Accessible Media Panel
4 pm - 4:40 pm · Discovery room
Media shapes how the world understands disability. The stories that get told, the voices that get heard, and the formats those stories arrive in determine whether people with disabilities see themselves represented, included, and respected, or left out entirely. For too long, accessibility in media has been treated as an afterthought. Captions added late. Audio description missing. Transcripts unavailable. Storytelling that talks about people with disabilities rather than with them. The result is a media landscape that often fails the very audiences it claims to serve, and a missed opportunity to use one of the most powerful tools we have to drive cultural change. This panel brings together media makers, journalists, podcasters, and storytellers who are reshaping what accessible media looks like in practice. The conversation will explore what it means to build accessibility into the production process from the start, how to tell disability stories with authenticity, and how media can move from passive inclusion to active amplification of the disability community.
Speakers
Vanessa Leu
Disabled artist and advocate, AMI apprentice, Accessible Media Inc.
Vanessa Leu is a Toronto-based Disabled artist, advocate, and community builder passionate about authentic storytelling, creativity, and accessibility. She is currently completing her apprenticeship with Accessible Media Inc. Audio, where she developed skills in pitching, producing, and editing stories for the podcast series Reflections. Her story on autism in women draws from her lived experiences with late diagnosis and internal ableism. Vanessa is also the founder of the GTA Craft Club, an accessible crafting community that hosts in-person events in the GTA to create connections through art. Alongside her creative work, she creates Access Guides for events to help attendees better understand accessibility features and accommodations. Across her work, she aims to create spaces and conversations that are genuine, welcoming, and radical. She is excited to share her experience working on the set of the upcoming Judy Heumann biopic: Being Heumann.
Niki Ramesh
Product Equity and Accessibility, CBC
Niki Ramesh leads product accessibility at CBC, Canada's public broadcaster and media company. She collaborates with research and product development teams to create innovative accessible experiences, driven by a deep understanding of the disabled community's needs. A Certified Professional in Web Accessibility (CPWA), Niki also contributes to national accessibility standards as a technical committee member with Accessibility Standards Canada. She is a co-founder and board member of Access to Success.