Introduction

Hello gang,
Before I launch into the boring bits about my past, I just wanted to say how excited I am to be part of this group. I had the great pleasure of meeting Sharon earlier this year and she made quite the impression on me. Having the chance to collaborate with her is one of the reasons I decided to sit in on the EO meetings at TPAC. Upon arriving, I was struck, almost immediately by the group dynamic, which was different from any of the other W3C entities I've witnessed. This group really has the feel of a family, and as someone who values personal relationships I was drawn in like a moth to the flame :)
As an outsider, I have always been a huge supporter of the work done here, as I really believe in the value it brings. I have met a few of you over the years, and am looking forward to meeting and working with you all. I love collaborating with bright, passionate people, so I feel like I have found my place in the Universe. Thank you all for being so warm and welcoming.
My Bits...
I am an IT professional by trade, with almost two decades in the trenches in various capacities. I have spent a large portion of that time as a front-end developer, and am in awe of the web as a platform and transformational technology. From the perspective of accessibility, I became interested when I came across and purchased Joe Clark's book "Building Accessible Websites", but did not become actively involved until I joined the CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind) as a SharePoint admin / dev in 2011. My time at CNIB was very rewarding both personally and professionally. At CNIB I was able to learn more about the issues affecting people with disabilities, and as colleagues become friends the issues become very personal.
In 2013 I made the jump to Accessible Media Inc (AMI)<http://ami.ca/> in 2013 as a Program Manager for their web platform. One of the first people I met was Robert Pearson, who at the time, was a Director of Marketing, but also the defacto accessibility person with the organization. In 2014 AMI created the role of Accessibility Officer, as a means to position accessibility as a priority within the organization and evangelist externally. Robert was promoted into that role, and he and I collaborated extensively until his unfortunate passing almost two years ago.
Through my dealings with Robert I became further entrenched in the accessibility community, and was fortunate to meet many talented passionate people who I've learned (and continue to learn) from. When the role of Accessibility officer was posted again, eight months after Robert's passing, I leapt at the opportunity. Fortunately for me, my CEO took a chance and I was elevated into this role in September of 2016.
Its been a whirlwind from that point, but I've loved every second of it. I'm happy to say that I am in a dream job, and have been afforded innumerable enriching opportunities. Aside from my work with EO, here are some of the other things I am currently tangled up in:

  *   Chair of Described Video Best Practices Committee in Canada
  *   Member of Media and Entertainment IG (W3C), AC rep
  *   IAAP rep and member of multiple committees
  *   Member of FCC's Disability Advisory Committee (DAC) Video Programming subcommittee
  *   Accessibility Strand Advisor for Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA)
  *   Program Advisory Committee member - Mohawk College
I am also very fortunate to have a wonderful family including an incredibly supportive wife, daughter (14) and son (12). None of this would be possible without their support.
Anywho... that's me in a nutshell. If anyone has any questions let me know.
Looking forward to working with everyone!
Take care,
Chris
Chris O'Brien
Accessibility Officer
416-818-9411
ami.ca<http://www.ami.ca/>
@a11ycob<https://twitter.com/a11ycob>
[AMI: Accessible Media Inc]

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