Meet a Disney Cast Member Advocating for Accessible Technology
We’ve got an awesome cast member profile to share with you! Meet Joanna Collins. She is a software engineer in the Technology and Digital organization for Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. During her time at Disney, Collins developed a reputation for her passion and advocacy for accessibility for everything from websites and mobile applications to a wide array of other Disney digital projects.
Joanna has a background in accessibility and supervisor Kelly Noble, had this to say about her employee, “Joanna goes above and beyond to ensure our applications are accessible for our guests and cast. She doesn’t stop at the systems she owns or supports – she is the cast member who sees something that needs to be fixed and works to partner with the right teams to help them make changes to ensure our applications are inclusive for all.”
So how do you get started in such an interesting career? Prior to her role as a software engineer with Disney, Joanna started her career in the Travel Sales Center as an agent. During her time in sales, she picked up on skills and developed an interest in the support applications used at the call center. At the start, Collins offered support to cast members with visual disabilities at the call center. New screen reading software was utilized to help these cast members navigate and access information when making reservations for guests over the phone.
“I first had to learn how the screen reader worked and the types of issues that caused incompatibilities in other software. I had experience in HTML coding, and that sort of sparked everything. I learned how to write custom scripting for screen reading software, and how to make an accessible website,” said Joanna.
When it comes to her plan for the future, Joanna had this to say, “My goal is to make every single person feel welcome and included. Disney is committed to diversity and inclusion, and I lead the teams in my area acting on that commitment. We want people with a wide range of abilities to have that magical experience whenever they interact with our digital products.”
Joanna Collins is just one of the many cast members working hard everyday to make sure no one is left out of the Disney magic! Keep following along with us for more cast member stories.
Have you heard the news? MickeyTravels just earned the incredible distinction of being a Diamond Earmarked Agency!
Whether its a visit to the theme parks, a Disney cruise, a stay at Aulani in Hawaii or the trip of a lifetime with Adventures by Disney, I can’t wait help you plan your vacation utilizing all of our incredible concierge-level services. This includes discount monitoring, itinerary planning, flexible booking and so much more. Best of all my services are 100% FREE!
Find out more or get your FREE no-obligation quote at mroden@mickeytravels.com at 1.800.801.4025 or via Facebook