EdTech: Dr Amy Lomellini Of Anthology On How Their Technology Will Make An Important Positive Impact On Education

A human-centered approach: Always remember who you are creating the technology for. While technology can automate solutions, only humans can ensure that these tools are meaningful and address the real-world needs of diverse communities.

In recent years, Big Tech has gotten a bad rep. But of course, many tech companies are doing important work making monumental positive changes to society, health, and the environment. To highlight these, we started a new interview series about “Technology Making An Important Positive Social Impact”. We are interviewing leaders of tech companies who are creating or have created a tech product that is helping to make a positive change in people’s lives or the environment. In this particular installment, we are talking to leaders of Education Technology companies, who share how their tech is helping to improve our educational system. As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Amy Lomellini.

Dr. Amy Lomellini is the Director of Accessibility at Anthology and leverages her personal and professional experiences to help bring clarity, consistency, and confidence to the accessibility of Anthology’s array of educational technology products and solutions. She has experience as an instructional designer and an associate director of online learning, teaches related courses, and chairs several accessibility committees, including Anthology’s Accessibility Workstream. She holds a doctorate in educational technology, and her research and publications focus on accessible and inclusive online course design strategies.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory and how you grew up?

From a young age I was no stranger to hospitals, navigating medical challenges that often brought me in and out of care. It was in those moments that I first became aware of the barriers faced by those with disabilities, and the need for greater inclusivity. What began as a personal experience gradually transformed into a deep passion for disability advocacy — though, at the time, I couldn’t have known how much it would shape my path forward.

My first role took me down the path of becoming an interpreter for the Deaf–one that was incredibly rewarding, though it ultimately became unsustainable because of my mobility issues. Realizing it was time for a change, I embraced a new opportunity in Peru teaching English. This chapter became one of growth, made even more special by the fact that I could complete my Bachelor’s degree online through the University of North Carolina at Greensboro all while living in the foothills of the Andes. It was there that my passion for online learning truly evolved, not just as a means to accommodate my medical needs, but as a way to live life on my own terms.

When I returned to the U.S., I chose to pursue my passion for learning by enrolling in the Educational Technology Master’s program at Boise State University. Just as I was about to begin, I found myself in the ICU, diagnosed with CIDP, a neuromuscular disease that required me to relearn basic skills like walking and using my arms. Despite this, I began my master’s program while undergoing physical rehabilitation. I kept my illness to myself, worried about being treated differently–something many students with disabilities can relate to. However, it was during this time that I discovered the field of digital accessibility in instructional design. What started as an area of interest soon became a space where I knew I could truly make a difference.

This led me into higher education, first as an instructional designer and later as Associate Director of Online Learning at Molloy University. I led accessibility initiatives and helped establish a comprehensive accessibility program with resources, including Anthology Ally, a tool that helps educators build inclusive environments and make digital content more accessible. As a student, I myself relied on alternative formats like audio versions of course materials when I struggled with physical limitations. Now, I was working to bring these same solutions to others. It was extremely rewarding.

Through my involvement with the Ally user community, I discovered an opportunity that aligned perfectly with my passion. I embraced it, and today I serve as the Director of Accessibility at Anthology, the company behind Ally, upholding my mission to amplify the voices of those with disabilities and contribute to shaping a more inclusive future for everyone.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

Dr. Patrick Lowenthal, a Professor of Educational Technology at Boise State University, has played a significant role in both my personal and professional journey. During my time in the ICU and physical rehab, his course opened my eyes to the possibilities of online learning. It was his class that provided the flexibility I needed to maneuver a challenging recovery, relearning basic skills during such a traumatic period.

As my advisor throughout both my Master’s and Doctoral programs, Dr. Lowenthal has been a constant source of support. Together, we’ve collaborated on research, presented at conferences, and even developed a Post-Master’s Certificate in Accessible Online Learning at Boise State. Now, I’m delighted to teach one of those courses.

Dr. Lowenthal’s mentorship has profoundly impacted not only my career but also my personal growth, and today our work continues on the Anthology Accessibility Advisory Council where we contribute shaping a more inclusive future in educational technology.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

One of my favorite life lessons comes from the phrase “Progress over perfection.” It’s a philosophy that’s resonated with me, whether it’s friendships, work, or learning. This mindset has reminded me to push forward without succumbing to the pressure of achieving perfection. My disabilities are an intrinsic part of who I am. I focus on progress–embracing small, meaningful steps forward–rather than the elusive pursuit of perfection.

This perspective extends to my professional life as well. In advocating for accessibility, I’ve come to understand that change doesn’t happen overnight. Progress is incremental, and securing buy-in for accessibility is a gradual process. It takes time, but every step forward is valuable. Embracing that truth has made all the difference.

You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

Empathy, authenticity, and the ability to inspire action have been instrumental to my success. Empathy helps us engage with others by understanding their needs and responding in ways that make them feel heard and valued. This is crucial when we focus on creating truly accessible spaces whether they are physical, digital, or social because it allows us to consider and address the diverse needs of everyone.

Authenticity builds trust. By openly sharing experiences and being transparent about the barriers I’ve faced, I’ve been able to connect with others on a deeper level to build genuine relationships.

Finally, my ability to inspire others to engage enables me to champion causes I’m passionate about, like accessibility. By clearly communicating their significance, I motivate others to take meaningful action.

Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion about the tech tools that you are helping to create that can make a positive social impact on our educational systems. To begin, what problems are you aiming to solve?

Education has the ability to create life-changing opportunities. Our goal as a company and through our solutions is to open the doors to education for everyone, everywhere. Accessing education is not without its challenges, especially for first-generation students, non-traditional learners balancing work and family, individuals with disabilities, and those facing geographic barriers that limit their opportunities. These struggles can often feel insurmountable, but with the right tools and support, education can become more accessible to everyone, regardless of their background or circumstances.

How do you think your technology can address this?

Our learning management system, Blackboard, and the advent of online and hybrid learning models are opening opportunities for education for people like never before. Students now have the flexibility to access an education anytime and anywhere. This is especially transformative for non-traditional students, such as working professionals, parents, and those living in remote areas, who might otherwise struggle to attend in-person classes. The ability to access materials at their convenience means these learners can balance education with their daily responsibilities.

Our digital content accessibility tool, Anthology Ally, improves the student experience, not just for the reported 1.3 billion people who live with disabilities, but for everyone. With Anthology Ally, we’re tackling key challenges with digital content — the backbone of modern learning environments. Many students face barriers accessing course materials in formats that meet their needs, and Ally helps remove those obstacles by offering alternative formats that enhance students’ engagement. At the same time, faculty want to help their students succeed in their courses, but they may not know how the lack of including accessibility best practices in their content are affecting those same students. Ally provides real-time guidance, actionable insights, and easy-to-use tools to guide faculty to continuous improvement. Ultimately, accessibility benefits everyone, not just those with specific needs, and Ally helps institutions create a more inclusive, adaptable, and effective digital learning environment.

Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about education?

Education has been a cornerstone of my life from an early age, but my passion for online learning truly blossomed during my time living and studying in Peru. That experience demonstrated to me the profound impact online education can have, especially for individuals like me, navigating life with disabilities. I quickly realized that the flexibility of online learning allowed me to live my life, adapt to my unique challenges, and still receive a world-class education.

This realization instilled in me a deep sense of purpose to ensure that others, regardless of their location or obstacles, could access education on their own terms. As a community of educators, we must do a better job of considering the needs and experiences of our students. As someone who teaches digital accessibility at universities and oversees the accessibility of Anthology’s solutions, I can confidently say that accessible content is simply better content.

How do you think your technology might change the world?

At Anthology, we strongly believe that together, education and technology have the power to create life-changing opportunities for everyone, everywhere. Our solutions are used around the world by millions of people. Knowing the impact we have on individuals, opening doors that people may not have had access to through our solutions — whether it’s online learning or the ability to engage with content in a way that supports their abilities to succeed — is very powerful. We are helping learners reach their full potential, regardless of location or ability, and helping create a more inclusive and equitable educational experience for all.

Keeping the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?

When people rely too much on tools, they may forget the “why” behind using them. With the advent of AI, some accessibility tools give the false impression that all content is fixed perfectly and there are no accessibility issues anymore. But, automating accessibility issues without proper human oversight can lead to a lot of unforeseen and unintended consequences.

For example, when I was at the AECT conference last year (Association for Educational Communications and Technology), someone brought forward a course that was built with automated accessibility tools, and they had a whole bunch of decorative flamingos to make the course more colorful and fun. The AI generated alt text that said “flamingo, flamingo, flamingo” which hindered the purpose of alt text — which was to assist people who have visual impairments in understanding the content. The AI was able to describe the flamingos, but only a human would have been able to tell you the flamingos were not relevant to the core educational content. This is why at Anthology we believe it is important for humans to stay in control of these automated tools, to ensure that accessibility tools meaningfully contribute to an improved experience for those with disabilities.

How do you envision the landscape of education evolving over the next decade, and how does your technology fit into that future?

The goal is to create a space where every learner, regardless of ability, has the opportunity to engage fully in the educational experience. Over the next decade, education will become increasingly personalized, flexible, and tech-driven, with a greater emphasis on lifelong learning and accessibility for all students. Technology, especially AI, will play a central role in shaping this future, enabling adaptive learning environments, providing real-time feedback, and fostering more inclusive experiences. Virtual and immersive technologies hold the power to tear down physical barriers, opening doors to experiences like exploring museums, traveling, and participating in activities that were once out of reach. AI simultaneously has the potential to reshape learning by automating complex tasks, supporting cognitive functions, and lowering barriers for those with disabilities. However, this must be done thoughtfully and ethically, with human oversight to guide its relevance and impact, ensuring that education remains both innovative and inclusive.

At Anthology, our solutions, like Blackboard and Ally, are designed to support these shifts by making learning more accessible, empowering educators with insights to improve content, and ensuring every learner, regardless of ability, can succeed in a rapidly changing educational landscape.

Based on your experience and success, can you please share “Five things you need to know to successfully create technology that can make a positive social impact”?

1. A human-centered approach: Always remember who you are creating the technology for. While technology can automate solutions, only humans can ensure that these tools are meaningful and address the real-world needs of diverse communities.
2. Maintaining a diverse workforce. When we design our products at Anthology, our team of accessibility specialists doesn’t just focus on the technical guidelines — we bring our own lived experiences with disabilities to the conversation. The team’s lived experiences with disabilities provide firsthand insight into the challenges people with disabilities face, leading to the development of more inclusive and user-friendly applications for everyone. Lived experience helps the team recognize obstacles that might not be obvious to designers and others in the product development team without disabilities. It’s not enough to create solutions for people with disabilities; we need to ensure that those people are involved in the creation process from the very beginning.
3. Design with all users in mind: It is important to consider people of all backgrounds when designing technologies to be used for everyone. In an ideal world, digital content would be 100% accessible to everyone. But in reality, achieving absolute accessibility for every individual is extremely challenging. That’s why we focus on progress over perfection. Each step forward represents a meaningful improvement for the user.
4. Reframing expectations and culture: In the disability community we have a saying: “Nothing about us without us,” which means nothing about accessibility and disability without involving the community. We believe that still holds true, but this has also evolved into “Nothing without us” — and it is important to have organizations creating technology to truly buy into the idea that accessibility and disability inclusion is mandatory and not an optional add on. For that to happen you need complete organizational buy in from the top to the bottom and continuous commitment to accessibility.
5. Prioritizing accessibility from the start: Prioritizing accessibility from the start allows products and tools to be built considering people of all backgrounds from the very first moment, ensuring accessibility is not an afterthought.

In the realm of EdTech, there’s often data collection involved. How do you ensure the ethical handling of user data, especially when it concerns students?

Privacy is a big priority for everyone at Anthology and we understand that user data is very important for everyone involved in education. Our clients own their data, and we only use it in accordance with all applicable data privacy laws and as agreed with our clients.

Student data is not sold to third party parties or data brokers and our privacy team works closely with our product team to apply a privacy by design approach.

This is why Anthology uses the high EU GDPR standards as a global baseline and is a proud signatory of the Student Privacy Pledge, ISO 27701 certified, EU — U.S. Data Privacy Framework certified, and a member of the Future of Privacy Forum.

If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?

Making a positive impact on society starts by recognizing that accessibility affects everyone, whether permanently, temporarily, or situationally. A broken arm, an ear infection, or even simply studying in a loud environment can create barriers that accessible solutions help overcome. What benefits people with disabilities ultimately improves experiences for all. Accessibility isn’t just about compliance; it’s about creating a world where everyone, regardless of disability, can fully participate. When I ask people if they know someone with a disability, most say yes. For those who don’t, I tell them, “Well, now you know me.” It’s a reminder that disability is part of the human experience, it crosses every race, gender, and background. By prioritizing inclusion, you’re not just helping others; you’re shaping a future that you, your loved ones, and generations to come will benefit from. Accessibility is for everyone, and that’s why it matters.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

I’d like to sit down with Jenny Lay-Flurrie, Chief Accessibility Officer at Microsoft. She is an incredibly inspiring leader–someone who is proudly deaf and disabled and not only advocates for inclusion but actively shapes the future of accessibility in a meaningful, impactful way. Jenny leads Microsoft’s efforts to create products, services, and websites that empower people and organizations to achieve more. Her work, from transforming how we hire and support people with disabilities in employment to developing revolutionary technology for accessibility, deeply resonates with me.

Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational, and we wish you continued success in your important work.