Event Details

Join us for the 2024 Helen Keller Services Virtual Accessibility Symposium and Awards, a transformative event where technology leaders, industry experts, and advocates unite to shape the future of accessibility.

Date: October 22, 2024
Where: Online

Presentations

Award Recipients

Join us as we honor the remarkable achievements of organizations that prioritize accessibility in their products and services.

United Airlines, Booz Allen Hamilton, Lego, Apple, Be My Eyes, Meloway Makeup, Rival, and The Viscardi Center.

Symposium Presenters

Sumaira “Sam” Latif
Accessibility Leader at Procter & Gamble

Smiling pretty woman wearing a grey head scarf and light blue shirt and a silver necklace.

Sam Latif is P&G’s first Company Accessibility Leader, and is leading the P&G’s thought leadership and commitment to making products, packaging and advertising accessible for the 1.3 billion people around the world with a disability. 

Born in the UK, first generation Scottish Pakistani. Sam is blind and the passion for what she is doing at P&G has been inspired by the personal access challenges she has experienced as both a consumer and an employee. Sam studied Marketing and Business Law at the University of Stirling in Scotland and began her career at P&G in IT. She has lead IT transformations across multiple worldwide businesses including Fragrances, Pampers, Olay and Gillette. 

In 2015, Sam switched focus from running IT businesses to figuring what it would take to make P&G become the most accessible company for the consumers we are serving. She was appointed as the company’s first Special Consultant for Inclusive Design. During this time, Sam worked with the Herbal Essences business to explore how we could make it easier to help people tell the difference between shampoo and conditioner, especially in the shower when people are not wearing their corrective eyewear. It’s estimated that 79 of the population in the west wear corrective eyewear and so it’s quite hard for people to tell by sight alone our shampoo and conditioner bottles apart. 

In February 2019, Sam was promoted to Senior Director responsible for creating a disability confident culture within P&G and beyond. 

Beth Foor
Corporate Affairs, Kellanova

White female in her late 40s with shorter brown hair wearing a blue cardigan over a blue patterned shell.

Beth has been a member of the Corporate Affairs team at Kellanova (formerly Kellogg Company) since 2019. In addition to her Communications role, she served as co-chair of Kapable – Kellanova’s Business Employee Resource Group for employees with disabilities and supporters.

Beth is a passionate advocate for individuals with disabilities as she has Usher syndrome, a combination of both vision and hearing loss. She has been a key member of the team working on Kellanova’s pioneering collaboration with NaviLens to improve accessibility to some of the world’s most iconic brands such as Kellogg’s and Pringles. Beth holds both a Master of Business Administration degree and a Bachelor of Science degree from Olivet Nazarene University.

Joe Strechay
Award Winning Film and Television Producer

Headshot of Joe with white cane. Joe is wearing a button-up shirt, is in focus with the background blurred behind him.

Joe Strechay is a producer and consultant for entertainment and film projects involving blindness or disability. His projects have included Netflix’s All the Light We Cannot See, The OA, Marvel’s Daredevil; AppleTVPlus’ SEE and casting for numerous streaming networks and entertainment companies. He has advised on theatre productions, commercials, books and podcasts. He is an individual who is blind and grew up with a learning disability. He is passionate about mental health and accessing employment and your goals. Joe’s undergraduate is from East Carolina University and his graduate is from Florida State University. He has worked within and managed state government agencies in New Jersey, Florida and Pennsylvania. Joe and his wife, Jen, reside in Fayetteville, West Virginia. 

Register for the Accessibility Symposium & Awards

Questions? Contact HKSEvents@HelenKeller.org