Meet the Team

With more than 20 years of consulting leadership experience, Brown brings an innovative perspective and an incredible depth of expertise in digital transformation and emerging technologies such as AI, IoT, and cloud computing to her role at Perkins Access. Previously, Brown was the CEO of Wintam Place Consulting and the former Practice Leader Digital Transformation & Innovation at Deloitte Consulting, where she launched a team that focused on innovation, AI, and digital solutions to support high-tech market leaders adopt disruptive technology. Additionally, Brown has served as a board member and trusted advisor to C-Suite leaders on digital solution initiatives across healthcare, med-tech, financial services, and technology organizations. As a member of the Perkins Access team, Brown is passionate about social innovation and solving how technological advancements in AI, augmented reality, voice and speech recognition, and visual data can be applied to further accessibility for all.

With a 20-year career in technology and user experience consulting, Aussant has helped such Fortune 100 companies as Bank of America, Microsoft, Google, Facebook, eBay, General Motors, Transamerica and X (formerly Twitter) embrace inclusive design. He specializes in design thinking and usability testing to improve digital experiences early in the product development and helps clients sustain accessibility through best practices in day-to-day operations.

With more than 35 years of digital accessibility experience, Freed is a senior advisor to organizations working to ensure their digital experiences are usable by people with disabilities and are compliant with accessibility standards and recommendations. Before joining Perkins, he helped lead digital accessibility efforts at WGBH for 35 years, including 12 years as director of technology projects and web media standards. Freed has also trained professionals versed in design, code and structure, and has led a wide variety of private and federal projects focused on online as well as digital device accessibility.

With a career commitment to accessibility spanning more than 25 years, Sagalyn’s deep understanding of accessibility solutions allows her to guide clients to practical and sustainable strategies and implementations. She was previously director of marketing and strategic partnerships at the WGBH Educational Foundation, spearheading accessibility consulting and digital media services for clients ranging from Apple, AOL and IBM to the National Cancer Institute, General Services Administration and McGraw-Hill.

Snook possesses deep expertise in content management systems, user-centered design and various programming languages. She began her work at Perkins developing systems that would support hundreds of local partners worldwide. Snook is a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies and holds a B.A. in Computer Science from Colby College and a Master of Social Work with a concentration in Global Practice from Boston College.

With almost a decade of experience in web development, Farrell has hands-on experience in both building and guiding others to build accessible websites and applications at scale. He has helped create, adapt, and test a wide range of accessible web products in collaboration with developers, designers, and users with disabilities. He’s particularly interested in tackling the challenges that new and emerging technologies present, as he did at digital whiteboard company Mural, where he was instrumental in making the company’s visual work platform accessible. Farrell is an IAAP Certified Professional in Web Accessibility and is passionate about promoting the benefits of accessibility and educating others on how to apply the best practices and standards.

With more than 15 years of creating and maintaining digital products for state and federal government clients, Morris possesses deep expertise in accessible front-end web development. As a front-end development consultant and accessibility subject matter expert, Morris helped multiple agencies within the Federal Department of Health and Human Services adhere to and exceed accessibility standards for their websites and applications. Today, he puts that knowledge to work for Perkins Access clients, helping teams bake accessibility into their development process with the right tools, workflows, and procedures to ensure long-term success. He is a Certified Professional in Web Accessibility who is passionate about making digital accessibility practical and approachable.

As the former manager of Harvard’s premier lab for user-centered design, digital accessibility and testing, Lavoie possesses deep expertise in user research and user experience. She is skilled at QA and user acceptance testing of digital products against Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and is a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies. Lavoie holds a B.A. in Graphic Design/Letterform from University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

Being blind herself, Becker has more than 20 years of experience in the fields of assistive technology and devices, including training hundreds of students, teachers and adults. She is a certified teacher of JAWS, Window Eyes and Zoom Text, as well as a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies. Becker has also worked for such industry-leading technology companies as Kurzweil, HumanWare and Optelec.

Cumings has been providing accessibility technology training and support for more than 20 years. He is certified by the HTML Writers Guild and versed in accessible web page design. He is an expert in various solutions, including Goldwave, Audacity, Reaper, JAWS, WindowEyes, NVDA and Braille displays. Cumings is the former president of the Visually Impaired Blind Users Group and is a member of the Webmaster Association of Blind Citizens.

Chiango, who is deafblind, has been working with deafblind individuals for the past 20 years and helped establish the Deafblind Community Access Network. Previously, she was a specialist for Apple, providing product demos and accessibility training on a range of devices. Chiango received a B.S. in Computer Science from Gallaudet University and a Master of Visual Media Arts from Emerson College and is fluent in both American and Tactile Sign Language.