Summary
The September 2025 Issue of the Latest: Start Ups, Heading to O-H-I-O, and a Creator Spotlight
👋 Welcome to the September 2025 issue of The Latest! Where we are upping our game and shooting for the stars! 
Start Ups and Access Brick Walls
Tech innovation is moving at a rapid rate, especially in everything AI, coaching, and that entrepreneurial spirit!
I continually explore innovative tools as part of my own professional journey, including from start ups and new business owners.
It’s always so inspiring and encouraging to see this creativity at work.
Unfortunately, I am also constantly reminded of how little accessibility is part of the start up culture.
Just in the last week:
- No captions on training videos for new software platforms.
- New tech apps that cannot be used with a screen reader.
- Being pitched a “create your AI voice avatar” in a 1:1 meeting when I am using ASL (and not voicing).
The first two are about design, the last is about awareness.
When I step out of the accessible bubble I’ve built for myself (so I can thrive and do my job!), I am surprised at how many basic steps are missing.
Especially in our new and innovative spaces.
I do give feedback, and educate and inform as much as I can.
Accessibility is one person, one organization, one step at a time!
The secret sauce?
Include disabled people as part of your start up team, pilot testing, and design process. These insights are invaluable part of creating an accessible product or service.
Want to learn more?
Join me on Linked In — together with 11,000 followers who have deep expertise in disability and accessibility!
Heading to O-H-I-O
I’m super excited about my upcoming visit to The Ohio State University!
The highlight of the trip is my keynote presentation:
“The Accessibility Mindset: Building Pathways to Success for All Students”
This presentation invites you to think about how to move from a checklist approach to accessibility to one that is infused throughout the student experience. Drawing from her work with postsecondary students with disabilities – in research, teaching, and mentorship – Dr. Cawthon brings lived experiences, busted myths, and concrete strategies to life. This presentation is a shared journey in what we can do to build our own accessibility mindset.
Together we will explore:
- How an accessibility mindset can be a catalyst for positive change.
- What the research shows about what works (and what doesn’t).
- Models for sustainable collaboration that draws on the whole community.
This presentation is open to the public! Thursday, September 25th, 5:30-7:00pm.
Bring the Accessibility Mindset to Your Workplace
Disabled Creator Spotlight: Marina Forgue
For Marina, living with Cerebral Palsy isn’t a daily tragedy—it’s more like a comedy with unexpected plot twists and opportunities to shine. She refuses to let Cerebral Palsy define her; instead, she uses it as a platform to teach, inspire, and help others who haven’t yet found their voices to raise them loud and proud.
In October 2016, Marina stepped onto a TEDx stage—not just to tell her story, but to share practical steps for becoming more ABLE in life, disability or not.
She likes to say she’s dis-labled, not disabled. Marina has found her voice, and with her passion for disability advocacy, she’s turning Cerebral Palsy into a tool for good, laughter, and lasting impact.
👉 Both of Marina’s TEDx talks are featured on her LinkedIn profile, along with articles where she shares her journey with Cerebral Palsy—both in the workplace and beyond.
And Finally…
It’s fall so it’s time for Longhorn Football! I always have a good number of student-athletes in my classes, especially in season. I’m ready to cheer them on and be part of the village that supports our student-athletes.
A selfie of Dr. C. in the “bubble” practice facility on campus. She’s got long light brown hair, is wearing a white shirt, and smiling big. She’s got the Hook ‘Em sign up! There’s a Go Horns! orange text image at the top right of the screen.