DynamicsCon 2021 Keynote-Megan Lawrence, Taylor Dorward, & Shawn Dorward-Accessibility in Technology

Dr. Megan Lawrence Dr. Lawrence will be discussing the Microsoft Accessibility story, growth of the disability community, and the current state of mental health. Megan Lawrence is the Sr. Accessibility Technical Evangelist at Microsoft with 15 years of experience working with the disability community. Dr. Lawrence builds trusted relationships with customers, NGOs, and Assistive Technology partners to further Microsoft’s mission of empowering every person and organization to achieve more through the lens of inclusion. Megan works deeply with customers and the disability community to keep them up-to-date on the latest at Microsoft Accessibility including how we can partner with organizations to help build cultures of digital inclusion and how accessibility is the path to innovation. Dr. Lawrence is the co-chair of the People with Mental Health Conditions discussion group within the Disability employee resource group at Microsoft. She leads the Accessibility User Research Collective (AURC), a partnership with the Shepherd Center, as a way to improve the accessibility of Microsoft products through feedback from people with disabilities. Taylor and Shawn Dorward This father and son team will share their journey through Taylor’s recovery and how they define accessibility in technology. From their experiences they will educate us on accessibility challenges and improvements we can make to create a successful environment for everyone. Taylor Dorward, a 21-year-ol d college student in South Carolina who loves baseball, friends, and family (including the dogs). Recently he suffered a brain injury after nearly drowning in a swimming pool. As a result of his injury, Taylor was left blind. From a coma to come back kid, his story is not about what happened but about what he is doing to get his life back. With his love for learning, hard work ethic, and therapy he is no longer considered blind but visually impaired. Despite not being able to see well and inability to read, Taylor is discovering new ways in and outside of technology to be successful. Taylor plans on continuing through school and obtaining his OTA (Occupational Therapy Assistant) certification and help people regain their independence. Shawn Dorward is Taylor’s father, and a business professional focusing on efficiencies and maximizing the return on technology investments. After using Microsoft Dynamics products for nearly 15 years as an end user, Shawn found himself better serving the community as a consultant. Shawn is the Practice Manager at Dynamic Consulting, Microsoft Dynamics Gold Certified Partner, and shares his Dynamics product tips and tricks here.