John Rochford
Director, Software Engineer, and Public Speaker in Worcester, MA
My Passion
I help make the web usable by people with disabilities. I focus on people with intellectual disabilities and/or autism. I research and develop artificial intelligence (AI) powered web text simplification on a mass scale. Easy-to-understand text is great for people with cognitive disabilities, non-native language speakers, people with low literacy, seniors, and really everyone.
My Dreams
Make web text so simple we understand it the first time we read it. (See EasyText.AI.)
Help everyone be safe and healthy. (See EasyCOVID-19.)
My Positions
o Director, INDEX Program, Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School
o Faculty, Family Medicine & Community Health and Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center; University of Massachusetts Medical School
o Invited Expert, Worldwide Web Consortium
o Member, American Expert Speaker Program, U.S. Department of State
o Director of Technology (Assistive Technology, Information/Dissemination, Online Learning)
- Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD)
- Interdisciplinary Technical Assistance Center (ITAC) on Autism and Developmental Disabilities
- University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD)
My Work
Discover more about my work via the 12 icons below.