Investing In Accessibility

In this powerful episode, hosts Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher sit down with AnnMarie Killian , CEO of TDIforAccess, to explore her personal journey as a deaf woman and longtime advocate for accessibility and inclusion. AnnMarie shares her experience growing up in a hearing family, discovering American Sign Language later in life, and the challenges and triumphs that shaped her leadership. The conv...

In this episode of Investing in Accessibility , co-hosts Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher dive deep into the investment process at Samaritan Partners, exploring how they evaluate businesses in the disability sector. The conversation covers the fund's unique structure as a public benefit fund, focusing on social good while achieving strong financial returns. Chris breaks down the key criteria Sam...

In this powerful episode of Investing in Accessibility , co-hosts Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher sit down with digital accessibility pioneer Mike Paciello, Chief Accessibility Officer at AudioEye and founder of The Paciello Group. Mike shares his remarkable four-decade journey—from converting print documentation into Braille in the 1980s to shaping web accessibility standards and launching multiple...

In this episode of Investing in Accessibility , co-hosts Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher dive into the difference between a Lifestyle business and Exit business. Kelvin shares his personal experience with his company, See Me Cane, explaining how he chose to build a Lifestyle business rather than pursue rapid growth through venture capital. He highlights the benefits of having more control, balancing...

In this episode of Investing in Accessibility , co-hosts Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher sit down with Mike Buckley, CEO of Be My Eyes , to explore how the company is blending cutting-edge technology with human kindness to empower the blind and low vision community. Mike shares his unconventional path from corporate consulting and angel investing to leading one of the most impactful accessibility te...

In this episode of Investing in Accessibility , co-hosts Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher sit down with two true leaders of the accessibility movement: Joe Devon and Jennison Asuncion, co-founders of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). Together, they share the incredible story of how a blog post, a tweet, and a Saturday night on Twitter sparked a global movement that now reaches over 200 milli...

In this episode of Investing in Accessibility , co-hosts Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher welcome Hale Pulsifer, Vice President of Customer Insights, Inclusion, and Advocacy at Fidelity Investments, to explore the intersection of business, accessibility, and economic opportunity. Hale shares his transformative journey from corporate finance strategist to a leader in disability inclusion, revealing ho...

In this episode of Investing in Accessibility , co-hosts Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher speak with Bob Ludke, co-founder of Value Inclusion and author of "Case Studies in Disability-Driven Innovation." Bob shares his background in disability policy with Senator Tom Harkin and his journey through public policy, sustainability, and ESG. Universal Design as a Business Strategy: The heart of...

In this episode of Investing in Accessibility , co-hosts Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher speak with Alvaro Silberstein, co-founder and CEO of Wheel the World , an accessible travel platform revolutionizing the way people with disabilities experience the world. Alvaro shares his personal journey from Chile to the U.S., his experiences traveling as a quadriplegic, and how those challenges inspired him...

In this episode of Investing in Accessibility , co-hosts Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher speak with Steve Ewell, Executive Director of the CTA Foundation, about the evolution of technology in relation to accessibility and age tech. They explore Steve's background, the foundation's mission, the growth of accessibility at CES, and the importance of innovative startups in the disability space...

In this episode of Investing in Accessibility , co-hosts Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher discuss the importance of accessibility for individuals with disabilities. Chris shares his personal journey into the disability advocacy space, highlighting the challenges faced by his daughters and the motivation behind founding Samaritan Partners, a social impact venture fund. The conversation explores the si...

Welcome to the first episode of the Investing in Accessibility podcast, with co-hosts Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher. In this episode, Kelvin shares his personal journey from being diagnosed with severe hearing loss to becoming deafblind. He discusses the challenges he faced, including multiple life-threatening experiences, and how he found healing through pottery. Kelvin's advocacy work led h...