Jeffrey Lewis Appointed AT&T Chief Accessibility Officer
DALLAS, May 11, 2015 – AT&T Inc.* has named Jeffrey Lewis as the Chief Accessibility Officer. Lewis will lead the company’s Corporate Accessibility Technology Office, which helps people with disabilities get the most out of technology so they can more easily stay connected.
Lewis replaces Chris Rice, who retired. Mark Balsano, deputy chief accessibility officer, will support Lewis. Together, they will work to expand the organization to better provide services to the millions of AT&T customers who have disabilities.
“We know ‘accessibility’ is more than a word. It’s a commitment to connect people to the world around them,” said Lewis. “We are the connector, making real efforts to ensure our products and services are accessible to everyone.”
That’s why AT&T has assigned engineers and other experts to develop technology solutions for people with disabilities. The ongoing effort has led advancements such as:
- Speech recognition software called AT&T WATSON™ for developers to add voice controls to their apps.
- A text-to-voice converter called Natural Voices available for a wide variety of apps.
- Working with handset makers to improve the user experience for people with disabilities.
- Sharing software tools (application program interfaces) for developers to create apps that improve accessibility.
AT&T won the 2015 Disability Matters Marketplace Award for its accessibility training sessions held across the country by its accessibility office. Disability Matters honors companies that provide marketing and outreach activities for the disability community. The company’s Wireless Independence Now workshops educate people with disabilities, professionals and caregivers about accessibility features available on smartphones and tablets. At the sessions, the company also collects feedback in order to improve AT&T products and services.
Lewis, who also holds the senior vice president-compliance title, previously worked in AT&T’s Legal Department for 13 years in various roles supporting product marketing, regulatory compliance, and regulatory and external affairs. He and his wife Sarah live in Dallas and have four children.
*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) helps millions of people and businesses around the globe stay connected through leading wireless, high-speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. We’re helping people mobilize their worlds with state-of-the-art communications, entertainment services and amazing innovations like connected cars and devices for homes, offices and points in between. Our U.S. wireless network offers customers the nation’s strongest LTE signal and the nation’s most reliable 4G LTE network. We offer the best global wireless coverage*. We’re improving how our customers stay entertained and informed with AT&T U-verse® TV and High Speed Internet services. And businesses worldwide are serving their customers better with AT&T’s mobility and highly secure cloud solutions.
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Reliability and signal strength claims based on nationwide carriers’ LTE. Signal strength claim based ONLY on avg. LTE signal strength. LTE not available everywhere.
*Global coverage claim based on offering voice and LTE data roaming in more countries than any other U.S. based carrier, and offering the most wireless smartphones and tablets that work in the most countries.
