Building Equity in Technology
The intersection of mental health and race equity in technology can help reduce disparities in our systems. It provides an opportunity to serve individuals who may never have the chance to walk into a clinic but nonetheless need mental health support. In 2018, Microsoft’s AI for Accessibility was created to fund AI tools that empower people living with disabilities. Join our webinar to learn more about how Microsoft is focusing on people living with mental health conditions, particularly in Black communities.
This 60-minute webinar will cover:
- Microsoft’s AI for Accessibility process for working with underserved communities;
- How the program is improving inclusive mental health care for Black communities; and
- How it is supporting MHA’s research and helping co-design technological tools with people living with mental health conditions.
This webinar will be recorded and available to the public within one week. We do not offer CEUs, but certificates of attendance will be available after the event.
Meet the Speakers
Wendy Chisholm, Principal Accessibility Architect at Microsoft, leads AI for Accessibility – a $25 million grant program that aims to accelerate the development of accessible and intelligent AI solutions that amplify human capability for the more than 1 billion people worldwide with a disability. Previously, she helped start the infusion of accessibility throughout Microsoft’s internal engineering systems; worked to make Visual Studio Team Services more accessible; shepherded Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 and 2.0 as staff for the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C); helped the University of Washington’s AccessComputing project increase the number of people with disabilities in computing fields; contributed to the development of WebAnywhere–a screen reader on the go; and independently consulted for companies including Microsoft, Google, and Adobe to integrate universal design into their products and as a consultant for the American Foundation for the Blind. She has a B.S. in Computer Science and M.S. in Industrial Engineering/Human Factors.
Dr. Desmond Upton Patton, Associate Professor of Social Work and Sociology; Senior Associate Dean for Innovation and Academic Affairs, founding director of the SAFE Lab and co-director of the Justice, Equity and Technology lab at Columbia School of Social Work, is a leading pioneer in the field of making AI empathetic, culturally sensitive, and less biased. Through keynote presentations and interactive workshops, Patton is helping organizations develop a better approach to diversity and inclusion that includes fairer practices that address the challenge of prejudice rather than contribute to it. Also the Associate Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and the co-chair of the Racial Equity Task Force at The Data Science Institute and founder of the SIM|ED tech incubator at Columbia University, Patton’s research uses virtual reality to educate youth and policymakers about the ways social media can be used against them and how race plays a part.
Theresa Nguyen, Mental Health America’s Chief Program Officer and Vice President of Research and Innovation works to improve access to mental health care through data and digital-based innovations. Her areas of special interest include prevention, early intervention, education, and building a full recovery-oriented mental health system of care. Theresa manages MHA’s programs, including MHA Screening, The State of Mental Health in America, and Workplace Wellness. She oversees MHA’s research which explores the integration of peers into research, the use of technology to support people in the earliest stages of recovery, and how large-scale data provides insight into gaps in supports systems across the country. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, she has over 15 years of experience in mental health as a clinician, educator, and advocate. Her clinical experience focused on working with children and adults with serious mental illness, homelessness, dual diagnosis treatment, and early intervention of psychosis. As an advocate, she worked to build a consumer-based mental health workforce, to improve access to treatment through community-based and recovery-oriented mental health programs, and to address the needs of underserved communities. She is an adjunct professor in California and has taught courses covering Mental Health Recovery, Psychosocial Rehabilitation, and Social Welfare Policy. Prior to joining MHA National, Theresa worked at both MHALA (Los Angeles, CA) and MHAOC (Orange County, CA).