missqueena Events

Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2015 at Yahoo Santa Monica

Details for this event can be found at the Los Angeles Accessibility and Inclusive Design Meetup.

  • Thursday, May 21, 2015 at 6:00 PM

  • Yahoo! 2400 Broadway Ave, Bldg D, 1st floor., Santa Monica, CA (map)

On May 21, we invite you to participate in Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). The purpose of the day is to get people talking, thinking and learning about digital (web, software, mobile, etc.) accessibility and users with different disabilities.

TOPICS

Ismael Herrera will provide an introduction to ‘what is assistive technology’, providing a brief history of a variety of devices used by persons with various disabilities. He will also speak on the assessment process used to determine the type of assistive technology needed by individuals with disabilities.

EmpowerTech Executive Director Joan Anderson and current EmpowerTech Board Chair and former student of the Blind Program Keith Breaux will attempt to navigate a series of trips and tasks throughout Los Angeles over the course of an entire weekend, without using any technology whatsoever. The weekend challenge, which will raise money for EmpowerTech’s program offerings, will be streamed live online, making it the ultimate reality show.

Matt Reamer will discuss affordable product accessibility.

SPEAKER

Ismael Herrera is a veteran developer of access technologies who has worked in the field since 1986. In 1995 he was invited by Xerox to participate in the creation of “Reading Edge,” a stand-alone reading scanner for the visually impaired, and in early 2000, he developed speech access for the Magic magnification software mouse which enabled blind assistive technology trainers to train persons who are partially sighted.  In addition to his work with EmpowerTech, Mr. Herrera will continue to develop mobile APPS for IOS devices to enhance the lives of persons with disabilities.

Steve Andrews, founder and executive director of Platinum Bay Technologies, a software technology company designed from the ground up to create successful and empowering full-stack software engineering careers for individuals on the Autism Spectrum. They specialize in making your business more efficient through line-of-business application development, job flow and data flow automation, and concierge CTO services for mid-sized businesses with an intense focus on user experience, maintainability, and reducing long-term code cost.

Matt Reamer is an Experience Designer at Team One USA in LA and co-founder of Dustin’s Words. Dustin’s Words is an open source communication device I built my brother that a small team and I are iterating and testing to make a a free alternative, consumer ready product for families in need.

Laura Bengford will give a brief talk on accessibility and ICANN.

COMPANY

EmpowerTech, a Los Angeles-based non-profit organization that provides computer training to persons with physical and developmental disabilities, announced the appointment of Ismael Herrera as Director of Blind and Low Vision Services. EmpowerTech is the only Assistive Technology center serving the 1.8 million people living with disabilities in Los Angeles County.

More details will be posted as they become available!

SPONSORS

Stack Overflow Careers

Co-founded by Joel Spolsky and Jeff Atwood, Stack Overflow is the trusted destination for developers to find, ask, and answer programming questions. With more than 25 million monthly visitors, it’s the world’s largest programming community. Through their hiring platform, Stack Overflow Careers lets employers reach, attract, and engage talent while helping developers find jobs they love.

VENUE SPONSOR

SOCIAL MEDIA

Web: http://www.globalaccessibilityawarenessday.org
Twitter: @gbla11yday
Hashtag: #GAAD

missqueena Uncategorized

November is Veg Awareness Month, Vegan Wineries Make a Splash

The outset of San Diego Beer Week means even popular wine hubs like Wine Steals, which serves both beer on tap as well as a large selection of wines, will have deals to cater to both brewed and fermented aficionados. The craft beer movement has expanded not just within the county, but also it’s creative reach in food and audiences with standard bar menu. Take Modern Times Brewery, for instance, whose owner has been vegan for 17+ years and manages San Diego’s only vegan brewery (honey which is made from bees, are not used in their products). In a city that is increasingly green and conscious about its food sources, San Diego is now seeing vegan wineries enter the scene.

The growth of wineries with a responsible, social philosophy has piggy-backed off the voluminous start-up scene which includes the global Startup Weekend and Entrepreneur Day. One example is California Fruit Wines in Vista, California with a company philosophy to “Rethink Wine, Rethink Business, Rethink Society.” The company also produces its own unique blends including their fall specialties, pumpkin spice and cranberry wine. In support of Veg Awareness Month, the company has donated bottles to the San Diego Veg Festival as part of it’s “Fine Wine Wednesday” giveaways to the best veg-lifestyle #sdvf social media posts.

Another conscious wine company in San Diego: Vinavanti Urban Winery & Tasting Room produces natural wines with 100% local grapes and no sulfites added. This year the winery celebrates a landmark achievement of gaining the official USDA Organic certification, being the first certified organic winery in San Diego. The makers take pride in making wines without any additives or yeast, showcasing their “Black Label” line where wine lovers can purely taste the grapes through native fermentation and without filtering when bottled. Vinavanti also takes part in this month’s Veg movement with a Vegan Happy Hour and Wine Mixer on Saturday, November 2nd at their location in Sorrento Valley near Qualcomm and Karl Strauss.

On Saturday, November 9 in North Park from 10 AM- 5 PM, thousands of health-minded foodies and wellness enthusiasts can enjoy all things veg in an all ages, outdoor street celebration. In it’s 2nd year, the San Diego Veg Festival‘s goal is to build a healthy and sustainable movement of conscious San Diegans with a live Cooking Challenge all attendees can enter, hourly yoga, giveaways from EASY 98.1, Sunday Vegan Brunch and more. The event aims to support a compassionate, plant-based, animal-friendly lifestyle. Whether you are a first time or long time vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, flexitarian, locavorian, or curious foodie, the festival is for everyone! It features 2 stages of speakers, live food demonstrations, tons of food samples, documentary screenings, a book store, recipe contest, children’s corner, a holistic exercise activities, an official post-festival brunch, and Greensteading component.

For more details, follow #sdvf for updates on Facebook or visit the website to buy tickets: www.sandiegovegfestival.com. Contact info@sandiegovegfestival.com to inquire about the cook-off or to get involved as a sponsor, exhibitor, or supporter.