Mike Hess

[Image Description: Gold centered text on a black background with gold confetti reads, “The D-30 Disability Impact List. Below, centered black text in a gold box reads, “2020 Honoree”. Below, right, white centered text reads, “Mike Hess”. Below, centered in a gold box, black text reads, “United States”. To the left, a color headshot of Mike with a white outline. In the bottom right corner, the white Diversability logo with “#D30DisList” centered below in white text.]

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Mike Hess (he/him)

Executive Director/Founder, Blind Institute of Technology

USA

Mike is the Founder and Executive Director of the Blind Institute of Technology, whose mission is to help pros with disabilities, and the employers who hire them, find success in the workplace. Believing he was a success in his tech career because of his blindness, Mike focuses on educating the C-suite on the value of employing people with disabilities. Mike works with Fortune 500 companies like Aetna, DaVita, Enquiron and Salesforce placing over 100 people with disabilities in positions earning a median salary of $70K/yr. Last year, Mike developed EdgGuide, a navigation system that allows BVI to independently navigate physical spaces, providing access to previously inaccessible goods and services. EdgGuide launched at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and has interest from NASA, and the Smithsonian. BIT’s newly developed programs focusing on accessible technology and workforce development, have led to a partnership with Salesforce’s Office of Accessibility and invitations to Google Cloud Next 19 and Dreamforce19.