The Accessible Brand Podcast

Episode Three: How the University of Ottawa turned accessibility into a performance strategy

What does it take to consolidate 234 websites into 18, and make every single page accessible, discoverable, and built to last? In this episode, we sit down with Nathalie Blanchard, Manager of Digital Marketing at the University of Ottawa, to explore what it means to treat accessibility as a quality standard, not a compliance checkbox. Nathalie shares how her team manages 62,000 pages across a fully bilingual digital ecosystem and why she believes accessibility and content performance are inseparable. From embedding inclusive design at the component level to leveraging AI to shift her team from analysis to action, Nathalie offers a candid look at how the University of Ottawa is building digital experiences that work for everyone. She also weighs in on the rise of AEO, the risks of vibe coding, and why the future of accessibility will always require a human at the center. A must-listen for any digital leader ready to turn accessibility into a strategic advantage.

How Harvard goes beyond compliance in making the digital world accessible

What does it take to make one of the world's most storied universities digitally accessible to everyone? In this episode, we sit down with Janell Sims, leader of Digital Accessibility Services at Harvard University, to explore what equitable digital experience really means in practice. Janell shares how her background in marketing communications and publishing shaped her human-centered approach to accessibility — and why she believes disability is never the barrier; broken technology is. From managing accessibility across more than 10,000 websites to embedding inclusive design into vendor contracts and development workflows, Janell offers a candid look at how Harvard is shifting from reactive compliance to proactive strategy that performs. She also weighs in on the promise and limits of AI agents in accessibility, the risks of "vibe coding," and why WCAG is the floor, not the ceiling. A must-listen for anyone building digital experiences that leave no one behind.

Episode One: The realities of inaccessible digital experience

About Podcast Host: Linh Ho leads global corporate marketing at Siteimprove where she is responsible for communications, customer innovation program, and thought leadership. With more than 20 years in technology marketing, she has played a critical role in helping organizations through some of the industry’s most significant transformations, including the rise of agentic AI. Linh previously held leadership roles at ServiceNow, SAP Concur, Compuware Dynatrace among others.