From Awareness to Action: How Niki Is Embedding Accessibility into Product at CBC

Niki did not start her career in accessibility with a clear plan.

Her path began with exposure.

"No one should have to experience less because of their disability."

That idea did not come from theory. It came from experience.

A moment that changed perspective

When Niki moved to Canada to pursue an MBA, she found herself surrounded by peers who were navigating challenges that were not always visible.

Some were hard of hearing. Others were managing anxiety. What stood out was not the challenges themselves, but the effort required to access the same opportunities as everyone else.

It raised questions that stayed with her.

Why should access be harder for some people? Why is disclosure so difficult? Why is something that is part of a person's identity treated differently?

That moment led to action.

She co-founded Access to Success with three classmates. What started as a student initiative evolved into a non-profit focused on creating more inclusive environments.

It was the first time accessibility became real.

From exposure to practice

Accessibility was not initially part of her career plan.

That changed when she joined a consulting firm and was asked to step in on a WCAG audit. Like many in the field, she learned by doing.

Over time, she became the person others turned to for accessibility.

That phase was not about having all the answers. It was about building understanding.

She was influenced by people who helped shape her thinking, from technical skills to the human side of the work. That combination of perspectives made accessibility more than a checklist. It became a way of thinking about products and people.

The challenge of scale

At CBC, the challenge was different.

There was already awareness. People wanted to do the right thing.

The question was how to turn that intent into consistent action.

"How do I help leaders see accessibility as part of business outcomes?"

This required a shift.

Accessibility could not live at the edges of product teams. It had to be part of how products were planned, built, and measured.

Building structure into the system

Instead of focusing only on features, Niki approached accessibility at the system level.

She started with a maturity model.

What needs to happen at each stage of the product lifecycle?

From research and design to development, testing, and support, accessibility had to be considered at every step.

This meant asking practical questions.

Do research teams have access to people with disabilities? Are research tools accessible? Are insights being shared with product teams?

It was not about solving everything at once.

It was about prioritizing and moving step by step.

"Focus on one or two things. Make sure everyone is aligned. Keep talking about it."

Making accessibility part of the business

One of the most important shifts was connecting accessibility to business outcomes.

Instead of positioning it as additional work, it became part of existing priorities.

For example, if a goal was to grow audio usage, accessibility could support that.

Users with reading or comprehension challenges wanted to listen to content. That insight led to integrating text-to-speech into product planning.

This approach allowed accessibility to move faster.

It became part of the work teams were already doing.

Real-world impact

The results are practical and measurable.

Accessibility is now part of annual and quarterly product planning at CBC. It is no longer treated as an afterthought.

One example stands out.

Captioning on videos increased from 30 percent to nearly 100 percent. That represents tens of thousands of videos becoming accessible.

"It sounds simple, but it makes a real difference."

Another example is CBC Lite.

A low-vision user shared that they valued the experience so much they would get a tattoo of the name.

That kind of feedback reflects something deeper than compliance.

It shows that the product is working for people.

A different way of thinking about accessibility

Niki's approach is grounded in a simple idea.

"Solve for one, extend to many."

Accessibility is not about building separate experiences.

It is about designing products that work better for everyone.

This perspective also shifts how teams think.

Accessibility becomes a creative opportunity, not a constraint.

Looking ahead

The work is not finished.

One of the next areas of focus is how to better represent and serve Indigenous audiences through digital experiences.

There is also a broader goal.

To ensure that accessibility and inclusion are built into technology from the start, including emerging areas like AI.

"Everything we touch is tech now. It needs to be built with marginalized users in mind."

A perspective that stays with you

At its core, this work is about consistency.

Embedding accessibility into how organizations operate, not treating it as an optional layer.

"Start small but stay loud. You don't need permission to build access. You just need persistence."

That mindset is what moves accessibility forward.

Not as an initiative.

But as part of how products are built and experienced every day.