Natalie Shearer B.A.Sc

Natalie was a first-generation student at the University of Guelph, graduating in 2014 with a BASc in Adult Development and Wellbeing. During her time at Guelph, Natalie worked at the University’s Couple and Family Therapy Centre and volunteered with the Volunteer Centre of Guelph-Wellington. One of Natalie’s favourite places on campus is the Arboretum!

After leaving the University of Guelph, Natalie completed her Master of Educational Technology (MET) while starting her career with an eLearning start-up on Canada’s East Coast. Since then, she has worked in fundraising and volunteer engagement for hospitals and in higher education, while continuing to develop her passion for accessibility and inclusion through digital innovation.

In 2019, inspired by their own experiences as disabled woman, Natalie and a friend started an accessibility consulting firm, Two Canes Consulting. After four years of helping organizations make their spaces, programs, products, and services more accessible and inclusive of folks with disabilities through Two Canes, Natalie recently joined the founding team of an accessible tech startup- Lotus Laboratories. At Lotus, Natalie is leading accessibility and collaborative partnership efforts. 

Natalie is a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC), previously sat on the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) Committee for the Abilities Centre in Whitby, Ontario and was an Organizing Committee member for the Queer (2SLGBTQ+) Employee Resource Group at Queen’s University.

Natalie currently lives with her partner and two children in Kingston, Ontario.