But her time working on the Department of Veterans Affairs website in 2021 helped change her perspective. “Most of the developers I worked with wanted to do the right thing— they just didn’t know what it was. Accessibility isn’t taught in most programs. Heck, half the time they don’t even know it’s a thing. How can you be mad at someone for not doing something they never knew they were supposed to do?” That realization became the cornerstone of Real Life Access: education, not accusation. The company offers coaching, audits, and training sessions to help small and mid-sized businesses build accessible products, services, and workplace cultures—not because it’s legally required, but because it’s smart business. Accessibility Defined Angela keeps her definition simple: “Accessibility means making your products and services as usable and user-friendly as possible for as many people as possible.” This can mean: Describing visual content for blind users. Making sure a website works without a mouse Rethinking office layouts so wheelchair users can move freely. “Do these things,” Angela says, “and you’ll improve the experience for people with disabilities—and everyone else. And trust me, customers will keep coming back.” That mindset is the heart of Hiring for Champions, which challenges businesses to stop seeing accessibility as a compliance burden and start seeing it as a leadership asset. Participants don’t just learn how to interview candidates or write better job descriptions—they learn
Angela keeps her definition simple: “Accessibility means making your products and services as usable and user-friendly as possible for as many people as possible.”
how to lead teams that actually work. Doing It All as a Single Mom
Running a business is no small feat. Doing it as a blind single mom? Even tougher. But Angela has never been one to shy away from a challenge. “Being a single mom adds a whole different level,” she admits. “But it’s also my why. I want my son to grow up knowing that setbacks aren’t the end. As that Zac Brown lyric says, ‘The only good thing about getting knocked down is the comeback when it comes back around.’” It’s that spirit—resilient, real, and a little bit defiant—that powers every offering from Real Life Access. Accessibility = Opportunity Angela’s vision goes far beyond compliance checklists or ADA box- ticking. She’s building a movement rooted in the idea that accessibility isn’t charity—it’s strategy.
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