I (Aaron Cannon) am first and foremost a father and husband. I am also totally blind and a screen reader user, so I have a vested interest in making the web more accessible for all.

I first got on the web in 1996 using the Lynx web browser via a Linux shell account. Then, about seven or eight years ago, Windows screen readers improved to the point where they could interact much better with Internet Explorer, and I made the switch. It was also about this time that I became interested in web accessibility.

Since that time, I have often shared tips or made suggestions to webmasters on how they might improve the accessibility of their sites. I started doing so professionally in 2007 when I went to work for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

At present, I am an independent consultant, and I still do work for the LDS Church, as well as for other organizations and groups.

When conducting an accessibility evaluation or giving advice, I consider not just the blind and visually impaired, but also the physically or intellectually impaired. However, on the whole, most of my expertise is in the area of making sites work with screen readers, partly because that’s what I personally use, but mostly because it tends to be where the most energy gets spent.