About Us

THE SIRI TEAM
Milton Zysman: Executive Director
Milton has followed an extensive career in business management and hands-on product development since his graduation from the University of Toronto’s Law School in 1963. He lost his eyesight at the age of 35 but has continued a career in Research & Development and public service. He has served on the board of the CNIB national library and is the past president of PAL, a service organization for the blind. Milton is also involved in writing and lecturing in geological and evolutionary science.

Dr. Sambhavi Chandrashekar: Managing Director
Sambhavi specializes in studying how users with visual impairments experience electronic information systems and services. She holds a Master’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction from the University College London, U.K. and a PhD in Information from the University of Toronto. Through a postdoctoral fellowship from MITACS, she is working on providing a research framework for SIRI’s Privateye project. Sambhavi’s prior work experience spans software development, project management and corporate training in the banking domain.

Andris Grant: Senior Consultant
Andris Grant is the owner of Balt Engineering since 1992, Andris wears many hats – engineer, inventor, entrepreneur, contractor, consultant, etc. After graduating from the University of Toronto in 1976, he did an MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University, Toronto. He has several awards and patents to his credit.

THE SIRI-COMIMI DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
The SIRI-Comimi Development committee was struck in 2010 with the principal mission of periodically advising SIRI, the IDRC and its industrial partner, Comimi Research Inc. on SIRI’s developmental priorities.

David Greenwood: Co-Chairman
David has his MBA and a BSc majoring in Computer Science. His career included project design and management, Information System management, System Design and Information Technology management. He is currently involved in designing software and products for the visually impaired.

Jutta Treviranus: Co-chairman
Jutta Treviranus is the Director of the Inclusive Design Research Centre (IDRC) and professor at OCAD University in Toronto http://inclusivedesign.ca, formerly the Adaptive Technology Resource Centre. The IDRC conducts proactive research and development in the inclusive design of emerging information and communication technology and practices. Jutta also heads the Inclusive Design Institute a multi-university regional centre of expertise on inclusive design.

Scott Welch: Member
Scott is Vice President (Sales & Marketing) of Corefour Inc., which he co-founded in April 2010. Scott’s entrepreneurial journey started in 1989 when he founded SoftArc Inc. and served as its CEO till it was acquired in 1999 by Open Text. Scott has extensive experience in the public eye, having appeared at over 500 user groups, trade shows and industry symposiums.

Debbie Gillespie: Member
Debbie is an Accessibility Consultant at CNIB, with a primary focus on digital platforms and applications. She has been a member of the Toronto Disability Issues Committee and currently sits on the GO Transit Advisory Committee.

Brad Gillespie: Member
Brad retired in 2010 from the Royal Bank of Canada. For a number of years, he has been involved with website accessibility testing as well as with the training or implementation of best practices regarding various applications. Brad is the chair of the Amateur Radio program and one of his challenges is to make the hobby more accessible to blind individuals.

Doug Poirier: Member
Doug is Program Coordinator at BALANCE for Blind Adults, a non-profit agency in Toronto with strong roots in the community, which has been serving blind and vision-impaired adults for over 20 years. Doug organizes programs that enable people with vision loss to live with dignity and inclusion, and to lead independent, active lifestyles. He is an avid user of information and communication technologies.

Contact Us
If you would like to benefit from our services, or volunteer, or make a donation, please phone our Executive Director Milton Zysman at (416) 922 1542 or email him at mbz41@sympatico.ca.

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