Our Team
Staff Team
Chris Lytle,
Senior Accessibility Consultant
he/him/his
Chris is an accomplished accessibility expert who specializes in legislative implementation and organizational capacity building.
Chris’ past work includes assisting the Council of Canadians with Disabilities in drafting the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and assisting in the development of human rights monitoring initiatives in the African, European and Asian regions. Chris’ present work includes the implementation of national and provincial accessibility legislation in public and private sector organizations.
Most recently, he led the Bank of Canada in developing and publishing their first accessibility plan in accordance with the Accessible Canada Act. Chris’ motivation to see accessibility thrive is driven by his desire to see Canadian institutions become leaders and owners of inclusive practices.
Chris can speak French and is a person with a disability. He lives in Guelph, Ontario with his partner and their three children.
Farshid Sadatsharifi,
Project Manager
he/him/his
Farshid is an accomplished writer, entrepreneur, project manager, and unshakable optimist.
He was born with Cerebral Palsy (CP), which has limited his mobility throughout his life, but also given him a dream and passion for overcoming inaccessible barriers.
Having a Ph.D. in literature, his passion for literature and culture is connected to his commitment to accessibility, as he is “on a lifetime journey to CREATE in more accessible ways!”
He is dedicated to ensuring online and digital content accessibility for all. This has included working with Accessibrand™, Canada’s first “disability collective” and being a member of the Grand River Accessibility Advisory Committee. He now brings his experience in Accessibility and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion from Quebec and Ontario to the Untapped Accessibility team.
Farshid is bilingual, speaking Farsi/Dari and English, with some Arabic and French.
Trish Kelly,
Managing Director
she/her/hers
Trish is a purpose-driven leader with over two decades of experience helping organizations operationalize their social goals.
As an accessibility subject matter expert, she has supported Canadian organizations such as TransLink, FedEx Canada, Inclusion Canada, Ledcor, and others to operationalize accessibility and inclusion.
More recently, she was the lead researcher and project manager for the Disability Inclusive Employer Self-Assessment, which launched nationally in June 2022 and has helped over 200 organizations assess their current state of disability inclusion in their workplaces.
Her knowledge of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility is informed by her experience as a leader in socially responsible organizations, as a justice-focused advocate in the community, and as a child of a disabled parent.
Trish identifies as a member of the 2SLGBTQAI+ community and a citizen of the Métis Nation of BC with family ties back to the Prince Albert, Duck Lake, and Red River communities.
Our Associates
Anu Pala BA, CPCC
she/her/hers
Anu brings over 25 years of experience in the areas of diversity and inclusion training, vocational consulting, media and advocacy.
Anu’s professional experience includes consultation and training on workplace inclusion, website and online accessibility testing, writing and content review, project management, vocational rehabilitation, podcast production and coaching.
Anu possesses strong knowledge of screen readers such as JAWS for Windows and Voiceover and has extensive experience helping businesses and organizations create accessible workplaces. Anu also has expertise in professional communications, vision loss and cultural diversity.
Anu speaks English, Gujarati, Hindi and some Punjabi
Anu currently serves as president on the SIETAR BC board, member of the TELUS Local Content and STORYHIVE advisory committee and is a member of the City of Surrey’s Measuring Up committee.
Andrea MacDonald
she/her/hers
Andrea is an HR Consultant focussing on DEI and Workplace Investigations.
Andrea works with organizations to bring a sense of belonging into the workplace. Andrea focuses on developing DEI strategies and policies, respectful workplace policies and training, stakeholder engagement, Employment Equity Policy development, and customized learning and development such as cultural competencies and anti-racism/anti-oppression.
As a life learner, Andrea has a Bachelor of Human Resources and Labour Relations. She is Certified in both ‘Foundations’ and ‘Antiracism’ through the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion. Andrea has also received her certification in Gender-based Analysis + through the Government of Canada and ‘Aboriginal World Views and Education’ through the University of Toronto. Andrea is also certified as a Psychological Health and Safety Trained Professional and is certified in Workplace Investigations.
Passionate about sports, Andrea is also a multiple Ironman finisher, triathlon coach and former ski coach.
Melissa Lyon, M.Ed., B.Ed., TESOL
she/her/hers
As an educator with a Master’s Degree in Special Education and as a person with a disability herself, Melissa Lyon (she/her) offers self-paced or synchronous online accessibility and inclusion courses through her Accessibility & Inclusion Matter Consulting company.
Other services include creating and facilitating customized workshops, courses, or presentations; mentoring; and supporting efforts to make workplaces more accessible and inclusive. Melissa has experience working in various BC post-secondary institutions where she worked to support their diversity and inclusion initiatives.
She has also worked with various non-profit organizations, as a consultant, writer, resource developer, and a volunteer. Her areas of expertise include knowledge and strategies for both K-12 education & post-secondary education; creating resources or courses related to disability awareness, inclusion, & accessibility; and mentoring other people who have disabilities.
Robbie McDonald
she/her/hers
Robbie McDonald is an agile writer, editor, and content creator and is highly skilled at distilling complex subjects into plain language and accessible content. She’s written three books and countless magazine and web articles. She has dynamic experience in communications and community development for a variety of organizations in the non-profit and creative sectors.
Robbie cultivates high-trust environments, collaborates with enthusiasm and embodies compassion.
She is passionate about building communities where everyone can flourish and recently completed the Community Capacity Building Certificate with SFU. She identifies as deaf and co-hosts a popular podcast about ADHD discovery in midlife.
She blogs about mental health on her website www.robertamcdonald.ca.
Leanna Manning
she/they
Leanna is a writer, editor, and creative with a passion for building accessible digital experiences. Her neurodivergent brain loves the technical know-how, advocacy, creativity, and problem-solving that goes into creating content that is inclusive and accessible to as many people as possible.
Supporting outstanding creatives, visionaries, and leaders is something Leanna has been doing for over 20 years. She partners with purpose-guided organizations of all sizes on content strategy and website and social content, using her extensive experience in customer service to understand people’s needs, answer questions, and solve problems.
She writes about accessibility and shares her creative process on her website www.leannamanning.com.
Lisa Blinn
she/her/hers
Lisa is a 2021 graduate of the Accessible Media Program at Mohawk College, where she received intensive training to create accessible digital content and documents. She has a deep understanding of Canadian and global disability legislation and how it applies to creating policy which is designed to remove barriers and promote inclusion.
Through digital and organizational audits, she identifies areas of non-compliance and develops accessibility plans that consider the budget and resources available to each organization.
As an advisor, champion, and strong advocate for accessibility and inclusion, Lisa has been successful in building collaborative, goal-oriented partnerships across departments and disciplines.
Lisa is continuing her education but when away from her laptop she enjoys taking her demanding canine executive officer on walks, enjoys biking, watching documentaries, and volunteering for animal rescue groups.
Sana Khaliq
she/her/hers
Sana is a plurality of many things – a researcher, settler, first-generation Pakistani, lifelong student, advocate, and so much more.
Her work is rooted in a commitment to co-creation, intersectionality, decolonization, systems change, and inclusive design. With almost a decade of experience, she uses her multi-industry background and interdisciplinary perspective to connect social justice, research, community engagement, and marketing/communication ultimately envisioning a future that is equitable, inclusive, accessible, and sustainable across industries and mediums.
Sana is on various youth advisory committees and a board member and nominating chair for It Gets Better Canada.
Corey Walker
he/him/his
Corey Walker is an autistic self-advocate who lives in Prince George. Since being diagnosed with autism in 2001, while in his early 20s, he has used his lived experience to advocate for and empower fellow British Columbians with autism and disabilities in the workplace.
Corey currently works as a job coach for Kopar Administration Ltd. in Prince George. He also serves as a Director for the Autism Alliance of Canada and Community Living BC.
As an experienced public speaker on autism-related topics, Corey has presented to audiences across B.C. and Canada, including at Inclusion BC’s annual conference and the Canadian Autism Leadership Summit in Ottawa.
Corey holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and History from the University of Northern BC and a Provincial Instructor Diploma from Vancouver Community College.