Sam Kanta, PhD
Principal Accessibility Strategist, The Sustainable Change, LLC

My experience in accessibility and technology spans over 20 years, with senior practitioner roles in user research, IT project management, and accessibility lead for Fortune 100 companies and consulting for state governments and agencies in the United States. 

My introduction to accessibility started in earnest while living in Australia in 2000 when the Sydney Olympic Games website gained international notoriety for its inaccessibility. I found my purpose within digital technology—to design, develop, and deliver accessible experiences. Since then, I aligned stakeholders for digital products (Web and Mobile) through education, expert analysis, and thought leadership on accessibility. I apply my industry skillset of Organizational Leadership, User Experience Research and Design, Software Development, and Accessibility Testing and Evaluation from Retail E-Commerce, Financial Services, Healthcare, and Safety across the web and native digital platforms.

I strongly advocate for “shifting left” in the software and development lifecycle, where accessibility is incorporated in the product definition and addressed throughout design and development so that testing is not where inaccessible issues are discovered. My unwavering commitment to shaping change is evident through my active participation and valuable contributions as an Invited Expert to the W3C WAI Accessible Platform Architectures Working Group, notably the Pronunciation Task Force, and made significant strides in the accessibility field, aligning stakeholders for digital products through education, expert analysis, and thought leadership on accessibility. I bring a unique way of presenting original research and insights through the ICT Testing Symposium, AccessU (Knowbility), and the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM). 

My career experience and professional development in project management and the accessibility field equipped me to serve as the Chair of the Standards Development Stewardship Panel (SDSP) for 2023, working with others to produce the Request for Information (RFI) documentation and submissions and recently for the Request for Proposals (RFPs). 

The need for a Standardized Reporting Methodology has been a recurring topic in my conversations with C-Suite Leadership. The aspirations of organizational leaders and managers to conform to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are constantly challenged by the density and complexity of guidelines for the general population and the lack of standardized reporting. As a potential SDSP Member, I am ready to leverage my domain expertise in digital accessibility and industry know-how to ensure Contract Developers achieve the goals set out in the Standard Accessibility Reporting Inc Annual Plan and realize the benefits of SAR as part of my service to the global community.

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