in Accessibility, co-hosts Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher kick off the holiday season with something special: a recorded panel from the RALLY Innovation Conference in Indianapolis.

Moderated by Jennison Asuncion (Head of Accessibility Engineering Evangelism at LinkedIn and co-founder of Global Accessibility Awareness Day), this conversation brings together four leaders shaping the future of disability tech and digital accessibility:

• Chris Maher – Founder & General Partner at Samaritan Partners
• Molly Lazarus – Director of the Remarkable US Accelerator
• Kate Kalcevich – Head of Accessibility Innovation at Fable
• Michael Bervell – Co-founder & CEO of TestParty

Together, they explore why disability is not a niche market but a massive, underserved opportunity; how accelerators and impact VCs are backing founders building assistive and disability-focused tech; and why accessibility is both a moral imperative and a powerful business strategy. You’ll hear how human insight and lived experience combine with AI and automation to scale accessibility, what founders in this space commonly struggle with, and why “nothing about us without us” needs to be a non-negotiable design principle.

The panel also digs into:

• The growing legal and regulatory landscape, including lawsuits and global accessibility laws
• How accessibility features like captions and curb cuts become mainstream advantages
• The travel industry and other sectors waking up to the economic power of disabled consumers and their families
• The promise and risks of AI in accessibility, and why inclusive leadership at the top matters

If you’re an investor, founder, product leader, or just curious about how innovation and inclusion intersect, this episode will challenge how you think about accessibility and show why now is the time to invest in change, not wait for it.

Links & Resources:

RALLY Innovation: Website

Jennison Asuncion: LinkedIn / GAAD: Website

Molly Lazarus: LinkedIn / Remarkable Accelerator: Website

Kate Kalcevich: LinkedIn / Fable: Website

Michael Bervell: LinkedIn / TestParty: Website

COMING SOON!

American Sign Language (ASL) and Captioning for each episode will be provided on our YouTube channel. Go to handle @SamaritanPartners.

In this episode, co-hosts Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher welcome a very special guest: Chris’s oldest daughter, Charlotte Maher—an EMT-turned-emergency management professional whose life with spastic hemiplegia has forged extraordinary resilience. Charlotte shares early memories (and family stories) of therapies, leg and back braces, and the infamous “constraint camp,” then traces how those experiences shaped her confidence, leadership, and service mindset.

Charlotte takes us inside life on an EMS crew, the power of teamwork-based accommodations, and why inclusive planning isn’t a nice-to-have in crises—it’s table stakes. Fresh from FEMA’s Emergency Management Basic Academy, Charlotte demystifies tactical project management, whole-community planning, and accessible communications—closed captions, ASL, multilingual alerts, and more. This warm, funny father–daughter conversation delivers practical insights on designing for everyone, building resilient systems, and picking yourself up and dusting yourself off to keep moving forward.

Links & Resources:

Charlotte Maher: LinkedIn

GWU Campus Safety: Website

FEMA: Website

COMING SOON!

American Sign Language (ASL) and Captioning for each episode will be provided on our YouTube channel. Go to handle @SamaritanPartners.

Join hosts Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher for an inspiring conversation with Cara Yar Khan, founder & CEO of The Purple Practice, former UNICEF humanitarian, filmmaker, and fierce disability advocate. Cara traces her multicultural roots and early activism, the winding journey to a rare diagnosis of hereditary inclusion body myopathy, and how she learned to lead, pitch, and live with radical authenticity.

This episode dives into Cara’s multicultural upbringing and early passion for service, her transition from denial to embracing disability with pride, and her practical framework for storytelling and fundraising through the “Issue, Action, Impact” model. She discusses navigating ableism with grace, managing entrepreneurial burnout through confidence and community, distinguishing between healthy struggle and harmful suffering, and finding joy in small “Everest moments” of progress. Along the way, Kelvin, Chris, and Cara unpack lessons on authenticity, preparation, confidence, and the sustaining power of community in entrepreneurship and advocacy.

Links & Resources:

Cara Yar Khan: LinkedIn

Cara's Film: Facing the Falls

Cara's Website: Here

Cara's TED Talk: Here

COMING SOON!

American Sign Language (ASL) and Captioning for each episode will be provided on our YouTube channel. Go to handle @SamaritanPartners.