Our monthly Employee Spotlight series gives you a glimpse behind the scenes and brings you closer to the people behind the products at Vispero. This month, we’re shining the spotlight on Meagan Griffith, Accessibility Engineer at TPGi, a Vispero company.
We chatted with Meagan and learned about her passion for music and accessibility, what drew her to the industry, and new hobbies she is exploring.
Q&A with Meagan Griffith
How long have you been with Vispero?
Meagan: 10 months
What initially drew you to your field, and how has that passion evolved over time?
M: My mom has degenerative hearing loss and will one day be completely deaf, so I knew I wanted to do something to help my mom. I started by exploring computation linguistics during my undergraduate studies to potentially do work with captioning. However, once I was introduced to the broader field of accessibility through a lecture on Universal Design, I knew that’s what I wanted to do! From there, I started my accessibility journey as a student researcher for the Trace Center at University of Maryland. Over time, my passion has grown stronger for accessibility policy/law and accessible design for people with cognitive disabilities.
What was your dream job as a child, and how does it compare to your current role?
M: As a child, I wanted to be a lot of things – a musician, a doctor, a writer, etc. While my current role is not any of those things, I do think it provides a balance of technical work, creativity, and helping others that all of my childhood aspirations added up to.
Who has been the biggest influence on your career path, and why?
M: The biggest influence would be Dr. Jonathan Lazar because he gave me my first accessibility research opportunity during my undergraduate studies. I learned so much during that project and it really cemented that accessibility was my passion.
What recent accomplishment at work has you feeling most energized?
M: Receiving an SEA People Award for Q2!
Have you ever had to learn a new skill quickly to meet project demands? How did you manage?
M: Yes! For example, when I was completing my Capstone for my Master’s degree last year, there were several projects that required me to quickly learn new skills with Figma. My strategy for situations where I have to learn a new skill quickly is to identify my weakest areas regarding the skill, reach out to anyone I know that may be knowledgeable in the area for resources/advice, and then independently research/practice.
What’s your strategy for staying motivated during challenging times?
M: It’s easier said than done, but I try to stay grounded and remind myself that life has its ups and downs so surely, it’ll start to pick back up eventually! I also find that going on walks/runs regularly helps with staying motivated.
What are you most passionate about outside of work?
M: Music! I write and perform indie folk music in downtown Annapolis. I am also part of the Annapolis Songbird Collective – a group that supports and promotes women in music.
Do you have any hidden talents or unique hobbies? Share them with us!
M: Well I guess the cat’s out of the bag with my previous answer about being a musician. However, I am getting more into the world of birding as a hobby! I also recently discovered a great non-profit organization called Birdability that works to make birding more accessible.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
M: Japan! I started snowboarding as an adult and Hokkaido, Japan is my number one destination for snowboarding. I also love Asian cuisine and am eager to try not only new foods, but the various culinary experiences Japan has to offer.
What’s your favorite aspect of our company culture?
M: When I started at TPGI, it was immediately apparent that everyone wants everyone to succeed and was never shy to offer a helping hand or share knowledge. So, I would say my favorite aspect is how supportive everyone is of each other and a shared mentality of wanting to spread knowledge and new accessibility findings.
What advice would you give to someone new starting at our company?
M: It might be a little cliche but truly, don’t hesitate to ask for help! It’s better to get help early on than toil on an issue someone else may quickly have an answer to.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
M: Keep it simple! In this job, I often remind myself to take a minute and just keep it simple. It’s easy to dream up complex accessibility solutions but sometimes the best solution is a simple one.
What historical event or invention fascinates you the most?
M: I think microphones are fascinating! Not only how they work but how they’ve influenced music and pop culture! (For example, the “crooner” style)
You have a time machine! Would you travel to the past or the future, and why?
M: I would go to the past to see some of the yacht rock bands performing in their prime – specifically Steely Dan!