Team Bios

Gayatri Kini

Founder, CEO

“I want to change the way we think about disability, the way we think about people with disabilities, the way we think about accessibility.

I strongly believe that Accessibility benefits everyone and Disability impacts everyone. As product leaders, we have a responsibility to understand and address the pain points of our customers. With a little investment of time and effort on Web Accessibility, I believe that products teams can significantly enhance the user experience for ALL their customers.

My work is focused on exploring this with product teams who are interested in building digital experiences that are inclusive from the ground up!”

Penny Lane Kini

Chief Happiness Officer

“I am the Chief Happiness Officer at The Accidental Ally and my job is to make everyone smile. I am always excited to meet new people and give them hugs and kisses.

I am working very hard to get certified as a therapy dog so that I can make a lot of people happy. I love to follow my mom (Gayatri) around all day because she is always giving me yummy treats!”

Collaborators

Sneha Arvind

Design Lead

“As a Designer, I believe that I have the responsibility to create experiences that everyone can access regardless of ability, context or circumstance.

Designing experiences for all kinds of people can often seem daunting but it need not be.

My work with The Accidental Ally has helped me realize that thinking about accessibility as a default and right from the get go rather than an afterthought brings a better experience for all kinds of users.”

Karin Van Genegen

Full-Stack Developper

“To participate in today’s society, the use of the Internet is necessary. That’s why I believe easy access to online services is a basic right, regardless of people’s abilities.

As a developer and teacher, I want to contribute to a fully accessible Web for everyone. I am really glad that I can do this by working with The Accidental Ally.

Together with all these wonderful people I can learn about accessibility, create awareness and make websites better for all.”

Rojene Russel

Social Media & Marketing

Rojene Russell is an aspiring graphic designer with outstanding skills in the understanding of Modern Design Software Technologies. Rojene is very industrious and is currently spending her time constructively building her profile and meeting other graphic designers on several platforms sharing innovative ideas.

In addition, she attends ARC Broward weekly where she is being prepared for the workforce. Rojene completed two certifications at McFatter Technical College in Graphics Designs and Web Development. She is always willing to serve and volunteered at Memorial Health Care System in their marketing department and is currently volunteering at ARC Broward in their marketing department.

Dashiell Meier

Media and Communications Intern

“I am in high school, and I love drawing and painting. I hope to become a filmmaker someday, but for now, I make short films and have a talk show called Playing Favorites on YouTube.

I am a self-advocate with Down syndrome, and I also advocate for other people with disabilities. I love public speaking and have traveled to Washington D.C. and Sacramento to meet with members of Congress. I am really excited to work for The Accidental Ally because I want to make more friends and continue to make the world better for people with disabilities.“

Rohan Bhupatiraju

Gaming and Mobile intern

“My name is Rohan. I am 18 years old. I enjoy reading, listening to Indian classical music and spending time with my family and friends. I have been participating in Special Olympics Basketball and Softball for many years. I also enjoy doing volunteer work during summer break.

I am very excited about the opportunity to join The Accidental Ally team as a summer intern and help people with disabilities. I look forward to learning new skills and meeting new people.“

Roan Purpura-Pontoniere

Research and Usability Intern

Roan Purpura-Pontoniere turned 18 earlier this year. He enjoys swimming, horseback riding, gaming, cooking, dancing, and spending time with family, friends, and his cat, Cool Breeze. He believes in accessibility.

Madison Turner

Intern

“I am 17 years old and about to start my senior year in high school. I have been an actress with Angels on Stage for the past 12 years and absolutely love singing and dancing. I also participate in Girl Scouts, Special Olympics and hosting dance parties with my mom for our community. I love spending time with my family and friends. My most perfect day would be getting starbucks, then heading over to the beach with friends for the day. I am a self advocate and also an advocate for others living with different abilities. I have a motto I live by, “Why fit in, when we are born to stand out”. I am really excited to join The Accidental Ally team and learn a lot, as we work to make the world a better place and more accessible to all.“

Laith Omran

Intern

“My name is Laith. I graduated from high school in 2018. I enjoy writing stories, drawing, cooking, voice acting, gaming, sea shanties and helping others. I want to be an animator, but right now I attend a film school that is teaching me about the entire film industry.

I am looking forward to beginning my summer internship with Accidental Ally because I want to improve the representation of people with special needs in the workforce. I also look forward to meeting new people and learning new skills.“

Karmishtha Krishna

Design Intern

“The way we treat disability is largely affected by the isolation of it as a separate entity. I truly believe that it is mindfulness around accessibility that can help break the silo and bridge existing gaps.

We live in a world where words like inclusivity are often spoken of, but seldom executed. The strong core values The Accidental Ally stands for makes me want to challenge my creative capabilities – to be more thoughtful, empathetic, and truly human centered in my design approach.”

Gajesh Mitkari

Design Intern

“We often underestimate how privileged most of us are in terms of having a better, easier accessibility in day to day interactions with the things and experiences around us.

The Accidental Ally made me realise about how most of the times, we as Designers, while talking about inclusiveness, hardly worked on solutions which are actually inclusive. I want to design keeping an approach; approach to make things, experinces easier for everybody, and TAA will help me to have a better approach towards any brief I will work on in future.”

Sanjay Thinagar

Design Intern

“I believe usability, inclusivity and empathy are the foundations of good design. My goal has always been to design products that are strong in these factors. Even small changes can go a big way into making the world more accessible.

I’m very excited to work with The Accidental Ally as it is a great opportunity to be a part of a team that is very passionate about accessibility, and to learn more about it along the way.”

Johane Omiscar

Full-Stack Developper

“I want to help change the approach we have to building websites. To change the vision that companies have of approaching the digital world by thinking only of profit to the detriment of the human being.

With the Accidental Ally, I met passionate people who grow me up and make me progress professionally and humanly. They open up opportunities that I never imagined and learnt me what I thought I knew about accessibility.”