by Eliana Weinstein, Adath Israel
On October 4th, 2022, TAP teen participants had the pleasure of speaking with Lynne Maleef. Currently, Lynne works for Apple as a specialist in assisting people with disabilities to get the electronic device services they need. Besides that, she is an active member of the PA Council of the Blind, a Public Speaker, and a Mentor for Jefferson Hospital students to educate about people with disabilities. Despite her impressive resume, Lynne Maleef continues to work harder than ever toward helping others in need and fulfilling her life dreams of spreading disability awareness. On October 4th, Lynne spoke specifically about her experience as a blind person in society and its challenges and that difficulty empowering her to want to benefit others with disabilities. Lynne’s work at Apple is changing the world immensely, by helping to build better products and experiences for people buying devices with special needs. Her discussion on the obstacles someone is blind has to avoid was truly eye-opening. Some examples she gave were seeing a keyboard on the phone, seeing directions on google maps, and being able to find a friend in contacts. Lynne shared about how beneficial auto type, Siri, and Waze direction reading is for people who are blind. Lynne explained that tools like this, and other tools such as her service dog, help her to navigate life successfully. Lynne also explained that her reasoning for advancing Apple accessibility for people with disabilities is a part of her goal in life, to spread positivity by helping others with basic needs. Overall, Lynne Maleef was extremely honorable to be able to speak with, and I feel so lucky that I got to hear her speak.