All Things Techie Podcast · Xtreme Media / Xtreme Technology Solutions

All Things TechIE Podcast - Episode 138

·36 min·1 clip

It starts in the AV on Air studio. The hosts thank Midwich Group for the hosting and open a discussion about accessibility in higher education AV, with a clear focus on why standards matter in campus work. Lewis Shevlin introduces himself. He says he works as an AV supervisor at King's College London, which gives the conversation an immediate university-side footing. Greg Jeffries follows. He lays out his background in VIXA standards, AFB, specialist consulting, and Visual Display, so the table already has people who know the field from different angles. The pair move straight to the main idea. They talk about building a standard for higher education as a starting point for accessibility in AV, something that could help people work from a shared methodology instead of relying on instinct alone. The Belfast backstory comes up. Lewis and Greg explain that the idea grew out of a conversation at SCOMS in Belfast, which makes the whole discussion feel grounded in a practical argument that has been taking shape in public and in private. Compliance is not the finish line. Greg compares a standard with the legal pressure of ADA-style rules in the United States, saying those rules are useful but can turn into box-ticking if people treat them like a checklist instead of a real design commitment. Budget pressure comes next. Lewis says tight university budgets are exactly why an official standard matters, because it gives people something concrete to point to when they are making a business case to managers, consultants, or installers. Accountability matters too. Greg argues that a standard could help hold integrators to account if they claim a space will be built to a certain level, and that kind of shared benchmark could shift how projects are judged. The conversation stays cautious throughout. They both treat adoption as gradual and iterative, with management support likely to matter in pushing things forward, so the change is framed as something that has to be built step by step. The episode ends on contact details. Lewis and Greg invite people to get in touch through email or LinkedIn, then close by stressing that accessibility standards matter to universities and to the people who design and support them.

As heard by us

A standards focused case for making accessibility actionable in campus AV.

The episode treats accessibility in higher education AV as a standards problem, not a slogan. It makes a plain case for a common baseline that could help campus teams justify designs, support business proposals, and set clearer expectations for consultants and installers.

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Why you'd press play

If you need the accessibility argument for higher-ed AV, this gives you one.

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