Bay Area native, Antoine Hunter also known Purple Fire Crow is an award-winning Internationally-known African-American, Indigenous, Deaf, Disabled, choreographer, dancer, actor, instructor, speaker, Producer and Deaf advocate. He creates opportunities for Disabled, Deaf and hearing artists and produces Deaf-friendly events, and founded the Urban Jazz Dance Company and Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival.   Learn more about Antoine's work.

Mr. Antoine Hunter

A San Francisco native and Deaf from birth, Ms Zahna is honored Changemaker of the year 2018 for San Francisco Live Oak School where she is a former alumni.  She is a professional dancer, chemist, avid health nutritionist, researcher, Deaf advocate and Deaf interpreter.  Former student at San Francisco School of the Arts (SOTA) where she trained with Elvia Marta in Modern, Jazz, African, Ballet, Hip Hop and Choreography as well as participating in Alonzo King’s LINES Pre-Professional Summer Programs.  Learn more about Zahna's work.

Zahna Simon

Harel has been a consultant in the web accessibility field for people with disabilities for over 10 years now. He participates in the Israeli standard drafting team of web accessibility regulation and promotes the field in formal way by ISOC-Il.  His expertise has ranged from making desktop and mobile accessible by WCAG for PR companies, corporate, government offices, universities, health services and many more.  Harel is a PhD candidate in Business Administration and Information Systems.  Harel's M.A. thesis discussed the field of web accessibility for people with disabilities and was presented in Oxford Internet Institute conference and others.  Learn more about Harel's work.

Harel Chait

Valerie is a real estate agent and motivated life coach, an expert at tailoring her services to the specific needs of each client.  Valerie has professional training and mindset techniques that can help motivate clients to get on track, stay on track and achieve their dreams. Through effective strategy-building techniques, she can help clients figure out how to accomplish their goals in a focused and efficient manner. Valerie's story was featured on Barcroft Studios and has exceeded over 10 million views and 38,000 shares.  Learn more about Valerie's work.

Valerie Lawrence

Saba was born in Ethiopia but lived in Canada for most of her life. She has an image consultant certification from George Brown College, and took life skills coaching courses from George Brown College. Saba did some advertising for Toronto Transit Commission to make public transportation more accessible. She was also on the board for the Toronto Rape Crisis Center.  Learn more about Saba's work.

Saba Markos

Carissa is a disability advocate whose work is focused on educating the community on the importance of disability inclusion in higher education.  Carissa’s visionary perspective has earned her opportunities to be featured as a guest speaker on panels ranging on topics from “Through My Lens: Disabled Students Perspectives on Inclusion and Empathy” to “The Accessibility in Higher Education.”  She has served as a mentor for Social Gators (an autism support group) and Vice-President of Graduate Students for Delta Alpha Pi.   Learn more about Carissa's work.

Carissa Madden

Jennifer is a legal practitioner and the founder of Life Beyond Disability Foundation (LBD).  As a practicing lawyer in Lagos, Nigeria, she has always advocated for disability inclusion in Africa particularly in Nigeria.  Jennifer believes creating a Legal community for persons living with disability in Africa will help strengthen our voice for inclusion.  Jennifer is active member of Future of Additive Manufacturing in Africa, African Diversity And Inclusion Center, International Paralympic Committee, and ICC Arbitration.  Learn more about Jennifer's work.

Jennifer Oghenewaire Nikoro

Stephen Cluskey is an internationally certified accessibility expert, an award-winning travel tech entrepreneur and co-founder and CEO of the leading global standard company for hotel accessibility, Mobility Mojo.  Stephen is considered a thought leader in accessibility.  His company’s software has been implemented in some of the most famous hotel groups on the planet and global leaders including Sir Richard Branson have publicly spoken about Stephen and his work.

Stephen Cluskey

Ryan is passionate about inspiring people with disabilities that they can do anything they want to do.  He is active in his community from conducting recreation programs, volunteering with the Best Buddies program, supporting Love Serving Autism, a tennis organization based in Florida, ambassador for the NVLD project based, and previously coached Special Olympics participants.  Ryan's work has been featured on NVLD Project, Mélange, The Special Family Connection Podcast.  Learn more about Ryan's work.

Ryan Lundy

Tanisha navigated her way through her disability difficulties with her strong love for reading and writing, she managed to study in one of the prestigious colleges in her country with bachelors in English Honours.  She later on went to study master's in international Relations from Dublin.  Tanisha has delivered speeches on the topic of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI), she has been featured on podcasts, and her work in Fast Company.  She has donned in many different responsibilities with ease ranging from student counsellor, social worker, team leader, researcher, campaigner, disability rights activist, consultant, HR head, fundraiser as well as a teacher.  Learn more about Tanisha's work.

Tanisha Dayal

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Improve your social media presence with The Resource Key's free webinar replay on 4 Ways to Make Your Social Media Inclusive and Accessible. Learn about using alt text, image descriptions, color contrast, and hashtags, as well as best practices for accessible content creation and strategies for creating an inclusive online community. Receive a webinar replay, transcript, PowerPoint, and reference outline with resources for free. Start creating a more diverse and equitable online community today.

4 Ways to Make Your Social Media Inclusive and Accessible - Free Webinar Replay

Inclusive Starter Keys:  Inclusive and Accessible Social Media.

Free Inclusive and Accessible Social Media

Learn how to begin making your meetings more inclusive with these four simple steps. From providing closed captioning to offering multiple communication options, discover how to ensure accessibility for all participants. Start your journey towards inclusive meetings with our practical tips and insights.

4 Essential Steps to Start Making Your Meetings Accessible Today

Discover The Resource Key's approach, detailing the system, methods, tools, alternative communication options to start making your meetings accessible today.

4 Ways to Start Making  Your Meetings Accessible Today

Discover key strategies for empowering individuals with disabilities, including creating safe spaces, highlighting real-life examples of successful inclusion, and actively involving them in conversations and decision-making. Learn from resources like the Disability Visibility Project and Job Accommodation Network, and understand the importance of hiring and empowering people with disabilities in leadership roles for genuine, lasting inclusion.

Empowering People with Disabilities: Actions for Inclusion and Change

Discover key strategies for empowering individuals with disabilities, including creating safe spaces, highlighting real-life examples of successful inclusion, and actively involving them in conversations and decision-making.

Beyond Duct Tape Diversity: 3 Ways for Sustainable Inclusion

Discover the personal journey of overcoming societal barriers and stigma associated with learning disabilities. This article delves into the challenges faced by individuals with learning disabilities and highlights the importance of self-advocacy and the pursuit of inclusive strategies. Follow the story of resilience as one individual defies limitations, embraces their unique abilities, and empowers others to find their voices in an often-unaccommodating world. Learn how society's perception can be transformed through understanding, support, and a commitment to inclusivity.

Living in society as a woman with a Learning Disability

"I cannot change the fact that I have a disability and how limiting society can be. The only thing I can do is use strategies to help myself be able to do things and compensate. I use my voice to speak power and hopefully a more inclusive society. " -Michelle Steiner

Interconnected will be an important word as we continue to look towards the future in building inclusion and accessibility.  Taking new information, unrelated concepts, different perspectives and interconnecting them to build out the future will be a skillset to continue to develop to continue moving forward.

Interconnected

"We want to be a community that is centered around universal design and being inclusive of all people regardless of ability. That means that we have to continue to learn about accessibility and disability, and celebrate the many contributions and gifts our disabled students bring to our campus.” -Eduardo Pazos, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs for Inclusion and Diversity

The Resource Key is proud to announce that we have been listed in The Valuable Directory, a unique resource featuring expertise within digital, physical and cognitive accessibility, as well as tools for inclusive recruitment and branding practices.  As one of only 77 successful organisations globally, we are proud to have been selected by an independent expert review panel.  Our appointment shows our ongoing support to ending disability exclusion, and we look forward to working with The Valuable 500 companies to achieve this.

The Resource Key Joins The Valuable Directory for Disability Inclusion

"The Resource Key is proud to announce that we have been listed in The Valuable Directory, a unique resource featuring expertise within digital, physical and cognitive accessibility, as well as tools for inclusive recruitment and branding practices.  As one of only 77 successful organisations globally, we are proud to have been selected by an independent expert review panel. "

Mozzeria is a pizzeria located in Washington, DC that is known for their authentic wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas.  We love that inclusion and accessibility is embedded within every area of Mozzeria.

The Restaurant Redefining How to Build Community

“I really want to see deaf employees earn the respect that they deserve, so that when somebody walks in that doesn’t sign, they see that deaf people can do everything from owning a restaurant to bartending to cooking.” — Ryan Maliszewski, Mozzeria CEO

  321 Coffee is a “coffee shop and roaster providing meaningful work opportunities to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”

321 Coffee

“Together, we are building a company that stands for inclusion and doing business the right way.” — 321 Coffee

100 Cameras “works with youth around the world who have had challenging experiences, and they teach them to process and tell their stories through photography in a way that impacts how they view themselves and their role in their community.”

100 Cameras

“Every kid – no matter their background or circumstances – deserves the right to have access to tools that support them in processing their experiences in a way that creates space for emotional freedom in their future."  — 100 Cameras

AgrAbility is a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) funded program that provides support, education, and assistance to ranchers and farmers with disabilities. AgrAbility was started through the 1990 Farm bill, the first eight State/Regional AgrAbility Projects (SRAPs) were funded in 1991. During that time, “the National AgrAbility Project (NAP) was led by Purdue University’s Breaking New Ground Resource Center in partnership with Easter Seals (national office).” 

AgrAbility

“Agricultural workers with disabilities are often unable to continue working in a manner they are accustomed to, resulting in reduced productivity and increased chance of secondary injury. But with the help of AgrAbility, many of these professionals are able to put their knowledge and expertise back into the field.”  — AgrAbility

Yes I Can provides career skills training and employment services to individuals with disabilities to assist them in developing the skills they will need to secure a career within the entertainment industry earning a competitive wage.

Yes I Can Unity Through Music and Education

“YIC believes individuals with disabilities should have the same right as non-disabled individuals to have access to a full range of available employment opportunities and to earn a living wage in a job of their choosing based on their talents, skills, and interests.” — Yes I Can Unity Through Music and Education (YIC)

Inclusively is the technology-centered inclusion solution and employment platform for job seekers with disabilities, mental health conditions, and chronic illnesses. 

Inclusively

“I believe that having a job is something that can change someone’s life. It is something that provides stability, but not just financial stability, it provides something that you can look forward to, that you can work on, that you can have successes in, that you can become better at, that you can learn to overcome challenges.” — Charlotte Dales, CEO of Inclusively

Photography and video exhibit – both online and in-studio – that showcases the food-related stories of eight disabled Canadians, eight Canadians from culturally diverse backgrounds, and eight Cowichan Valley food and beverage producers.

Cowichan Valley Disability, Culture and Food Through Art Exhibit

"I want to use my platform to showcase the stories of other people, I want to elevate their voices, I don’t want to tell their story for them, I want to give them the ability to share their stories to allow people to connect with it. Like you are sitting down with a friend over a cup of coffee and you’re learning about something that you have never ever ever have thought of before because of your own privilege and you’re like wow how have I not know about this I want to be part of a solution.”— Jules Sherred

Input from the disabled community is a critical part of any company’s inclusivity efforts. Here’s how to seek out their perspectives.

How to include workers with disabilities in your DEI initiatives

"It is important to have a company culture that welcomes people with disabilities prior to them being hired for a position. The culture is a thread that is interlaced into each area of the company, from its values to its recruitment process, efforts to retain employees and provide leadership opportunities for growth, to many other areas." -Jourdan Saunders, CEO of The Resource Key

We enjoyed reading this article about The Goodtime Hotel a few weeks ago. In the article “Grutman said the goal is to make “aspiration accessible,” and Birnbaum said the hotel will be “affordable luxury.” We looked on The Goodtime Hotel website and they specifically state all of the ways in which their hotel is accessible. We love that inclusion and accessibility were thought of from the start.

Hotel Ensuring Accessibility from the Start

“Grutman said the goal is to make “aspiration accessible,” and Birnbaum said the hotel will be “affordable luxury.” We looked on The Goodtime Hotel website and they specifically state all of the ways in which their hotel is accessible. We love that inclusion and accessibility were thought of from the start.

The Project Why is what comes to mind when starting, agreeing or pursuing any project.  Sometimes the “Why” is just as important as the project itself. Why did you agree to this project?  This question is important because when committing to a project we want to be able to finish what we started, and asking the “Why” questions allows a deeper understanding of the connection to the project, and commitment to the project. 

The Project Why

Events have the capacity to bring about change, to create spaces to develop relationships to bring about change, and gather new information to use to bring about change.

Events Empower

Authentic Representation is so important.  Authentic is key because you can have representation without it being authentic. 

Authentic Representation

Music can be such a powerful tool for activism in the community, leadership through lyrics, and communicating authentic messages. 

Who are we designing for? What are we considering when we are designing? So many more questions that come to mind when designing and more importantly inclusive and accessible design.  Honestly, we wouldn’t have to say “inclusive and accessible design” if inclusion and accessibility was a part of our design process from the start. The design process is constantly changing, evolving, open to change.  Nothing about design feels static or not changing. 

Design Impact

Who are we designing for? What are we considering when we are designing? So many more questions that come to mind when designing and more importantly inclusive and accessible design. 

Meet Our Community Experts