Meet CNIB’s team of consultants providing accessible design expertise.
Lesley MacDonald
Mike Park
Randy Firth
Debbie Gillespie
For further information on how we can help your accessibility needs visit our website at www.accesscontent.ca
Lesley MacDonald has been called “without question, the most knowledgeable authority on accessible design for persons with vision loss in Canada.” (Rob Sleath, Association of Sight Impaired Consumers). In addition to being a certified Orientation and Mobility specialist and holding an M.A. majoring in blindness rehabilitation from Western Michigan University, she has authored two definitive books about accessible design best practice for public transportation and the built environment.
Lesley has more than 20 years’ experience as CNIB’s expert in accessible design. She has given seminars for organizations such as the Design Exchange, the Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario, and the Transportation Association of Canada. In 2006, she was invited to be a plenary speaker at the Ergonomic Society’s symposium at Cambridge University. She has also participated on a number of key national and international standards-setting bodies in the field of accessible design:
- Chair, Canadian Accessible Pedestrian Signal committee, Transportation Association of Canada.
- Member of several Canadian Standards Association committees (barrier-free design, accessible banking machines, customer service and self-serve interactive devices).
- Member, Canadian advisory committee (providing input into international standards for assistive devices for people with disabilities), Standards Council of Canada.
- Canadian representative, International Standards Organization (accessible pedestrian system and tactile walking surface indicator committees).
- CNIB liaison since its inception for the Ontarians with Disabilities Act/Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act committee, and a two-year member of the AODA transportation standards committee.
Lesley’s accessible design consulting work has shaped the design of many of Canada’s most important public spaces, such as Vancouver’s SkyTrain, Whistler Olympic Village, and Pearson International Airport’s Terminal One.
Mike Park has a diverse skill set in information technologies, with more than ten years’ experience both as a web design trainer in an adult learning environment and as a technical web designer and developer. For the last three years, he has specialized in accessible website design audits and accessible technology for people with vision loss.
Leading CNIB’s website accessibility consulting service, Mike has done consulting work for major national corporations such as WestJet and CIBC, along with government and non-profit entities such as the National Capital Commission, Service Ontario and the Canadian Health Network. He is also a popular speaker, and has been invited to give presentations on accessibility training and website analysis to many small and large groups at events and conferences across Canada. He also conducts CNIB’s web accessibility training seminars.
Randy Firth has more than 20 years’ experience with CNIB in a variety of roles, covering program management, communications, public education, accessibility and advocacy. He has coordinated CNIB’s Speakers Bureau and Toronto Advocacy Committee since 1995. Currently he represents CNIB on the City of Toronto’s accessible pedestrian signal and disability issues committees.
Randy has been facilitating vision loss sensitivity workshops since 2005. He is a highly approachable and adept trainer who makes all participants feel welcome. As someone who lives with vision loss himself, he is an expert, both professionally and personally, in etiquette and sensitivity issues.
Debbie Gillespie has been in the access technology field for over 20 years. As an avid access technology and Internet user, she’s conducted numerous new product evaluations for the Assistive Devices Program for the Ontario government and conducts training sessions. She also acts as a Beta tester for both mainstream and adaptive software products.
She’s been invited to lead workshops ranging from topics such as flowcharts, formatting of tables and financial data and the computer braille code at CNIB’s Annual Braille Conference.
Debbie has served as a Canadian delegate at the general assembly of the International Council on English braille in 1999, 2004 and 2008. She holds certifications in contracted braille, proofreading and tactile comprehension.