Investing In Accessibility
Investing In Accessibility
Podcast Description
We aren't waiting for change, we are investing in it. Investing in Accessibility is dedicated to exploring the intersection of accessibility, entrepreneurship, and impact investing. Join hosts Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher as they speak with entrepreneurs and thought leaders who are focused on empowering people with disabilities and creating a more accessible world.Kelvin Crosby is CEO of Smart Guider Inc., which develops navigation technology enabling deafblind individuals to travel independently. Known as The DeafBlind Potter, he funded his first invention, the See Me Cane, through pottery sales. Kelvin lives with Usher Syndrome type 2 and is a staunch advocate for accessibility.Chris Maher is the Founder & General Partner at Samaritan Partners, a public benefit venture fund that invests in the disability sector. Chris founded Samaritan after spending 25 years as an operator and multi-time CEO at a variety of venture capital backed companies, and 20 years raising two daughters with disabilities.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on various topics such as accessibility innovations, entrepreneurship in the disability sector, and impact investing strategies. Episode examples include discussions on the evolution of technology in accessibility with Steve Ewell from the CTA Foundation and personal stories from Kelvin Crosby about his journey and advocacy work. The show emphasizes the importance of empowering individuals with disabilities and highlights future possibilities for accessibility initiatives.
We aren’t waiting for change, we are investing in it. Investing in Accessibility is dedicated to exploring the intersection of accessibility, entrepreneurship, and impact investing. Join hosts Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher as they speak with entrepreneurs and thought leaders who are focused on empowering people with disabilities and creating a more accessible world.
Kelvin Crosby is CEO of Smart Guider Inc., which develops navigation technology enabling deafblind individuals to travel independently. Known as The DeafBlind Potter, he funded his first invention, the See Me Cane, through pottery sales. Kelvin lives with Usher Syndrome type 2 and is a staunch advocate for accessibility.
Chris Maher is the Founder & General Partner at Samaritan Partners, a public benefit venture fund that invests in the disability sector. Chris founded Samaritan after spending 25 years as an operator and multi-time CEO at a variety of venture capital-backed companies, and 20 years raising two daughters with disabilities.
In this episode of Investing in Accessibility, co-hosts Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher kick off the holiday season with something special: a recorded panel from the RALLY Innovation Conference in Indianapolis.
Moderated by Jennison Asuncion (Head of Accessibility Engineering Evangelism at LinkedIn and co-founder of Global Accessibility Awareness Day), this conversation brings together four leaders shaping the future of disability tech and digital accessibility:
- Chris Maher – Founder & General Partner at Samaritan Partners
- Molly Lazarus – Director of the Remarkable US Accelerator
- Kate Kalcevich – Head of Accessibility Innovation at Fable
- Michael Bervell – Co-founder & CEO of TestParty
Together, they explore why disability is not a niche market but a massive, underserved opportunity; how accelerators and impact VCs are backing founders building assistive and disability-focused tech; and why accessibility is both a moral imperative and a powerful business strategy. You’ll hear how human insight and lived experience combine with AI and automation to scale accessibility, what founders in this space commonly struggle with, and why “nothing about us without us” needs to be a non-negotiable design principle.
The panel also digs into:
- The growing legal and regulatory landscape, including lawsuits and global accessibility laws
- How accessibility features like captions and curb cuts become mainstream advantages
- The travel industry and other sectors waking up to the economic power of disabled consumers and their families
- The promise and risks of AI in accessibility, and why inclusive leadership at the top matters
If you’re an investor, founder, product leader, or just curious about how innovation and inclusion intersect, this episode will challenge how you think about accessibility and show why now is the time to invest in change, not wait for it.
Links & Resources:
RALLY Innovation: Website
Jennison Asuncion: LinkedIn / GAAD: Website
Molly Lazarus: LinkedIn / Remarkable Accelerator: Website
Kate Kalcevich: LinkedIn / Fable: Website
Michael Bervell: LinkedIn / TestParty: Website
COMING SOON!
American Sign Language (ASL) and Captioning for each episode will be provided on our YouTube channel. Go to handle @SamaritanPartners.
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