The top finalists for the Next Big Thing contest have been selected. On Tuesday, November 19 at 7:00 PM Eastern time, the finalists will present their feature ideas for JAWS or ZoomText to a second-round panel of judges. The winner will be announced at the live event, and you can help the judges decide by joining us and voting for your favorite feature. To take part in the festivities, register for the event, which will take place on the Zoom conferencing platform. To get to know our judges, see their bios below.
Arushi Mittal
Arushi is a recent high school graduate who will attend Purdue University to pursue a major in computer science. Visually impaired since birth, she has used JAWS throughout her academic journey, inspiring her interest in the ability of assistive technology to empower people with disabilities.
She gained hands-on experience as an intern with the American Printing House for the Blind (APH), plus worked with the Washington Assistive Technology Act Program (WATAP) to support visually impaired elderly individuals. She believes that assistive technology can bridge gaps across communities and generations—from students to retirees—and has wide-reaching potential to create inclusive environments.
Oleg Shevkun
Oleg is a product tester at Vispero, plus produces FSCast, Freedom Scientific’s official podcast. Born in Leningrad, USSR, Oleg now lives in Germany with his wife and three children. He holds academic degrees in linguistics and theology. Oleg is also an avid Braille reader, and he enjoys a good book after work. Oleg also produces a blindness-related YouTube channel for Russian-speaking audiences.
Mandy Van Cleave
Mandy, who has more than 20 years of experience in assistive technology, has worked with a wide range of products and solutions. She is an Embedded Client Assistive Technology Team Lead at TPGi, providing technical support and training on JAWS, Fusion, ZoomText, and JAWS Inspect. She lives in Monroe, Ohio with her husband, son, and two dogs, and she also babies their large salt-water aquarium in her spare time.
Brett Lewis
Brett is a Senior Software Engineer at Vispero who specializes in developing the JAWS screen reader. He also works as a Product Owner for one of the agile teams focused on JAWS’s development. With two decades of experience in accessibility product development for blind users, his roles enable him to foster innovation and excellence in the technical and strategic elements of our initiatives.