HIGHLIGHT
Porsche
"This spring the Panamera lineup welcomes the arrival of its newest family member, the Panamera Sport Turismo. This model once again shows the courage of Porsche in implementing the new design ideas while staying true to the brand philosophy and core belief that we will continue to build the sports cars of our dreams and continue to defy conventional wisdom. To celebrate its arrival, on Thursday June 21st, 2018 6:30 to 9pm we are hosting an unveiling cocktail party. Our theme is “The Fearless Disruptor” It’s a liberating thing, the leaving of fear on the side of the road. A car of any form should never be a compromise, a settling for something less than spine-tingling and the same goes for life. Our live entertainment features Marisa Hamamoto, the creator of Infinite Flow – An Inclusive Dance Company, America’s 1st professional wheelchair ballroom dance company, and a dancer who knows all too well the power of Fear. Recovering from a rare stoke in the spinal cord that almost jeopardized her ability to ever walk again, Marisa not only recovered but she persevered to the point that she created a new disruption in the dance world. You will learn about her journey in a special live performance. It’s not the most expected path you could take. But a little disruption can be a good thing, as long as you’re the one doing the disrupting. Marisa will be joined by her wheelchair dance partner Piotr Iwanicki, a 12-year world champion wheelchair ballroom dancer. The Auto Gallery Porsche Woodland Hillswill showcase disruption in a bold new way on June 21st."
Sheryl Sandberg, COO Facebook
Founder Lean In & Option B - Shoutouts
Facebook Accessibility Summit
Had the honor to speak and perform at the Facebook HQ Accessibility Design Summit in front of 150 Facebook Designers & Engineers Thurs May 16, 2019 for Global Accessibility Awareness Day, a day to get get everyone talking, thinking and learning about digital (web, software, mobile, etc.) access and inclusion. I’m still processing everything I heard and learned, but here are a few takeaways:
Accessibility is a human right.
Good design enables, bad design disables.
Improving on accessibility leads to innovation and helps humanity as a whole = Universal design.
Accessibility leads to creating spaces of belonging and it’s an ongoing conversation. Accessibility is multidimensional: visual, auditory, physical, cognitive, new to tech, generational...
As founder of Infinite Flow - An Inclusive Dance Company I had touched on accessibility in many areas, but there was so much more to learn and improve upon. My talk centered around not underestimating the impact accessibility can lead to. Facebook has shaped my career and birthed Infinite Flow. Thank you to wheelchair dancesport world champion and my partner in crime Piotr Iwanicki for contributing with me. Thank you Facebook for continuing to be a cheerleader of my work. I’m committed to taking action and contributing to the conversation of accessibility and inclusion.
Facebook Community Leadership Program
The Facebook Community Leadership Program is a new initiative implemented October 2018, giving leaders around the world the support, tools, funding and the belief in themselves that they need to best lead their communities. I was selected as 1 of 115 leaders from 46 countries, out of over 6000 applicants worldwide. See the list of the other amazing leaders selected for this program HERE.
Community Voices from Facebook
The Community Voices video series celebrates how people are bringing the world closer together through the Facebook platform. One video is shown each week at the employee wide meeting and some videos are posted online. Thank you Facebook for scouting us among millions of stories.
Infinite Flow: Wheelchair DanceFor Marisa Hamamoto, dance is everything. Previously paralyzed due to a rare neurological condition, she miraculously regained her ability to walk, but made it her mission to make dance accessible to all. And after a powerful Messenger conversation, Infinite Flow - A Wheelchair Dance Company was born.
Posted by Community Voices on Monday, October 23, 2017
Behind the scenes with the amazing storytellers of Only Today: Raymond Tsang, Zippy Etzel, Zac Arenas, and Joyce Tsang (not pictured)
Visiting Facebook HQ with our producer.
Oculus VR for Good
Infinite Flow was chosen as 1 of 10 worldwide social good causes to partner in Oculus VR for Good initiative. Thank you to the Oculus team and filmmaker Jessica Kantor for telling our story with a completely new medium. Official international premiere announced shortly.