Ather Sharif

Human-Computer Interaction (Accessibility + Visualization + Personalization) Researcher · Senior Software Engineering Lead · Philly's Geek of the Year 2015 · 2015 Google Scholar · 2022 Husky 100

Ph.D. Candidate at Allen School, University of Washington
Senior Software Engineering Lead at Comcast
Founder of EvoXLabs and SCI Video Blog
Creator of evoHaX and The Accessible World

What's my story?

I used to design and develop websites and webapps. In the worst way one could ever imagine. Then a car accident in March of 2013 took away my ability to use all my limbs - making me a quadriplegic. That's when I realized how horribly inaccessible my past 7 years of work had been for people with disabilities. Now, I research ways to make the digital world as accessible to people with disabilities as it is for able-body people. I also design and develop accessible websites and webapps. Because the Web is for everyone.

I also do other cool stuff. This includes procrastinating, drawing terrible stick figures on whiteboards, buying the most unnecessary gadgets on Amazon, and watching the Big Bang Theory. Sometimes, when I'm not doing the above, I do post-production for promo videos, play with Leap Motion, Raspberry Pi and Open Street Maps, drink frappucinos and dream of being at Old Trafford.

If you ever get stuck with me in an elevator (I honestly hope you don't), talk to me about TV shows, Marvel universe (fine, DC too), ReactJS, Football (NFL), Football (the real one), Donuts, Personalized Designs and Disability Rights. Before you get creative, no, people in motorized wheelchairs do not get a speeding ticket. We also don't dress up for Halloween as Professor X.

  Blog Posts


10 Years of Being "In" a Wheelchair

Today, 10 years ago, I was in a car accident that ended up severing my spinal cord, and I have been "in" a wheelchair ever since. Yeah, yeah, the awkward silence, the teary-eyed pitiful looks, the awws and omg-that-sounds-so-sads. Stop it. People with disabilities are not rare, alien creatures you hide your kids from in a grocery store (yes, that did happen). We're part of this society. And disabilities are more common than the number of times Harry Styles has pretended to be straight.

Stop Calling People "Impaired"

Google "impair," and we get: "weaken or damage something (especially a human faculty or function)." I am not advocating for removing emotionally-destructive barbarous words from the vocabulary entirely, but really, summon every ounce of ethics and morality within yourself and ask -- is this how we want to describe people? The "damaged" ones?

View All Blog Posts

Contact Me

If you send me a message that doesn't advertise products, or isn't a spam, I promise to reply as soon as I can!