Complete list of presenters
Speakers are listed in alphabetical order by last name.
Geoffrey Allen, Regina Public Library
Session: Introduction to Accessible Reading Sectors
Geoffrey Allen is Director of Collections at Regina Public Library. He has worked in libraries across Canada for over 20 years and has a strong commitment to all forms of diversity and equity in library services. Geoffrey served on the advisory committee for the Public Libraries Accessible Resource Centre project.
Steve Barclay, Canadian Assistive Technologies
Session: Introduction to Accessible Reading Sectors
Steven Barclay is a seasoned Canadian leader in the assistive technology industry with over 35 years of experience in delivering technology solutions that enhance accessibility and independence for people with disabilities. He is the Founder and President of Canadian Assistive Technologies Ltd., a Vancouver-based company specializing in the distribution, sales, training, support, consultation, and servicing of assistive technology for individuals, schools, agencies, and organizations across Canada. Canadian Assistive Technologies offers a wide range of products tailored to support people who are visually impaired, have physical disabilities, communication challenges, or cognitive impairments, and includes one of the largest assistive tech showrooms in Western Canada.
Before founding Canadian Assistive Technologies, Steve was a longstanding leader at Aroga Technologies, one of Canada’s major assistive technology distributors, where he rose from early roles in service and customer relations to senior leadership, including Vice President of Sales and Marketing and Chief Operating Officer. During his tenure, he focused on matching technology to individual needs while working with education systems, government funding agencies, and independent technology assessors.
In addition to his business leadership, Steve has contributed to the wider assistive tech community, including co-founding the AT Banter Podcast — a long-running platform for accessibility discussions and assistive technology news.
Boum, Author of La méduse
Session: French Author Talk
Originally from the professional world of traditional animation, Boum began seriously dedicating herself to comics in 2011 with her series Boumeries (Glénat Québec). She then went on to tackle a variety of diverse and eclectic projects, such as A Small Revolution (Front Froid, then published in English by Soaring Penguin Press) and Nausées matinales et autres petits bonheurs (La Pastèque). Her most recent book, La méduse (Pow Pow, available in English as The Jellyfish), inspired by her health issues, has won numerous awards and nominations, including the Bédéis Causa - Grand Prix Québec BD 2023, the Prix des libraires du Québec 2024 in the BD category, and an Eisner Award. She is currently working on another long-term project with Pow Pow. She has a husband, two daughters, two cats, and a long to-do list.
Francine Boulet, Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ)
Session: User Demonstrations in French
Francine Boulet is a library clerk at BAnQ. She works mostly with the SQLA collection, but also with accessibility and disability diversity awareness. She is a user of assistive technologies and an avid reader.
Laura Brady, Accessible Publishing Consultant
Session: Introduction to Accessible Reading Sectors
Laura Brady is an accessible publishing expert who works with eBound Canada, the Accessible Books Consortium, the International Publishers Association, and Adobe among other organizations. She has more than 25 years of trade publishing experience, working in digital publishing for the past fifteen years, creating and converting ebooks, training publishers on accessible workflows, and consulting for services organizations about how to publish inclusively while worrying about everyone's reading experience. She teaches about ebooks, publishing, and accessibility at Simon Fraser University and Toronto Metropolitan University.
Website: https://laurabrady.ca/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurab7/
Melissa Castilloux, National Network for Equitable Library Service (NNELS)
Session: User Demonstrations in French
Mélissa is an Accessibility Expert with NNELS, and a consultant and researcher in accessible publishing. With a background in political science and gender studies, they approach accessibility as both a technical and socio-political issue. They are particularly interested in how standards, design, policy, and publishing practices shape equitable access to books.
Laurie Davidson, Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA)
Session: Introduction to Accessible Reading Sectors
Laurie (she/her) is the Executive Director of CELA (Centre for Equitable Library Access) and is passionate about building an accessible and equitable reading landscape for all. She has more than 30 years of experience working as a librarian and technologist in a variety of settings. She has worked in non-profits, library consortia, academic and public libraries, and the library technology industry and is interested in the intersection of systems and people, and how best to support collaboration and cooperation across organizations.
Mélanie Dumas, BAnQ
Session: Introduction to Accessible Reading Sectors
Mélanie Dumas est directrice de la collection de la Grande Bibliothèque à BAnQ. Diplômée de l’École de bibliothéconomie et des sciences de l’information de l’Université de Montréal, elle œuvre au sein de BAnQ depuis 2001, où elle assume notamment la responsabilité du développement de la collection de la Grande Bibliothèque ainsi que du Service québécois de traitement documentaire. Elle soutient le développement de collections de qualité, cohérentes et pleinement accessibles à tous les publics.
Véronique Fontaine, Association nationale des éditeurs de livres (ANEL)
Session: Introduction to Accessible Reading Sectors
Véronique Fontaine a cofondé les Éditions Fonfon en 2010. De nombreuses fois primés, les titres de sa maison d’édition se démarquent dans le paysage littéraire canadien. Spécialiste en création numérique, Véronique possède une expérience unique en déploiement de projets innovants tels que l’Atelier de création Fonfon. Son dévouement pour l’industrie du livre au Québec est reconnu et ses implications sont multiples ; elle est notamment membre du conseil d’administration de l’Association nationale des éditeurs de livres (ANEL) depuis 2017.
Peter Field, NNELS
Session: User Demonstrations in French
Peter is an Accessibility Expert with NNELS. In 2019 he completed a career with the federal public service and now is pursuing his passion in areas of diversity, inclusion, equity, and accessibility. He has done work for the province of British Columbia, the Rick Hansen Foundation, the CNIB and the Vancouver International Airport Authority. In his not so much spare time, he leads the Triple Vision podcast team in developing monthly podcasts on issues of blindness in Canada.
Ioana Gandrabur, CELA
Session: User Demonstrations in French and English
Ioana Gandrabur is a peer trainer at CELA. Herself a longtime CELA user, she is passionate about all things accessible technology and enjoys teaching it to others. She also provides support to public libraries in using CELA services to promote accessible reading. She is a professional concert guitarist, performing and teaching music internationally.
Monica Halil, Accessible Books Consortium (ABC)
Session: Introduction to Accessible Reading Sectors
Monica Halil Lövblad, Head, Accessible Books Consortium. The Accessible Books Consortium (ABC) is a public-private partnership led by the World Intellectual Property Organization, a UN specialized agency. ABC aims to implement the objectives of the Marrakesh Treaty to benefit people who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise print disabled. Ms. Halil Lövblad is a Canadian lawyer, with extensive experience in establishing and managing innovative and complex international humanitarian projects at WIPO, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC). She obtained her M.A. and LL.B. from Dalhousie University in Canada and her B.A. from the University of Toronto. She launched ABC in June 2014.
Simon Jaeger, NNELS
Session: User Demonstrations in English
Simon is an Accessibility Expert with NNELS and a lifelong technology enthusiast. Drawing on both technical expertise and lived experience, he is passionate about working with developers, assistive technology users, and everyone in between to address accessibility barriers at their source. Outside of work, he enjoys making music and getting lost in a good book.
Mattias Karlsson, Dolphin Computing
Session: Introduction to Accessible Reading Sectors
Elizabeth Kraler, eBOUND
Session: Introduction to Accessible Reading Sectors
Michael Krupp, NNELS
Session: User Demonstrations in English
Mike is an Accessibility Expert with NNELS and a forever DM for games like D&D. He is a videogame tester and advocate for accessibility in videogames. In his downtime he enjoys snowboarding, and spending as much time outdoors as possible with his Seeing Eye Dog, Lupin.
Dominic Labbé, HumanWare
Session: Introduction to Accessible Reading Sectors
Amanda Leduc, Author of Wild Life
Session: English Author Talk
Amanda Leduc is a Canadian author and disability rights advocate. She is the author of DISFIGURED: ON FAIRY TALES, DISABILITY, AND MAKING SPACE, which was shortlisted for the 2020 Governor General’s Award in Nonfiction. Her latest novel, WILD LIFE, was longlisted for the 2025 Giller Prize. She is also the author of the novels THE CENTAUR’S WIFE (2021) and THE MIRACLES OF ORDINARY MEN (2013). Amanda’s essays and stories have appeared across Canada, the US, and the UK, and she speaks regularly across North America on accessibility, inclusion, and disability in storytelling. She has cerebral palsy and lives in Hamilton, Ontario.
Daniella Levy Pinto, NNELS
Session: Introduction to Accessible Reading Sectors
Daniella Levy-Pinto (she/her) is the Manager of NNELS and leads accessibility initiatives to eliminate barriers to digital content. She works to promote a paradigm shift toward accessibility by design and equitable reading. Daniella has used assistive technologies for three decades across academic and professional settings. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Toronto.
Feather Maracle, Six Nations Public Library
Session: Introduction to Accessible Reading Sectors
Shé:kon! Aanii! My name is Feather Maracle. I am Mohawk from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, and Six Nations of the Grand River. I am Odawa and Pottawatomi from Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory.
I am a Mother to two kind, and beautiful, and gentle children.
I have been raised in my cultures and with their distinct worldviews and value systems. I am guided by traditional teachings and knowledge and I rely on this in all aspects of my life.
In the world of librarianship, I am the CEO and Director of Library Services for the Six Nations Public Library – the oldest and largest First Nation public library in the world.
I am a helper and so I sit on several professional bodies to speak up for all my relations on local, provincial, national and international levels. I hold space for Indigenous ways of knowing where librarianship and Indigenous matters intersect. I advocate for Indigenous Voices and the inclusion and recognition of Indigenous ways of knowing. I do my best to share knowledge where Indigenous matters and librarianship overlap, as an active member within those professional bodies.
Patti-Lynne McLeod, Regina Public Library
Session: Introduction to Accessible Reading Sectors
Patti-Lynne McLeod is the Accessible Services Librarian at Regina Public Library. In this role she supports library service to individuals with print disabilities and individuals using home library services. Her current work also involves building a more accessible and inclusive library experience for all.
Laetitia Mfamobani, NNELS
Session: User Demonstrations in French
Laetitia is an Accessibility Expert with NNELS, dedicated to creating inclusive digital spaces and accessible communications. She holds degrees in mathematics and philosophy and applied policy, as well as certifications in web and document accessibility.
Deanna Ng, NNELS
Session: User Demonstrations in English
Deanna is an Accessibility Expert with NNELS. She has a background in accessibility studies and communications and is a lifelong reader. In her personal time, she enjoys drawing, writing stories, and being outside in nature.
Richard Orme, DAISY
Session: Introduction to Accessible Reading Sectors
Souad Ourahma, Bibliothèques de Montréal
Session: Introduction to Accessible Reading Sectors
Souad Ourahma est titulaire d’une maîtrise en sciences de l’information de l’École de bibliothéconomie et des sciences de l’information (EBSI) de l’Université de Montréal, qu'elle a obtenue en 2007. Depuis, elle travaille comme bibliothécaire à la Ville de Montréal. Au fil des années, elle a occupé divers mandats : service d'aide aux lecteurs, services destinés au public jeune, puis services destinés au public adulte et aîné.
Depuis l’automne 2024, elle occupe le poste de conseillère en documentation à la Direction des bibliothèques de Montréal. Elle coordonne notamment le dossier de l’accessibilité universelle, en collaborant à plusieurs initiatives pour rendre la lecture plus inclusive et accessible. Elle a contribué, entre autres, au guide Découvrir la lecture à ma façon (pour l’inclusion des enfants neurodivergents), au projet Lire sans barrière, à l’élaboration d’un tableau de pictogrammes fondé sur la méthode CAA (communication alternative et améliorée), ainsi qu’à l’organisation d’une formation permettant aux bibliothécaires d’animer une heure du conte inclusive avec la CAA.
Shawna Pickard, Nelson Public Library
Session: Introduction to Accessible Reading Sectors
Shawna Pickard (she/her) Shawna brings more than 15 years of experience as a front-line worker in libraries serving small rural populations. She's currently part of the Public Services team at the Nelson Public Library where she is passionate about removing access barriers whenever possible. This is Shawna's first speaking engagement.
Jean-François Rougès, DeMarque
Session: Introduction to Accessible Reading Sectors
Melody Shih, NNELS
Session: User Demonstrations in English
Melody is an Accessibility Expert with NNELS who works to advance inclusive and barrier-free digital experiences. She is dedicated to creating clear, practical resources that help developers design and build accessible products. Outside of work, she dreams of the day when every food menu is universally accessible.
Jillian Sloane, NNELS
Session: User Demonstrations in English
Jill is an Accessibility Expert with NNELS. She has a bachelor’s in communications and a master’s in publishing, and is very passionate about Accessible publishing. In her free time, she competes both as a provincial level swimmer and a defensive player for Canada’s women’s blind soccer team, and loves spending time with her seeing-eye dog, Kiki.
Daniel Weck, EDRLab
Session: Introduction to Accessible Reading Sectors
Daniel Weck is a software engineer who works with the DAISY Consortium and EDRLab (the European Digital Reading Lab) to implement accessible reading solutions for people with print disabilities. One particular project under active development is "Thorium Desktop Reader", a cross-platform open-source reading system for Windows, MacOS and Linux. This application is designed for sighted users as well as screen reader users. Thorium Desktop Reader supports ebooks in the EPUB format, as well as PDF documents, audiobooks, and Divina comics. The application implements text-to-speech readaloud functionality and also supports pre-recorded synchronised text-audio publications in both EPUB and DAISY formats. Join Daniel's presentation to learn more about Thorium Desktop Reader!
John Ylioja, NNELS
Session: User Demonstrations in English
John is an Accessibility Expert with NNELS. He enjoys learning about assistive technology that benefits blind users and how it can help with access to books for learning and leisure reading. When not working, he likes to read and spend time with family.