Off-Hand Comments

The day has come and A11yminati is officially launched! I did not think that this was the way 2025 would go, but it has certainly been a year of surprises. 2024 ended with me having developed a life-altering speech disorder brought on by trauma. I was terrified that I would no longer be able to do what has defined my career: telling stories. I am grateful beyond words to everyone who rallied around me. After two months of speech therapy, I was able to recover my voice. My relief was palpable. With everything that happened I decided that needed to take time to reevaluate my priorities. I took a break to focus on my health and decide where I wanted to invest in myself. I eventually reached the conclusion that to achieve my goals I needed to make changes. I decided to leave the Inclusive Tech Lab at Microsoft. I loved working at Microsoft, and I treasure the things I learned, the products I made, and the people I met. I started looking at other jobs but could not find anything that ignited my passion; they would put me in the same place that I was moving on from. As I talked through this decision with some of my close connections, I came to realize that going out on my own made more and more sense. After a lot of soul searching I decided to take my fate in hand and go independent. Now following a few months of hard work and some amazing travel, I have founded A11yminati. I am excited to see what we can do together to make the world more accessible, equitable, and delightful. -SSR