Teach Access is thrilled to announce Microsoft as the Presenting Sponsor and Jenny Lay-Flurrie as the Keynote Speaker of the 2026 Teach Access Student Academy!
The Student Academy is a free, two-day virtual event designed to empower the next generation of the workforce to build a more accessible and inclusive world. Taking place on Thursday, February 26, and Friday, February 27, 2026, the Academy brings together students, educators, industry professionals, and accessibility advocates from around the globe for engaging talks and networking opportunities.
We’re especially excited that next year’s program will highlight AI and Accessibility, two forces that are transforming the future of work and digital inclusion. With Microsoft’s leadership and expertise, participants will gain valuable insights into how artificial intelligence can advance accessibility, foster innovation, and expand opportunities for people with disabilities.
Teach Access is deeply grateful to Microsoft for its continued partnership and commitment to accessibility education. Their support enables us to offer students free, high-impact learning experiences that foster a more inclusive technology workforce.
Jenny Lay-Flurrie, Microsoft’s Vice President and Chief Accessibility Officer, will give the keynote address. Jenny is the current Vice President and Chief Accessibility Officer at Microsoft, a technologist, and operations leader working in technology for 25+ years. She has been Chief Accessibility Officer since 2016, working across the company to design and build accessible products, services, and workplace. Initially joined Microsoft in 2005 to work on Hotmail and build large-scale technical and customer operations. Went on to work on variety of products and domains including Advertising, Privacy and Digital Safety before pivoting to focus on accessibility. Now manages inventory of over 6000 products, websites and tools, buildings and empowers disabled talent across the company. She is executive sponsor of the Disability Employee Community, and a member of Microsoft’s Inclusion Council.
Identifying as deaf and disabled, Jenny brings a user-centered perspective to her work viewing accessibility as a critical driver of innovation for the world. Passionate about building technology right, with durable scalable processes and leading the future with AI.
She leans on the insights of employees and customers to create technologies and services. Launching initiatives like the Disability Answer Desk, which has provided technical support to 1.5million+ disabled people, Neurodiversity Program, and the annual Microsoft Ability Summit, now in its 16th year, with 20,000+ attendees. And instrumental in creation of new products, technologies and realizing the potential of AI and Accessibility.
Jenny serves on the boards of Disability:IN, ITV, and Team Gleason, and has been recognized by the White House as a Disability Employment Champion of Change (2014), Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business (2017), Forbes’ Future of Work 50 (2023), and received several awards including Jim Thatcher Lifetime Achievement Award, John D Kemp Inclusion award (2023), Womenomics Inclusion Award (2025) and identified in top #100 in Accessibility by Forbes (2025). She was awarded Honorary Doctorate in Engineering by University of Sheffield in 2024, MBA in 2007 from University of Bradford and B.Mus Hons in Music from Sheffield in 1997.
Speaker, moderator, interviewer, experienced on small and large stadium stages. An avid reader who loves interviewing authors from Steve Gleason to Sabina Nawaz ‘Your’re the Boss’. Jenny is a dual citizen who grew up in the UK, and now lives in Seattle with her husband Tom.
