A social entrepreneur with a passion for technology and disability, Shilpi Kapoor started BarrierBreak with a vision to make technology accessible for people with disabilities. BarrierBreak focuses on digital accessibility and were the pioneers to start the conversation around web accessibility in India.

Today, Shilpi with a team of 200+ accessibility experts with more than 65% of them having a disability, she has successfully built a sustainable business model in web accessibility testing & accessibility consulting servicing companies globally.

“Making websites and mobiles apps accessible to people with disabilities is critical to creating an inclusive web. Companies need to start to look at the business opportunity that the 1 billion people with disabilities provide.

At BarrierBreak, we understand people with disabilities. Accessibility is in our DNA, our teams include people with disabilities. In addition, we have been working in the space of digital accessibility since 15+ years!

For our customers, our focus & understanding of disability, our technical understanding of the web accessibility standards and guidelines and our years of experience serving customers globally make the difference.” says Shilpi Kapoor.

About Women Transforming India (WTI Award)

Hon’ble Defence Minister of India Shri Rajnath Singh presented the WTI Awards by Niti Aayog to the trailblazing 15 women entrepreneurs.

The WTI Awards 2019 received over 2,300 applications of which the Top 30 and then the Final 15 were shortlisted through a three stage evaluation process consisting of independent assessment and Jury and Super Jury Rounds.

To know more about the WTI Awards 2019 and the 15 amazing women role models Read the Press Release by Niti Aayog.

The post Shilpi Kapoor, CEO BarrierBreak – A Digital Accessibility Firm recognized as one of the Top 15 Women Transforming India by Niti Aayog appeared first on Leader in Offshore Accessibility Testing | Section 508 Compliance | WCAG Conformance | BarrierBreak.

Shilpi is a serial social entrepreneur who has founded BarrierBreak and 247 Accessible Documents with a vision to empower people with disabilities using technology. With an industry experience of 18 years she has built a sustainable business model by assisting Government, Corporates, Education Institutes & NGOs to implement accessibility in their products and solutions. She pushed the envelope in news and media by developing NewzHook – 1st news mobile app  in the world that is inclusive and accessible by providing curated news which is also available in Indian Sign Language.  She has been instrumental in drafting the National Policy on Electronic Accessibility and has advocated to promote the Web Content Accessibility Guideline at the state level in India.

“OpenAIR has shifted the goal post on how developers can learn & implement accessibility while supporting non-profit organizations. For me personally, the impact that the model can have in the acceptance of accessibility globally is exciting! The opportunity of accelerate the awareness of accessibility is what made the decision easy to accept the position as Chair for OpenAIR. Look forward to work with Sharron Rush and her amazing team at Knowbility!” says Shilpi Kapoor.

Awarded the FCC Chairman’s award for Innovation in Accessibility in 2015, OpenAIR pairs developers and designers who want to grow their accessibility skills with non-profit organizations seeking new websites. They are given mentorship and expert training that helps grow their accessibility skills, which they then use to compete in building the most accessible website. The OpenAIR Advisory is made up of internationally renowned accessibility experts. This year, one of the advisory’s objectives will be to divide the competition into two sections, professionals and students, with the aim of familiarizing students with the basics of accessibility as early in their education as possible.

“As an entrepreneur and visionary, Shilpi Kapoor is the embodiment of OpenAIR principles.” said Knowbility Executive Director Sharron Rush. “Shilpi is uncompromising in her commitment to equal access for all and has a proven record of effective engagement with the global technology community around accessibility issues. We are honored that she has accepted the leadership position for the 2017/2018 OpenAIR program and look forward to working with her to promote accessible design around the globe.”  

About BarrierBreak

BarrierBreak Solutions Pvt Ltd http://barrierbreak.com is an accessibility firm based in India specializing in accessibility testing and development and providers of assistive technology. BarrierBreak believes that technology can empower people with disabilities and elderly to live independently. With this vision, we create awareness, work towards advocacy, and provide accessibility solutions to assist people with disabilities in using technology. BarrierBreak works towards creating an inclusive society, a society where equal opportunity is provided, ease of access to employment, education, social life, and encouraging independent living for all. BarrierBreak team has a passion to excel and comprises of people from diverse backgrounds with 75% of our staff being persons with disabilities.

About Knowbility, Inc.

Austin’s Knowbility, Inc., www.knowbility.org, is an 18-year-old, international leader in accessible IT for people with disabilities.  Since the first Air competition in 1998, Knowbility has provided accessible web training to hundreds of corporations, government agencies and community-based organizations throughout the nation. Knowbility’s accessibility testing and consulting team has guided and the creation of more than 1,000 accessible web sites http://atstar.org/making information accessible to the 55 million Americans with disabilities. ATSTAR, Knowbility’s professional educational initiative for assistive technology in the classroom, currently serves thousands of special education students, their teachers and parents in four states. The AccessWorks program employs people with disabilities as document remediation specialists, user experience testers and Quality Assurance specialists.

Register for OpenAIR at https://www.knowbility.org/community/openair/ or contact Jessica Looney, at jlooney@knowbility.org.

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