I am passionate about making digital media usable by everyone, especially those who are blind or have low vision. As the project lead for YouDescribe.org, I’ve had the opportunity to help develop YouDescribeX, an AI-powered tool that uses audio prompts to make videos more blind-user-friendly. For the past five years, I’ve created study tutorials, mentored students, and worked closely with both new and experienced audio describers to test and improve user interfaces for blind and visually impaired viewers.
I’ve also spent a lot of time training volunteer audio describers—hundreds of them—at YouDescribe.org, helping them craft high-quality descriptions for videos that people with visual impairments can enjoy. In 2023, I led the development of the YouDescribed We Archived dataset (YuWA), a unique collection of audio description data from around the world, gathered between 2013 and 2022. This resource is valuable for a wide range of research, from machine learning to video understanding, and has the potential to shape future advancements in assistive technology.
Before diving into digital media assistive technology, I worked as a nurse with a strong focus on public health. My experience spans areas like pediatric nutrition, childhood lead poisoning prevention, and asthma care. I’ve also had the privilege of working as an advice nurse and lactation consultant, educating families on topics like infant health and home safety. This background has deepened my commitment to improving public health outcomes for all.
Since 2019, I’ve been leading YouDescribe with a focus on community-driven solutions. I’m dedicated to mentoring students and volunteers, working alongside amazing teams at YouDescribe and YouDescribeX to tackle assistive technology challenges in digital media. One of my goals is to integrate non-visually-focused software development into computer science programs, ensuring that the voices of the communities we serve are heard in the creation of technology. I believe that partnerships with organizations like SKERI are key to making sure that technology is designed with the real needs of blind and low-vision individuals in mind.
I’m excited to continue bridging the gap between technology development and the needs of the communities we serve, always keeping assistive technology at the forefront of innovation.