Our team

Our team consists of highly experienced industry experts who, despite diverse backgrounds, share the following fundamental traits:

Collaborative
Curious
Practical
Creative
Considerate

Combined, the Open Inclusion team brings years of experience from many different professional perspectives. We have worked with regional, national and global organisations across financial services, retail, transport, broadcasting and communications, technology, consumer goods, health, entertainment, beauty and fashion.

Welcome to the team who live
and breathe the Open ethos.

Leadership

Christine Hemphill

Managing Director

Pronouns: she/her

United Kingdom

"At Open, the thing that excites me the most is that the market in which we operate is maturing fast There is so …”

Robert Hemphill

Client & New Proposition Director

Pronouns: he/him

United Kingdom

“At Open, I am excited by the opportunity to work with a fantastic team to develop a business that can have a positive …”

Location:

Geneva/London

Quote:

“At Open, the thing that excites me the most is that the market in which we operate is maturing fast. There is so much more awareness and understanding of the value of inclusive insight, design and innovation now, and the industry is becoming more professional and, in parts, more effectively collaborative.”

Background:

Christine founded Open in 2015 to enable the perspectives of disabled and older consumers to inform better design and innovation more easily and consistently.

She is an experienced inclusive research leader and Human Centred Designer who considers which humans are considered at the centre of design. Christine is also an innovator having created new businesses in new markets, new products, services and experiences for a number of decades in digital, physical and customer service environments. She loves supporting others innovate and has been an inclusive insight expert at a range of accelerators and intrepreneurship programmes.

Christine leads the team to ensure that the research design, analysis and delivery provides consistently professional, robust and practical insights well targeted to the objectives.

Christine often speaks at conferences and keynotes business sessions on inclusive design, innovation, research practices, CX, UX and specific emerging technologies.

She leads the Market Research Society’s Unlimited Group (disability-inclusive research), is an active member of the inclusive design workstream for XRAccess (immersive design) community and the Zero Project Network. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and in Asian Studies from the ANU, MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management, and CPACC from the IAAP.

What I enjoy:

When not managing the growth and delivery quality of our work at Open, she can generally be found in a café with her husband, kids or friends or on a mountain cycling, running or skiing some Alpine trail.

Location:

Geneva/London

Quote:

“At Open, I am excited by the opportunity to work with a fantastic team to develop a business that can have a positive impact on people’s lives.”

Background:

Rob’s role at Open Inclusion is to lead new opportunity development, client engagement and support, organise the broader research program and support the delivery of great client projects. He also oversees Open’s operations and support teams.

Rob has over 20 years of experience leading teams to design, build and run digital products and innovative solutions. He has led teams across consulting, digital agency and the financial services industry to both improve and enable the innovation processes and culture. He also build’s and deliver new initiatives aimed at improving the customer experience and operational excellence.

Rob is passionate about the opportunity to bring more diverse perspectives to our clients to better enable ideation and improve proposition development and the value of the innovation. This will deliver better solutions to all their customers, including those with specific access needs.

What I enjoy:

When not focusing on helping to enable the growth of Open, Rob is usually spending time with his family or enjoying the great outdoors.

Ali Ingersoll

Global Head of Community

Pronouns: she/her

North America

"I love working at Open because of the people. We work with an incredible team who are all compassionate, insightful, ..."

Africa Munyama

Research Director

Pronouns: he/him

United Kingdom

“I am delighted to be working with the talented team at Open and delivering insights informed by people's ..."

Location:

North Carolina, United States

Quote:

“I love working at Open because of the people. We work with an incredible team who are all compassionate, insightful, collaborative, and share the same mission of advancing disability inclusion in our society.”

Background:

Ali leads Open Inclusion’s global community engagement and development. She is a disability strategist, advocate, and powerful, positive communicator.

Ali is based in the US and has extensive global experience having lived and worked around the world, including in China and Australia. In her role at Open, Ali helps us effectively develop valuable strong mutual relationships with individuals and community advocacy groups.

This generates opportunities for those with valuable lived experiences to work, get involved in inclusive innovation initiatives, and engage in paid research opportunities. These support the community and help businesses better serve customers with disabilities and grow the inclusive capability of their organizations.

Ali holds a Bachelor of Business Administration specialising in entrepreneurship from the Herbert Business School at the University of Miami.

What I enjoy:

Ali enjoys swimming as a C6 quadriplegic, traveling, and outdoor accessible adventures.

Location:

United Kingdom

Quote:

“I am delighted to be working with the talented team at Open and delivering insights informed by people’s lived experiences that will help to positively transform lives.”

Background:

Africa is an experienced Research Director with 20+ years in policy, strategy, communications, insight, and brand exploration, specialising in qualitative research within the social sector. He has extensive expertise in engaging diverse audiences, including vulnerable and minority groups, on a range of topics including health inequalities, financial exclusion, and disability impacts.

Having spent decades immersing himself in people’s lives he understands the challenges and struggles people face but also how to overcome the challenges in driving engagement and participation and ensuring that research is accessible and inclusive.

Given his social research background, he is passionate about designing research approaches that are appropriate for vulnerable and/or under-researched audiences and is a big proponent of designing participant-centred approaches and thinking carefully about the ethical and safeguarding considerations of any research projects.

What I enjoy:

Africa loves exploring cities and taking photographs of them and their residents. Spending time with family and friends (typically with food and drink!) also brings him joy.

Naomi Boal

Research Director (maternity leave)

Pronouns: she/her

United Kingdom

“I'm delighted to be part of open, where our research inspires change and delivers better customer experiences …"

Julie Ellison

Research Director

Pronouns: she/her

Northern Ireland

“At Open the thing that excites me is the opportunity to challenge assumptions about disability, use accessible ... "

Location:

London

Quote:

“I’m delighted to be part of Open, where our research inspires change and delivers better customer experiences for all. Positive impact doesn’t happen by magic but there is something magical when you see it happen!”

Background:

Naomi has over eight years experience in qualitative research and public engagement. She has a deep understanding of the travel and transport sector and prior to Open, she led a mixed-method team of qualitative and quantitative researchers specialising in transport research.

She was strategic research partner to Transport for London and over the course of her research career she has worked closely with customer insight, marketing and UX design teams across the private and public sector (Ordnance Survey, Welcome Trust, Honda R&D).

Her dream world is one where every product, service or policy is designed with the people it affects. Her reality is a close-second, supporting clients each day to do this through high quality research and engagement.

What I enjoy:

Outside work Naomi is usually drawing, walking or talking to friends and family. Sometimes all three.

Location:

Northern Ireland

Quote:

“At Open the thing that excites me is the opportunity to challenge assumptions about disability, use accessible research methods and include the disabled community in research design to ensure all voices are heard. This means we can deliver better products, services and experiences for everyone!”

Background:

Julie is a creative, innovative and strategic Research Director, with 15 years of experience. She specialises in qualitative research and strategy. Julie has expertise born from experience developing bespoke research methodologies suited to meeting the needs of a wide variety of participants, including the diverse spectrum of disability. She brings a comprehensive toolkit and different perspective to every project.

Julie is passionate about inclusive research and design,. She is an active member of the steering group of MRS Unlimited (disability inclusive research sector group). She engages stakeholders through storytelling and impactful presentations to communicate peoples’ lived experiences in practical and compelling ways that engender change.

She has worked across a wide range of sectors including FMCG, Healthcare, Banking, Technology and Education sectors, enjoying the opportunity to work with disruptive technologies and new product or service development for large global brands such as Unilever, Reckitts, D&G and Sephora.

What I enjoy:

Julie enjoys socialising with family and friends, listening to live music and taking the occasion dip in the Irish sea (not for the faint hearted!).

Location:

London

Quote:

“At Open, I get to explore how communication needs shift in different spaces. I’m excited anytime I can get my hands on a design that might make communication clearer, easier, more satisfying for more people.”

Background:

Kate is an Inclusive Researcher Manager at Open. She has over 15 years of experience as a communication researcher, studying how people with disabilities, especially people with deafness and hearing loss, understand and create rich, multi-layered messages using their hands, bodies, and voices.

Before joining Open, Kate researched sign languages and signing communities in the United States, Mexico, Israel, and Sweden.

With a background in experimental design, Kate brings a knowledge of how and why to combine qualitative research methods with quantitative methods to meet specific research needs. She is in her element when adapting research approaches for real-world settings, from the family kitchen to the art gallery.

What I enjoy:

When Kate isn’t working you’ll likely find her hiking a trail outside of the city, or snacking next to one.

Research, Design and Innovation

Julius Baker

Senior Researcher

Pronouns: he/him

United Kingdom

“I’m thrilled to be part of Open Inclusion’s team and wonderful community, working to ...”

Charlotte Redgewell

Research Operations Manager

Pronouns: she/they

United Kingdom

"At Open the thing that excites me the most is the opportunity to work with people with so many different ..."

Location:

London

Quote:

“I’m thrilled to be part of Open Inclusion’s team and wonderful community, working to amplify the voices and enhance the experiences of people with disabilities through meaningful, impactful research”

Background:

Julius is an Inclusive Researcher at Open with nine years of qualitative research experience. He holds a PhD in Human Geography, focused on racialised social inequalities in Britain and specialising in participatory ethnographic methods for working with marginalised communities.

His passion for equity and inclusion led him to Open, where these values are championed through innovative, person-centred, disability-focused research.

What I enjoy:

I love exploring new places, being outdoors, and having adventures with people I cherish or just met. I surf, I read, and I often indulge in reality TV.

Location:

London

Quote:

At Open the thing that excites me the most is the opportunity to work with people with so many different experiences and perspectives, helping to make their voices heard and contributing to meaningful research that has a positive impact in the world.

Background:

Charlotte has worked in market research since 2021 has worked with clients including charities, transport and retail, across all different kinds of methodologies. Taking on projects inside and outside of work, she loves a good spreadsheet and seeing a plan come together so people can do their best work.

She has a passion for inclusion, learning and community, and is looking forward to working with participants and hearing their voices to help make their time with Open as enjoyable as possible.

What I enjoy:

Outside of work you can probably find them doing DIY or cooking up a big meal for friends.

Location:

United Kingdom

Quote:

“Accessibility is an endurance sport! We need to pace ourselves to be here for long term, making change as fast as we sustainably can.”

Background:

Sophie is an inclusive research manager at Open. She is fascinated by people and loves using research to shine a light on the diverse range of needs that people have in order to inform better products and services.

In previous roles she has led the research and development of a symptom tracking app which was co-designed with people with arthritis, as well as helping teams adapt their research processes to become more inclusive.

Sophie has an academic background in psychology, but also brings a wealth of experience from 14 years in the charity sector, working with a wide range of people experiencing homelessness, unemployment, mental health challenges, long term conditions and more. Sophie also has a keen interest in neurodiversity and decolonising research.

Daanish Farqui

Director of Research - Middle East and North Africa region

Pronouns: he/him

United States

"I'm excited about Open's commitment to using research specifically to empower otherwise neglected and ...”

Bethan Blakeley

Inclusive Researcher

Pronouns: she/Her

United Kingdom

“What I most enjoy about working with Open is the work that we do. The fact that I’m able to help give people a voice, and ensure that services and products for them include them, at every step. It feels good doing something that actually matters.”

Location:

United States

Quote:

“I’m excited about Open’s commitment to using research specifically to empower otherwise neglected and potentially marginalized communities. And I’m even more excited to lead its efforts in the Middle East and North Africa.”

Background:

Daanish is a pracademic, a Ph.D. trained researcher with years of experience in policy and advocacy spaces. An expert in migration and mobility, he has worked at length at refugee issues and forced displacement in the Middle East and North Africa, in particular the Syrian refugee crisis.

Informed by having lived and worked in nine different countries, Daanish brings a cosmopolitan view to his work. He is excited to further disability-focused research in the MENA region.

What I enjoy:

In his spare time, Daanish enjoys cooking multiple global cuisines alongside his beautiful wife.

Location:

United Kingdom

Quote:

Background:

I am a mixed methods researcher, which means I’m equally comfortable with qualitative and quantitative research, and also have statistical analysis expertise. I love those bigger projects where I’m able to get my hands dirty across all three! I have also spent time in agencies as well as with brands, so I understand how to make research land, how to make sure it’s usable and not just ignored after it’s delivered.

I’m in research because I’m obsessed with people. Rom the very start, I knew I wanted to work with people. I love talking to them, understanding what they think, what makes them tick, what matters most to them. I also love helping companies connect with people and making sure that what they do lines up with what people want, and need. My job is bridging the gap between the two and making sure both sides of the problem understand each other!

What I Enjoy:

My first language is Welsh. I love being bilingual, but sometimes it does mean I lose the English words for things – if this happens, stick with me – I’ll get there eventually!

Inclusive Researcher Training and Development

Ash Sims

Disability Inclusion Training and Development Designer

Pronouns: she/her

South Africa

“I am delighted to join the team at Open Inclusion and contribute to their meaningful work in ..."

Anna Landre

Disability Inclusion Training and Researcher

Pronouns: she/her

United Kingdom

“I've most enjoyed the rich variety of subjects related to disability that we engage with here at Open. Disability is ...”

Location:

South Africa

Quote:

“I am delighted to join the team at Open Inclusion and contribute to their meaningful work in accessibility and inclusion. As a Cochlear Implant user and an individual with cerebral palsy, I have personally experienced these challenges, making this opportunity even more significant to me.”

Background:

Ash’s passion for inclusion and accessibility initially led her to pursue a Bachelor of Education, with the goal of teaching and making a meaningful impact in this field for future generations. She then furthered her studies in Language and History Education—another area of personal interest.

Following the completion of these studies, the onset of the pandemic presented unforeseen challenges. With widespread mask usage limiting the ability to rely on lip-reading, traditional teaching became a less viable option. This led to an opportunity in the EdTech sector, where Ash began working as an instructional designer. Over time, her role evolved into that of an accessibility specialist, aligning closely with her personal experiences and expertise.

While working in the EdTech industry, she chose to further their academic journey by pursuing a Master’s in Inclusive Education at the University of Glasgow. The above background and experiences led Ash to Open Inclusion where she will be developing the team’s learning design, development and delivery capability. In addition to supporting the delivery of training Ash also works to progress Open’s community development and engagement whose insights underpins the training.

What I enjoy:

In my spare time, you will find me reading, or finding new foodie spots in Cape and exploring new places.

Location:

London

Quote:

“I’ve most enjoyed the rich variety of subjects related to disability that we engage with here at Open. Disability is a cross-cutting issue that should be integrated into all sectors and fields.”

Background:

Anna leads the Mobility & Dexterity community at Open Inclusion in the UK.

She is a wheelchair-using activist & researcher whose work spans the disciplines of disability studies, humanitarianism, international development, urban planning, human-computer interaction, community activism, and social care policy. Within these, she focuses on the disability law “implementation gap”, in which progressive legal standards often fail to improve disabled people’s lives in practice. Her PhD at the Global Disability Innovation (GDI) Hub at UCL consists of a project to study and map disabled people’s organizations (DPOs) globally.

Anna also works the Global Research & Response Lead at The Partnership for Disaster Strategies, a US-based disability-led organization. There, she continues to support disabled people in crises across the world. Before this, Anna served the Washington, DC, government as a twice-elected Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner. She was recently ranked fourth on the Shaw Trust’s Disability Power 100, a list of the 100 most influential disabled people in the UK. Anna grew up in Howell, NJ, USA.

What I enjoy:

In her free time, you can find Anna visiting art museums and (weather permitting) reading in parks around London. She also enjoys making good trouble, and her advocacy efforts have been featured in outlets including The New York Times, Washington Post, Forbes, Vogue, and others.

Breandan Ward

Disability Inclusion Training and Development

Pronouns: he/him

United Kingdom

"I love working at Open because we're not interested in telling our clients what they need to change. We help ..."

Joanne Kibbey

Co-researcher

Pronouns: she/her

United Kingdom

“At Open, I get involved with interesting projects and have had the pleasure of meeting some great ...”

Location:

United Kingdom

Quote:

“I love working at Open because we’re not interested in telling our clients what they need to change. We help them to DO the change, and BECOME the change – building a more inclusive world one product, one service, one experience at a time.”

Background:

Breandan is a disability strategist, educator and leadership coach with a deeply informed and experienced academic and business background. When not working on projects with Open, Breandan works as an Adjunct Professor at New York University teaching disability-inclusive organisational strategy to graduate students. Previously he spent over 15 years in investment banking in London and New York rising to global leadership roles during a period of progressive sight loss due to an inherited retinal disease. He is a recognised global leader within the disability community and works with organisations like Dialogue in the Dark actively addressing disability-related stigma and progressing social awareness and attitudes. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and holds an Exec. Masters in Public Administration from NYU and an undergraduate degree in Commerce and French from UC Dublin. Breandan is an avid runner and loves music, travel and languages.

Location:

London

Quote:

“At Open I get involved with interesting projects and have had the pleasure of meeting some great people with a variety of lived experiences.”

Background:

Joanne supports Open Inclusion as co-researcher in the United Kingdom, helping the team understand relevant disability-informed contexts to design and deliver better projects.

She is a well-connected and active member of a number of disability community associations and an active research co-creator and advocate for inclusive research and solutions here at Open Inclusion.

She has lived experience of a fluctuating condition having lived with Relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis for some time. Joanne is also a research professional with decades working in market research roles such as at Kantar, both in the UK and in Asia.

She is a member of the UK Market Research Society.

What I enjoy:

When not working or volunteering Jo enjoys time with her friends & family, especially going to live events

Greg Weinstein

Inclusive Research Educator

Pronouns: he/him

United Kingdom

“At Open I enjoy that I get to work with a group of people who are incredibly passionate about inclusion and ...”

Location:

United Kingdom

Quote:

“At Open I enjoy that I get to work with a group of people who are incredibly passionate about inclusion and the ability to make the world more equitable via research.”

Background:

Greg is a design researcher and accessibility designer with a passion for creating inclusive products and experiences. A mixed-methods researcher with over 15 years experience doing human-centered research, Greg has a background in Anthropology and Music, as well as a natural curiosity about how people interact with each other and with technology.

His areas of expertise include digital accessibility, healthcare, transportation, and a variety of anthropological research approaches. In addition to research, Greg has extensive experience as an educator and describes himself as an “acoustic tinkerer,” exploring ways to understand and design the world through sound.

Greg holds a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from the University of Chicago, and is also a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC) through the International Association of Accessibility Professionals.

What I enjoy:

In Greg’s free time you’ll find him tending his garden veggies and native flowers, reading a good mystery on the front porch, or taking care of cats at his local animal shelter.

Community leadership

Juliette Burton

Mental Health/Illness

Pronouns: she/her

United Kingdom

“At Open, I am part of a collective and inclusive community. Mental Illness can be so isolating even with public ...”

Jonathan Marriott

Mental Health/Neurodiversity

Pronouns: he/him

North America

“At Open I get to be my authentic self and provide feedback in a supportive and non-judgmental environment.”

Location:

London

Quote:

At Open, I am part of a collective and inclusive community. Mental Illness can be so isolating even with public engagements and campaigning and advocacy. Being a part of a collective community all learning from each other and wanting to make the world a better place is meaning.

Background:

Juliette leads the mental health community at Open Inclusion in the United Kingdom.

She is also an ambassador for Rethink Mental Illness and runs training and consultancy on mental illness and disability.

She is best known as a comedian and actress, using her talent for writing and performing comedy to bring this stigmatised area of disability to people’s awareness and help us think about it differently while being entertained.

What I enjoy:

She has performed sold-out one-woman shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for over 5 years and has won many awards for her performances. Juliette has also written on mental illness, health and disability for The Independent, Huffington Post, BBC News, Cosmopolitan and Metro Online.

Location:

Toronto, Canada

Background:

Jonathan Leads the neurodiversity and mental health community at Open Inclusion in North America.

Jonathan is neurodiverse and an advocate for people with disabilities. He is passionate about ensuring people can independently access and engage within and across the community as they need and wish to, by adopting a holistic approach toward meaningful inclusion.

Jonathan works as a Director for an Accessibility Advisory Service Social enterprise. He has a wealth of international experience in the accessibility of the built environment, accessible transportation, and creating accessible policies and guidelines for the workplace.

Jonathan has a Masters in Business Management and is a Professional Member of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals. He also serves as the Chair of the Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit for the Toronto Transit Commission.

What I enjoy:

I love to travel, and have been to 54 countries so far. I enjoy keeping active, working out, going to yoga and also Spin class.

Chris Kibbey

Just kept getting Older

Pronouns: he/him

United Kingdom

“At Open the thing that excites the most is working with a positive & motivating group of people who are all ... ”

Alesha Savannah

Mobility/Dexterity

Pronouns: she/her

North America

“At Open, I love the online community.”

Location:

Georgia, United States

Background:

Alesha leads the mobility and dexterity community at Open Inclusion in the North America.

Alesha, injured in an automobile accident leaving her a T 10-11 wheelchair user from a spinal cord injury, she believes in and paying it forward and helping others to live their best lives in her community and with us at Open. Alesha notes that becoming disabled, not only saved her life, but changed her life to make a positive impact for people with disabilities in improving their quality of life.

She encourages people within her community to create a more inclusive society through collaborative partnerships.

What I enjoy:

Alesha loves to travel, try new things, try new adaptive sports, and empower people. In 2022, she was crowned Ms. Wheelchair Georgia and dived head first into the community and advocacy!

Location:

London

Quote:

“At Open the thing that excites the most is working with a positive & motivating group of people who are all committed to positive change in the disability space.”

Background:

Chris leads the “Just Getting Older Community,” a role that dovetails with his work at Age UK as a Digital Inclusion Outreach Worker providing older people with the digital skills needed in today’ s online world.

Chris came from an IT background where he built project management tools for online insurance and healthcare companies. He has experience as a carer and volunteered with a Neurotherapy Centre in South London.

Chris is based in the UK and has previously lived in Taiwan where he taught English.

What I enjoy:

Chris has many hobbies when time permits, including miniature modelling, photography and astronomy.

Lynn Cox

Vision Impairment

Pronouns: she/her

United Kingdom

“At Open, the thing that excites me most is helping the next generation of technology to ensure it can be ..."

David D'Arcangelo

Vision Impairments

Pronouns: he/him

North America

"At Open, the thing that excites me most is working with wonderful people who are committed to providing opportunities ...”

Location:

London

Quote:

“At Open, the thing that excites me most is helping with the next generation of technology and ensuring it can be as accessible to as many people as possible, so visually impaired people don’t get technologically left behind. Having the chance to inform design principles from scratch is exciting.”

Background:

Lynn leads the vision impairment community at Open Inclusion in the United Kingdom.

She has firsthand experience of disability through her own visual impairment. She is also experienced in other impairment perspectives, issues, technical and personal solutions through her integration with the other panel leads.

Her passion is effective interaction and inclusion for disabled people through increased business and community awareness, skills, and confidence.

Lynn is an experienced Disability and Visual Equality Trainer. She has has been working for nearly two decades with commercial, public and third sector organisations. With a wonderfully combined creative and technical background, she has worked with major disability and arts organizations. She is also an established artist, creating sculptures and mixed-media works that have been exhibited in a range of galleries.

Lynn holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Fine Art as well as Mathematics and Computing.

What I enjoy:

She has served for some time as trustee and then Chair of Extant and Vice-Chair of The Audio Description Association and Director of Disability and Inclusion for MAMOMI Initiative (an organization to enhance the experiences and expand the possibilities available to the visually impaired, deaf-blind, and those at risk of exclusion).

Location:

Massachusetts, United States

Quote:

“At Open, the thing that excites me most is working with wonderful people who are committed to providing opportunities for people of all abilities in all aspects of life.”

Background:

David leads the sight loss community at Open Inclusion in North America.

Legally blind from a young age, David is a passionate leader and advocate for people with disabilities and under-served populations. He has built successful and meaningful careers in both the public and private sectors.

David’s distinguished career includes serving as Commissioner of the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind (MCB,) Council Member of the National Council on Disability (NCD), Director of the Massachusetts Office on Disability (MOD,) a Director for the Board of the National Industries for the Blind (NIB) and being elected three times as a City Councilor At-Large. David currently operates Arc Angel Communications LLC where he works with businesses on Disability Inclusion.

What I enjoy:

David enjoys identifying complex challenges and then creating solutions leading to simplified opportunities.

Samantha Fletcher

Neurodiversity

Pronouns: she/her

United Kingdom

“I love working at Open because everyone I work with is passionate about developing products and services so ...”

Shannon McLain

Fluctuating/Chronic Conditions

Pronouns: she/her

North America

“At Open, the thing that excites me most is their understanding of the need for empathy in research and design ...”

Location:

London

Quote:

“I love working at Open because everyone I work with is passionate about developing products and services so they are better for everyone.”

Background:

Samantha leads the neurodiversity community at Open Inclusion in the United Kingdom. Samantha supports Open with research and the community by building people up. she helps to make research as inclusive and exciting as possible. She offers advice for individuals with different access needs with dyslexia and dyspraxia as well as those on the autism spectrum and with other learning, and cognitive needs.

Samantha has dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADD herself after being diagnosed at 16 years old. She keeps our team and community leads up-to-date with relevant and interesting news, new policies in the disability community as well as bringing insights into new research, new assistive technology, and other adaptive tools.

Samantha currently works full-time for Equity as Head of Fellowship Services for the British Dyslexia Association. Samantha has a Master’s degree in disability studies.

What I enjoy:

When Samantha is not working, she normally is listening to Rod Stewart, (the love of her life) or watching F1 while knitting or sewing. In addition to these hobbies Samantha loves holidaying with her dyslexic partner, particularly to South East Asia.

Location:

Pennsylvania, United States

Quote:

“At Open, the thing that excites me most is their understanding of the need for empathy in research and design …”

Background:

Shannon leads the fluctuating and chronic conditions community at Open Inclusion in North America.

Shannon lives with Chronic Headaches, Fibromyalgia, POTS and Endometriosis.

Shannon is fascinated by the impact on well-being in all scales of design, and believes that the relationship between design and quality of everyday life is important to examine through the lens of empathy and collaborative processes.

She explores these ideas in her work as an Architectural Designer, in her collaborative research, and as a professor at Thomas Jefferson University.

What I enjoy:

In Shannon’s free time, she likes to work in her garden, restore her 1865 home, and make art

Andrew Warren

Deaf/Hard of Hearing & ASL users

Pronouns: He/Him

North America

“At Open, I am thrilled to work alongside the incredible team, as we share a common goal of enhancing ..."

Celia Chartes-Aris

Fluctuating/Chronic Conditions

Pronouns: she/her

United Kingdom

“At Open the thing that excites me the most is collaboration and community, being part of a collective ...”

Location:

New York, United States

Quote:

“At Open, I am thrilled to work alongside the incredible team as we share a common goal of enhancing accessibility and fostering inclusion for individuals with disabilities. It is important to me that everyone, regardless of ability, feels empowered and equal among their peers. At Open, my voice is heard just as clearly as anyone else’s.”

Background:

Andrew “Drew” leads the Deaf/Hard of Hearing & ASL users community at Open Inclusion in North America.

Andrew was born deaf and grew up using both oral and sign language. He is deeply involved in the ASL Deaf/Hard of Hearing communities in Austin, TX and Rochester, NY. In his commitment to bridging the gap between signing and hearing communities, Andrew organizes ASL happy hours at various breweries to nurture relationships and foster a sense of unity.

Andrew’s passions lie in advocating for accessibility and inclusion within the signing community. He also actively supports his partner’s academic research on language acquisition, particularly for deaf individuals. In the future, Andrew and his partner aspire to contribute to policy-making initiatives aimed at enhancing education for the deaf community.

What I enjoy:

Andrew enjoys traveling, exploring breweries, playing Hockey and Box Lacrosse, and spending quality time with his partner and their three dogs.

Location:

United Kingdom

Quote:

“At Open the thing that excites me the most is collaboration and community, being part of a collective, intersectional representative voice for the under-represented in a safe and honest space.”

Background:

Celia Chartres-Aris is a multi-award winning Disabled Government special advisor, campaigner and lobbyist, researcher, policy and legal expert, founder and investor advocating for the improvement of Disability equity and accessibility inclusivity. As a SPAD (Government Special Adviser for Disability and health), Celia works around the world with governments in policy, research and strategy development, legislative design and performance, lobbying, unit management and implementing international Disability law.

Celia has received multiple awards recognising her work including being named on The Global Diversity Leaders list and named as the 3rd most influential Disabled person in the UK, changing law and policy. Celia was born with multiple disabilities as a result of a rare and terminal genetic condition; Loeys-Dietz Syndrome.

Celia lives everyday with multiple organ failure, she has never known her life without her Disability, and takes pride in her Disabled identity, working hard to break down systematic ableism, discrimination, and archaic stereotypes about the talents, potential, and ability of Disabled people.

What I enjoy:

Anything arty or with my animals

Sarah Tuberty

Mobility/Dexterity

Pronouns: She/her

North America

“At Open I get to witness the voices, opinions, and perspectives of the Disability Community to create ...”

Zara Todd

Mobility/ Dexterity

Pronouns: she/her

United Kingdom

“At Open, the thing that excites me the most is the opportunity to challenge traditional dynamics in research ...”

Location:

Philadelphia, PA, United States

Quote:

“At open I get to witness the voices, opinions, and perspectives of the Disability Community create real and impactful change for increased accessibility in our communities.”

Background:

Sarah’s experience of congenital upper limb difference combined with her educational training in occupational therapy made her a fierce collaborative and interdisciplinary advocate for reducing stigma on the disability community.

She co-founded and co-hosts the Disarming Disability Podcast and is the co-author of The Hand Book: An Informational Guide for Parents of Children with Congenital Hand Differences.

She loves this work so much, she is currently in a PhD program for Occupational Therapy at Texas Woman’s University.

What I enjoy:

Sarah loves to dance and sing wildly off-key at music festivals, she loves to wander around night markets in far off lands, and she loves caring for her tiny jungle of house plants.

Location:

United Kingdom

Quote:

“At Open, the thing that excites me the most is the opportunity to challenge traditional dynamics in research and the possibility to put lived experience at the forefront.”

Background:

Zara works as a freelance trainer, facilitator and researcher with a particular interest in participation Zara started campaigning around disability in the age of 10 and has worked for a wide range of disabled people’s organisations in the UK and internationally.

Zara has a background in youth work and training and has worked with several human rights and social justice organisations including the Council of Europe, the European fundamental rights agency and UNICEF.

Zara is a Churchill Fellow and did her fellowship looking at disabled people’s leadership. Zara uses a powered wheelchair and is also neurodivergent (dyslexia).

What I enjoy:

For fun I love to travel I have been to over 40 countries. My husband and I also enjoy playing couch co-op games together.

Laura Goldberg

Deaf BSL Community

Pronouns: she/her

United Kingdom

"What I most enjoy about my work with Open is the opportunity to work on a variety of interesting projects with ... "

Qais Khan

Hearing Loss / Vision Impairment

Pronouns: he/him

United Kingdom

"At Open disabled voices may be invited into conversations, but are rarely given the power to shape ..."

Location:

United Kingdom

Quote:

“What I most enjoy about my work with Open is the opportunity to work on a variety of interesting projects with an excellent group of people who are just as passionate about access and inclusion as I am!”

Background:

Laura leads the Deaf/Hard of Hearing and BSL users community at Open Inclusion in the United Kingdom.

With a strong background in research and consultancy, Laura has collaborated with businesses, universities, charities, and public sector organisations on a wide range of projects relating to deaf and sign-language communities. Her work spans topics such as service accessibility, health and wellbeing, early language and brain development, and media representation.

As a deaf person and native BSL user, she is passionate about working towards a more accessible and inclusive world.

What I enjoy:

Outside of work, Laura enjoys spending time outdoors, exploring London, and travelling.

Location:

United Kingdom

Quote:

“At Open, disabled voices may be invited into conversations, but are rarely given the power to shape outcomes. What makes Open different is its genuine commitment to creating real influence for and by individuals with disability.”

Background:

Qais Khan is a global disability rights advocate and community leader focused on advancing inclusion in education and the workplace, with a particular passion for the Usher community. Drawing on his lived experience of deafness, he brings both insight and authenticity to his work.

He collaborates with organizations including the Usher Syndrome Coalition and the Cochlear Implant International Community of Action, and hosts the podcast Connect with Qais, where he explores the realities of hearing loss and amplifies voices from the deaf community.

Qais has contributed to global conversations on accessibility through speaking engagements with the United Nations, World Health Organization, and UK Parliament, advocating for more inclusive systems and equitable participation worldwide.

What I enjoy:

Outside of his advocacy work, Qais enjoys exploring independent cafes in search of great coffee and pastries (a non-negotiable), attending theatre performances, and capturing moments through photography. He also enjoys hiking and travelling – anything that brings new perspectives.

Collaborative partners and consultants

Charley Pothecary

Senior Service Design & User Research

Pronouns: she/her

United Kingdom

“Accessibility is an endurance sport! We need to pace ourselves to be here for long term, making change as ...”

Martin McConaghy

Built Environment Access Consultant

Pronouns: he/him

United Kingdom

“At Open I get to the to work with Opens panel and user community. They help bring the user experience to life and ...”

Location:

London

Quote:

“Accessibility is an endurance sport! We need to pace ourselves to be here for long term, making change as fast as we sustainably can.”

Background:

Charley is a freelance Senior Inclusive Service Designer and User Researcher currently working with Open. Charley has experience working across a wide variety of public, private, and third-sector organisations to help redesign and develop inclusive services and products to improve lives.

Charley enjoys building inclusive design capability within teams and supporting organisations to understand their user’s needs. In particular, Charley has often worked on projects across healthcare, housing, and policy spaces to create enjoyable inclusive experiences and services.

With a background in Graphic Design, Charley is able to visualise complex problems, ecosystems and service experiences to then best enable teams to identify improvements to create further inclusive and accessible services/products.

What I enjoy:

When Charley isn’t working, you’ll likely find her gardening or out and about on her bike. Often Charley has multiple arts and craft projects on the go – the latest is crocheting plant pots!

Location:

London

Quote:

“At Open I get to the to work with Opens panel and user community. They help bring the user experience to life and move the dialogue from theory into reality. It makes our work more actionable for clients.”

Background:

Martin has been making the built environment more inclusive since 2001 and consults with Open on inclusion standards with our team.

Martin has core expertise in the details of the British Standards, Building Regulations and the Equality Act 2010. Driving forward the inclusive environment agenda with estates managers, architects and other property professionals is where he is happiest.

He has provided expert advisory services for disputes under the Equality Act and contractual disputes regarding accessibility.

Martin is a member of the National Register of Access Consultants (NRAC) he is an active member of several organisations including the British Standards committee, the RICS (working group on inclusive environments and the Access Association).

Martin holds a Master’s Degree in Accessibility and Inclusive Design.

What I enjoy:

Outside of his professional work, he loves nothing more than a night under canvas, preferably at a music festival. That is if he can persuade his wife and children that it really is warm enough!

Mike Stonelake

Illustrator

Pronouns: he/him

United Kingdom

"I love working with Open because they are a great team to collaborate with. Their knowledge of the sector ..."

Geoff Cook

Community Content Creator

Pronouns: He/Him

North America

“I love working at Open because it gives me a chance to learn from other people's experiences while providing me ..."

Location:

United Kingdom

Quote:

“I love working with Open because they are a great team to collaborate with. Their knowledge of the sector is second to none and I love the way we can bounce ideas of each other and develop and concept together.”

Background:

ike Stonelake is Open’ Inclusion’s fabulous illustrator. He brings ideas to life powerfully visually, through bespoke art. These make our deliverables engaging and easier to convey rich emotional, attitudinal and conceptual information. Mike is an art director and graphic artist. After studying a degree in Fine Art he moved into the design and communications industry. He has worked with us on many disability-inclusive projects previously including for Spotify, Voi Technologies, Colgate-Palmolive, Miro, and our own website, community platform and communications. Mike has a great sense of the breadth of the disability community, having worked for many years representing disability-informed experiences visually. We work highly collaboratively with him, with the research team usually iterating throughout, from early sketches to final illustration, to ensure the final image accurately captures the concept or idea functionally and emotionally in line with the participants’ experience.

Location:

North Carolina, United States

Quote:

“I love working at Open because it gives me a chance to learn from other people’s experiences while providing me a place to use my skills to help further conversations about living with a disability.”

Background:

I was born 31/2 months early in week 2.2 pounds. I was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age 3. Geoff was a star in collegiate athletics working in media relations for the University of Texas and Austin. He continued to work in media relations for a major-league baseball network and most recently was the Marketing Director for a research firm in Washington DC. He also freelances for Chelsea FC as an accessibility partner. Geoff considers himself a builder of brands

What I enjoy:

Geoff enjoys playing video games, reading about the Kings and Queens of Europe throughout history and is currently studying German.

Daniel Baldwin

Videographer

Pronouns: he/him

United Kingdom

"Daniel is a filmmaker who works as a consultant for a small group of award-winning agencies."

Roger Cusson

Digital Accessibility Tester

Pronouns: he/him

United States

“What I most enjoy about working with Open is that I get to assist companies to create ..."

Location:

United Kingdom

Quote:

“I love working with Open because their work matters and they are thought leaders. It is as simple as that.”

Background:

Daniel is a filmmaker who works as a consultant for a small group of award-winning agencies. Uniquely placed because of prior experience as a qualitative researcher, he is experienced and highly skilled at maximising engagement and output from user generated film approaches as well as observing, filming and documenting the lived experience of individuals and community groups in the field. All of this geared toward bringing to life research insight by merging documentary and ethnographic film techniques with more traditional qualitative methods. He has a specific interest in under-represented audiences and social impact initiatives. Something that he explores through commercial research projects as well as through his collective We Dream Films, where he has won multiple awards for short documentary and fiction films made with marginalised communities on issues including age discrimination, the climate crisis, disability, loneliness, problem debt, child labour, and refugee experiences. His work is carefully observed with a softly emotional human touch and rooted in a desire to celebrate life and bring people closer together.

Location:

United States

Quote:

“What I most enjoy about working with Open is that I get to assist companies to create more accessible apps / products.”

Background:

Roger is a screen-reader user. He has been working in the Accessibility sector since 1999. He enjoys assisting teams with creating/testing inclusive accessibility solutions. He owns/manages an Assistive Technology training company in his state.

What I enjoy:

Roger also happens to be a professional Drummer, Ham Radio operator and a Recording Engineer.

Sarah Bunnell

Operations (USA support)

Pronouns: she/her

North America

“I love working with people every day at Open, making the world a better place one project at a time.”

Location:

Georgia, United States

Background:

Sarah has been with the Open Inclusion team almost from the beginning, helping in client and team management. She improves our delivery quality and clients’ experience as they engage with us for inclusive research or design solutions. Sarah brings a wealth of experience in business communication and systems management.

With a global background and degrees in business and technology, she has successfully worked in the third sector, finance and banking technologies, digital user experience, project management, and start-ups. Sarah ensures our clients and their projects are well managed from start to finish at Open.

Having lived in Europe for two decades and recently moved from London, Sarah is now US based and facilitates Open’s growing global footprint.

What I enjoy:

She is an accomplished pianist, a travel enthusiast and a busy mother of three. In her spare time she loves to paint, ski, and play anything from Tchaikovsky.

Location:

London

Quote:

Background:

She has a passion for inclusion, learning and community, and is looking forward to working with participants and hearing their voices to help make their time with Open as enjoyable as possible.

What I enjoy:

Outside of work you can probably find them doing DIY or cooking up a big meal for friends.

Operations

Jaine Wills

Finance Manager

Pronouns: she/her

United Kingdom

"This is such an incredibly exciting time to be working with Open. I'm thrilled to be part of it."

Michael Nique

Inclusive Technology Development

Pronouns: he/him

United Kingdom

“At Open, the thing that excites me the most is the purpose of this work, how adopting an inclusion first perspective ...”

Location:

London

Quote:

This is such an incredibly exciting time to be working with Open. I’m thrilled to be part of it.

Background:

From a finance perspective, Jaine is responsible for keeping everything up to date and in good shape at Open Inclusion. She works with the Managing Director and Operations team to ensure that Open Inclusion is running smoothly as a business. With a strong and varied background in finance, Jaine is passionate about her business and customers. She has been a Business Adviser for the Young Enterprise Company Challenge and successfully coached her team representing Wales in the UK final in 2015. She has written for various curriculums on finance and accounting and has marked external exams for the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT).

Jaine sees the bigger picture and the detail, a critical capability for business management. She also has a knack for finding the best and often simplest option for any issue. She is passionate about business and loves what she does, particularly due to the nature of Open’s business. Jaine supports a partner with a neurological disorder, so she has personal insight into the importance of inclusive environments, services, and products.

When she needs to keep track of everything financial, she loves learning new stuff. Just now, she is learning DIY as she is currently renovating her home. She makes jam, sloe gin, and vodka and has the most adorable chocolate miniature poodle, Dylan Thomas Wills.

Location:

London

Quote:

“At Open, the thing that excites me the most is the purpose of this work, how adopting an inclusion first perspective will create great design and a more accessible world for all.”

Background:

Michael Nique is a technology expert with 12+ years of experience in international development, specializing in the digital inclusion of persons with disabilities & digital accessibility with us at Open.

Prior to joining Open, Michael was Senior Director for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office-funded GSMA Innovation Fund for Assistive Tech, working with the mobile industry and key stakeholders to address the digital inclusion gap of persons with disabilities, and identify mobile innovation opportunities for Assistive Technology.

Michael holds a Master of Science degree in Microelectronics from University Joseph Fourier, Grenoble (France).

What I enjoy:

Now based in London, Michael still loves the mountains, and regularly travels around the UK or heads back to France to climb, ski, or cycle with friends.

Location:

London

Quote:

This is such an incredibly exciting time to be working with Open. I’m thrilled to be part of it.

Background:

Bronte

Mental Health and Wellbeing Officer

Pronouns: she/dog

Europe

“I love working at Open as I get plenty of hours supporting the people I care about I get to meet with many diverse ..."

Location:

Europe

Quote:

“I love working at Open as I get plenty of hours supporting the people I care about. I get to meet with many diverse individuals on Zoom, Meet or Teams and sometimes pop into meetings to say hello. I prefer in person meetings as treats and pats can be exchanged openly.”

Background:

Bronte has been part of Open Inclusion since its inception. She was an experienced hire having already been involved in a similar role in a previous successful start-up. She mainly supports Christine and Robert but is on hand for virtual meetings with any of the team as and when required.

What I enjoy:

Pats, sleeping in the office while work is being done (I enjoy the variety of voices), walks and treats.

Advisors

Christopher Patnoe

Head of EM EA Accessibility and Disability Inclusion at Google

Pronouns: he/him

"What I love about Open is the broad, hyper inclusive process that has gone from the creation of the company to ... "

Christopher Lee

President of G3ict - The Global Initiative for Inclusive ICT’s

Pronouns: he/him

"I am excited by the opportunity Open Inclusion is creating through inclusive research to close the gap ... "

Quote:

“What I love about Open is the broad, hyper inclusive process that has gone from the creation of the company to every piece of research.  The broad depth of lived experience across the disability spectrum combined with the creative approach to understanding complex problems continually inspires me.”

Quote:

“I am excited by the opportunity Open Inclusion is creating through inclusive research to close the gap between today’s products and services and the needs and preferences of disabled consumers and citizens. This, done well, will create significant business and social value. ”

Larry Goldberg

Accessible Media Technology Consultant and former Head of Accessibility at Yahoo

Pronouns: he/him

"At Open, what excites me the most is how the team and its advisors align on its vision and goals as well as ..."

Caroline Casey

President of International Agency for Prevention of Blindness (IAPB)

Pronouns: she/her

"Open is a global leader in authentic, robust, disability-informed research practices that generate valuable ... "

Quote:

“At Open, what excites me the most is how the team and its advisors align on its vision and goals as well as its ambition to influence the world at scale to build better and more inclusively. “

Quote:

“Open is a global leader in authentic, robust, disability-informed research practices that generate valuable and differentiated insights. I am proud to be a part of the advisory team supporting their ongoing progress and positive business impact.”

Steve Tyler

Director of Assistive Technology and transformation for Leonard Cheshire Disability. Former Head of Solutions, and Strategy for Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)

Pronouns: he/him

“Accessibility is an endurance sport! We need to pace ourselves to be here for long term, making change as ...”

Neil Milliken

VP for Global HeAd of Accessibility for Atos and Member of Global Leadership Council for International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP)

Pronouns: he/him

“What I most enjoy about working with Open is that I get to work with experts in inclusive research on interesting ...”

Quote:

“Accessibility isn’t just about serving people with disabilities—it’s about designing products, services, and experiences that work for everyone. I love supporting organizations committed to inclusive design at their core.”

Quote:

“What I most enjoy about working with Open is that I get to work with experts in inclusive research on interesting projects that have an opportunity to make a real difference for society”

Rama Gheerawo

Global Leader in Inclusive Design. Former Director for Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design Royal College of the arts in London

Pronouns: he/him

“Inclusive design is about transforming people and organizations creativity, and better leadership.”

Quote:

““Inclusive design is about transforming people and organizations creativity, and better leadership”

Our team

Welcome to the team who live and breathe the Open ethos.

Leadership

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Research, Design and Innovation

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Inclusive Researcher Training and Development

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Community leadership

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Welcome to the team who live
and breathe the Open ethos.