We are excited to welcome two new board members, Edmore Masendeke and Lori Samuels!
Edmore Masendeke brings a unique combination of lived experience, academic expertise, policy leadership, grassroots advocacy, and international experience to the Teach Access Board.
Born with cerebral palsy in Zimbabwe, Edmore experienced firsthand the transformative potential of accessible technology in education, beginning with an electronic typewriter and later using computers at school. He went on to teach computer skills to students and staff at his former high school while awaiting university admission.
Edmore holds degrees in business, leadership and management, international and European human rights law, and a PhD in Law from the University of Leeds, where he was a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Early-Stage Researcher in the DARE (Disability Advocacy Research in Europe) Network.
Edmore is currently Policy & Research Lead at the Alliance for Inclusive Education (ALLFIE) in the UK, where he leads research and policy advocacy grounded in disability justice and human rights. Previously, he founded and led Endless Possibilities Trust, a Zimbabwean organisation of persons with disabilities, for 14 years, advancing work on inclusive education, accessible transport, and housing.
As an executive leader in accessibility and disability inclusion, Lori specializes in creating innovative, human-centered accessibility programs for large enterprises. She believes that accessibility is not a compliance box to check – it’s a driver of innovation, delightful user experiences, inclusive work environments, brand trust, and business value.
Prior to her current role at Versant, Lori led accessibility at NBCUniversal, where she focused on building digital accessibility maturity and innovations in live audio description for major events such as the Olympics and Paralympics. She also served as one of the Global Advisors for NBCUniversal’s MyAbilities Employee Resource Group to support disability inclusion in the workplace and authentic disability representation in media. Lori also led and grew accessibility programs at Intuit and Microsoft.
Lori has her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science, and has had career roles in Software Engineering, Engineering Leadership, Technical Program Management, and Accessibility Consulting.
For more information, visit https://www.teachaccess.org/about/our-team/
