AXSChat with Robert McLaren, Nicolaas Matthijs and Piers Wilkinson
Channel: AXSChat
Date: 04/11/2018

Robert McLaren is Head of Industry Technology and Innovation at Policy Connect, a cross-party think tank. He specialises in assistive and accessible technology policy, including managing the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Assistive Technology. Before joining Policy Connect in 2017, Robert worked within the assistive technology sector providing technology training and study skills tuition to disabled people in universities and the workplace, and consultancy services for organisations in the sector. He is dyslexic and was first introduced to assistive technology when he received a Disabled Student’s Allowance as an undergraduate.



Nicolaas Matthijs is an entrepreneur and product creator with over 10 years of experience in Educational Technology. Nicolaas has worked at several leading R1 institutions such as Cambridge University, UC Berkeley and Georgia Tech, where he developed Learning Management Systems, Academic Collaboration Tools, Learning Analytics solutions and other learning tools. He has contributed to numerous Open Source projects and communities and is internationally recognized for bringing technical and user experience innovation to these communities, for which he has received several awards. Nicolaas was also the co-founder and CEO of Fronteer, developing a revolutionary tool, called Ally, that helps institutions make their course materials more accessible for all learners. Following the acquisition of Fronteer by Blackboard, Nicolaas now acts as the Product Manager for Ally at Blackboard.


Piers Wilkinson is a disabled representative, activist, and access consultant, who has worked with national and international organisations to promote disability inclusivity and disabled people’s rights. Current Piers sits on the National Union of Students (NUS) National Executive Council, the NUS Disabled Students’ Campaign, and NUS Sustainability Advisory Board, and during his time has contributed to the 2016 UNCRPD’s investigation into the UK, consulted with Friends of the Earth for disability inclusion on the upcoming Environment Act, and collaborated with Disabled People Organisations to lobby for disabled people’s rights to inclusive education within the UK. Furthermore Piers is CEO and founder of Ramping Up Limited, an access consultancy firm that specialises in helping education institutions to become more inclusive for disabled students. Piers is currently working within NUS and with Policy Connect to promote digital accessibility and inclusion, and studying an MSci in Physical Oceanography at Bangor University.