Creating Solutions That Matter Through Assistive Technology Entrepreneurship

Webinar Alert! 

Join the AUCD Assistive Technology SIG for our upcoming panel discussion exploring the intersection of Assistive Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship. 

Title: From Ideas to Impact: Creating Solutions That Matter Through Assistive Technology Entrepreneurship 

Date: October 21

Time: 12:00 Central Time

REGISTER HERE

Let us know if you have difficulties accessing the registration link (angelmar@uic.edu).

Objectives:

• Highlight innovative assistive technology solutions and the entrepreneurs driving accessibility-focused innovation.
• Explore the journey from identifying unmet needs to developing, launching, and scaling impactful assistive technology products.
• Increase awareness of emerging accessibility innovations and connect them with the national assistive technology community to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing

Guest Panel:

Carter Schott is the founder of Innovative Independence LLC, an assistive technology company focused on developing products that improve independence, safety, and quality of life for people with disabilities. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Management through the Gies College of Business. Carter founded Innovative Independence to turn practical accessibility needs into thoughtfully engineered products and solutions. His work includes developing Sol, a wheelchair-mounted safety light designed to improve visibility and provide users with a more accessible way to signal others. Through Innovative Independence, he is continuing to develop new assistive technology products while learning firsthand about product development, manufacturing, customer discovery, and bringing accessibility-focused innovations to market. 

Meegan Winters is the founder and CEO of AbleVu, an accessibility intelligence platform helping people know before they go by providing verified accessibility information for public spaces, along with AbleBot™, its AI-powered accessibility assistant. Before founding AbleVu, Meegan spent years in education as a special educator, assistive technology coordinator, and assistant principal, where she saw firsthand how much families and individuals with disabilities struggle to find reliable information for everyday activities. That experience, combined with living alongside a wheelchair-using roommate in college, led her to build AbleVu with a mission of making the world more navigable, confident, and joyful for people with disabilities. She is also co-founder of Able Eyes, which produces virtual accessibility virtual tours, and is working to build the world's largest proprietary accessibility database.

Pierre Paul is the Co-Founder and CEO of We Hear You, an assistive technology company developing innovative solutions that make the built environment more accessible. A PhD candidate in Disability Studies at the University of Illinois Chicago, Pierre’s work sits at the intersection of disability, technology, entrepreneurship, and inclusive design. His company’s technology has been deployed across the United States, helping organizations rethink how accessibility can be integrated into everyday spaces. Recognized by the Forbes 200 Accessibility List (2026) and Forbes 100 Accessibility List (2025) for his work in accessibility, Pierre is a global speaker and advocate for designing with, rather than simply for, disabled people and their communities.