Consider this episode a passing of the torch. In this tenth installment of The InclusionHub Podcast, our host, Sam Proulx—also Accessibility Evangelist at leading accessibility testing platform Fable—reflects on the series, its many guests, the assistive technology that’s made it all possible, his path to becoming an advocate and activist for the accessibility community, and much more.

The format is different from any other episode, in that Sam has become the guest. He is interviewed by Jeffrey Howard, senior inbound content developer at HubSpot Diamond Partner Agency Morey Creative Studios, which is one of InclusionHub’s Founding Partners.

Jeffrey has been hosting similar discussions with key team members at each of InclusionHub’s Founding Partners and this podcast’s sponsors: leading customer relationship management (CRM) software provider Salesforce; Fable; Morey Creative Studios; and Be My Eyes, a free app connecting blind and low-vision people with sighted volunteers. They’ve been continuing Sam’s conversation about the importance of improving digital accessibility and inclusion for all, sharing insights and personal reflections, and much, much more.

Those episodes will be rolling out in the next several weeks, so stay tuned!

Episode Guests

As mentioned above, Sam is the guest, and interviewed by Jeffrey Howard of Morey Creative Studios, who serves as this episode’s moderator. Their discussion runs the gamut—from Sam’s experience working on the show and how he became involved in accessibility in the first place, to the various critical roles within activism and advocacy, the power of storytelling, impact of his father, his concerns for the future, and much more.

“To me,” explains Jeffrey in this most recent episode, “what you’re talking about really echoes, what I would say is like a very pluralist approach, that sometimes we can get stuck in presuming that the approach we take is the one that everyone should take for advocating for a more accessible, inclusive world.

“And the reality is that we need people in a lot of different avenues, doing a lot of different things,” he continues. “Maybe that’s protesting, maybe that’s building new technologies, maybe that’s storytelling, maybe that’s podcasting. Maybe that’s a whole host of things—there’s just so, so many ways in which each of us can find a way to make a better world. And it doesn’t have to be the same story for everybody.”

“Yeah, absolutely,” responds Sam. “I mean, we do need people who go out on the picket line, and who link arms, and who stand up and who say, ‘No, the buck stops here.’ Right? ‘This won’t happen.’ That’s just not me, you know, in a very real way. And it takes, it takes an incredible amount of bravery and courage and heart and emotional fortitude to do that, and I admire the folks who do.

“But for me,” he continues, “I need to be solving problems, and building forward, and doing new solutions. So, you know, I support the folks who are out there, who are doing that, who are holding the line and who are saying, ‘This far and no further,’ and protesting inaccessibility and exclusion. But for me, I suppose, I’m a speaker and a storyteller and a builder. And that’s the way that I find I, personally, can make the greatest impact.”

The title of this episode also holds special significance: “A More Accessible & Inclusive World Is a Better World.” It’s been Sam’s closing line in every installment of the series.

Listen to The InclusionHub Podcast

To learn more about Sam and the many guests and issues covered throughout this series, subscribe to The InclusionHub Podcast on your favorite podcast apps. You can also access this episode’s transcript and read along!

The InclusionHub Podcast is sponsored by our Founding Partners: Salesforce, a leading customer relationship management software provider; Morey Creative Studios (MCS), a HubSpot Diamond Partner Agency; Fable, a leading accessibility testing platform; and Be My Eyes, a free app connecting blind and low-vision people with sighted volunteers.