Great read. I'm happy to see Kiran's growth. These days, I'm enjoying his updates on The Guide Dog training. Congratulations, Kiran. Regards,
Srinivasu Chakravarthula, CPWA Website <http://www.srinivasu.org> | LinkedIn Profile <http://linkedin.com/in/srinivasuc> | Follow me on Twitter <http://twitter.com/csrinivasu> Director of Accessibility, Watermark <http://watermarkinsights.com> On Thu, May 4, 2023 at 6:21 AM S Solomon Karuppannan <[email protected]> wrote: > American Printing House - Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 4:14 PM > Celebrating Accessibility: An Interview with Kiran Kaja > Accessibility is at the core of APH’s mission, and we celebrate > individuals who work to create an accessible world for everyone. One > of these individuals is Kiran Kaja, the Principal Product Manager on > the Shopping and Books accessibility team at Amazon, who spoke to us > about his childhood, career journey, and gave advice for those > aspiring to work in accessibility. > Growing Up in India > Kiran has retinitis pigmentosa, a congenital eye condition that caused > his vision to deteriorate over time. Today, he has only light > perception. Kiran was born in Hyderabad, India. “I didn’t start school > until I was seven years old because my parents struggled to find an > appropriate institution that would admit blind students,” Kiran said. > In the meantime, his mother learned braille and taught him how to read > and write. Later, a group of parents of children who are blind founded > a nonprofit organization that convinced a private school to enroll > their children. One parent volunteered to be a resource teacher to > assist the students. “However, we faced numerous challenges; we only > had one Perkins Brailler for all 15 students, and no textbooks were > available in braille or other accessible formats,” Kiran recalled. > “Instead, we had to use a slate and stylus to take notes in class, > with the resource teacher brailling a single copy of important > sections from textbooks that 2-3 children had to share. My father also > recorded some textbooks onto cassette tapes for me to listen to.” > Kiran also never received orientation and mobility training. > College and Beyond > After high school, Kiran earned a bachelor’s degree in Business > Administration from Pondicherry University in India. “Initially, I > aspired to become a history teacher until I stumbled upon a discovery > during my summer break before starting college: blind individuals > could utilize screen reading software to operate computers. This > revelation piqued my interest in exploring a whole new realm of career > opportunities. While I was unable to switch my major to computer > science, I persevered and instead switched to business administration > while teaching myself how to program software with online resources,” > Kiran said. > After college, Kiran moved to the United Kingdom to work for the Royal > National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) to advocate for accessible > technology. Following that position, Kiran took a job at Google in > California, where he helped establish and expand the accessibility > program for Google Search and Assistant and led the accessibility > program for Instagram. “At these organizations, I had the opportunity > to work with and learn from some incredibly talented and innovative > individuals,” Kiran explained. “I realized that focusing on delighting > customers is the key for success for the organization as well as my > personal growth. I learned to be inquisitive, ask the right set of > questions, and that there is always something to learn from every > person I meet with and every project I am involved in.” > Today, Kiran works at Amazon as a Principal Product Manager on the > Shopping and Books accessibility team. He helps teams build > experiences that are accessible to and usable by customers with > disabilities. His role involves understanding the needs of customers > with disabilities and translating them into requirements for technical > teams. > Breaking Down Barriers > Kiran has faced many barriers throughout his career due to internal > tools and applications being inaccessible. When asked how he breaks > down these barriers, he said, “I have found that providing > constructive feedback to the relevant teams can often lead to > improvements or effective workarounds. However, I have also > encountered situations where my disability, specifically blindness, is > not fully understood by my colleagues. In such cases, I take the > initiative to start a conversation and address any concerns or > questions. I believe that raising awareness about disabilities is an > important step towards creating an inclusive work environment. While > limitations such as difficulty in interpreting body language and > visual cues can be challenging, I make sure to prepare thoroughly and > focus on effective communication, especially ahead of important > meetings.” > Lessons Learned > Kiran highlighted why it’s important for businesses to consider > accessibility when creating a product or service: “Over 15% of the > world’s population have some form of a disability, and this number is > constantly growing. Making products and services accessible is not > only the right thing to do but also a wise business decision.” > However, he also warns that one needs patience and perseverance to be > a part of his career field. “The pace of progress may seem slow at > times, which can be discouraging. However, I have come to realize that > if you remain committed to enhancing the user experience for > individuals with disabilities, success will follow.” > Career Advice > Kiran advises individuals to pursue their passion. If you want to > eliminate technology barriers for individuals with disabilities, learn > about those barriers. “Engage in assistive technology as much as > possible and gain insights into the intricacies of accessibility > standards and guidelines,” said Kiran. “Challenge the existing norms > and adopt a creative mindset to explore unconventional solutions to > long-standing accessibility problems. Above all, it is critical to > validate your ideas and solutions with users who have disabilities.” > Visit aph.org/shop to find products that break down barriers to > student education. > https://www.aph.org/celebrating-accessibility-an-interview-with-kiran-kaja/ > > > David Goldfield > Assistive Technology Specialist > > -- > With warm regards > Solomon S > [email protected] > > -- > Disclaimer: > 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of > the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; > > 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails > sent through this mailing list.. > > > Search for old postings at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "AccessIndia" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/a/accessindia.org.in/d/msgid/accessindia/CAH%3DCT_-hweYVitqKcLB87CXcGLQ5_VtEftFaPAf_24qA2n5J%3Dg%40mail.gmail.com > . > -- Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list.. Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "AccessIndia" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/a/accessindia.org.in/d/msgid/accessindia/CAFHrfbxgf9e5PPynJHGF%3DRwC7FgJqtPF21XxSAdS42aR4RJeUA%40mail.gmail.com.
