A2A Team Page

Founder

Board of Director

Chair of A2A

Grant & Fundraising Subcommittee Member

• Carol-Ann has  a +25 year career as interactive marketer in sales, promotion, networking and event planning along with an extensive background in the real estate industry from sales, property appraisals and property tax assessments.
• She puts emphasis on being an advocate for the "marginalized": those facing social and community oppression or adversity. Her passion, and compassion, especially for People with varying (dis)Abilities has stemmed from her own battles and life experiences, plus what she has seen others go through. 
• Carol-Ann has many disabilities such as ADHD and dyslexia since childhood, in her youth dealing with depression, anxiety, then in adult years battling the affects /disabilities of a brain tumour and treatments which created further intellectual and physical disabilities. 
• She took her adversities in life along with empathy for others facing theirs, along with her career experiences and created Access 2 Accessibility (A2A).
• She aims to fill a gap that her and others found, a lack of resources for career minded and entrepreneurial people with disabilities.
• Carol-Ann looks to others as role models and words of wisdom. One of her favourite persons is Helen Keller whose two quotes help to guide Carol-Ann: "When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the CLOSED door that we do not see the ONE which has been opened for us." And "We are never really happy until we try to brighten the lives of others". These two quotes lay the foundation for Carol-Ann to find her purpose in life, and to strive for personal and professional growth. 
• Some of Carol-Ann's  volunteer positions: Member of the Mississauga Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) since 2005 including being a member of the AAC Subcommittees, Facility Accessibility Advisory; Promotional Accessibility Awareness. She is also a member of the Region of Peel's Accessibility Advisory Committee.
• She is a recipient of the Mississauga 2021 Covid Heroes for the work she does with A2A during the Covid pandemic

To contact Carol-Ann:

Carol-Ann@Access2Accessibility.com

Business Development & Community Engagement

Board of Director

Vice-Chair of A2A

Grant & Fundraising Subcommittee Member

•  Mary does speaking engagements promoting A2A and  advocating for the  empowerment of people with disabilities, such as being a panel speaker at the  Region of Peel 2019 International Day of Persons with Disabilities Event. 
• She is a  Co-Host of Entrepreneurs & Professionals, with Disabilities Meet Up. 
• Part of her work at A2A is  developing new program ideas and workshops for Access 2 Accessibility.
• Mary is the 2021 CRLT (Community Recreation and Leadership Training) Alumni Award from Dawson College.
• Mary began her career as a Recreation Therapist by achieving her Bachelor of Arts,  Specializing in Therapeutic Recreation, from Concordia University; and a Diploma in  Community Recreational Leadership Training from Dawson College. 
• Mary used her education and transferable skills to become an Employment/Training Specialist with  over 20 years experience in counselling and case management for persons  with disabilities. During this time, she achieved her certification in Community Mental  Health Case Management from George Brown College. 
• As a Little Person, Mary is a strong advocate in the community, serving as a Committee  Member for both the Region of Peel and City of Mississauga Accessibility Advisory Committees.
• She is a member of  the Little People of Ontario Association. 
• Mary is a member of Trillium Toastmasters. 

To contact Mary:

MaryD@Access2Accessibility.com

Board of Director 

•  Marcela is a co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Enterprise Stress Management 
• She is also an accessibility  consultant and assistive technology expert in higher education. 
• Marcela has a Master’s in biomedical  engineering from the University of Toronto,.
• She has experience researching, designing, and  implementing assistive technologies to improve movement and communications for persons  living with physical or intellectual disabilities. 
• She is an advocate for entrepreneurs with  disabilities and has a passion for empowering her clients with technology-based tools to  optimize their studying and working environments for performance and success. 

Board of Director

• Paul Daniel has been an audio producer at Accessible Media for more than 20 years. 
• He was a political assistant in the Ontario government and a candidate in a provincial election.
• Paul was a newspaper journalist at the (now-defunct) PULSE Magazine. 
• He is a published writer. He is currently researching and co-writing, with his friend Joe Zammit, on a political biography of Louis St. Laurent, Canada’s 12th Prime Minister.
• He has been a member of Trillium Toastmasters, a public speaking organization since, as he says, “Trudeau was prime minister. Pierre, not Justin.” 
• He has been an Area Director for Toastmasters and a mentor for a new club. 
• He is a vigorous supporter of accessibility for people with disabilities and has never met a cause he didn’t believe in.

Board of Director

• Alicia is a Senior Product Manager at Bell. 
• She solves problems at the intersection where business goals, human needs, & technology meet. 
• Following the War Amps philosophy of “amputees helping amputees,” as well as, taking a human-centered and research-informed approach, her background allows her to see products as experiences and treat them as such. 
• She has more than 10 years of professional experience contributing to all stages of the product and design life cycles — from running discovery research to leading international programs. 
• She has a proven passion for developing innovative solutions that combine cutting-edge technology with a deep understanding of human needs.
• To learn more about Alicia please visit her website:

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