To learn more about the daily lives of our Team8s working in different parts of the business, we created this blog series featuring some special guests. Today, we sat down with Kit Sparrow, Senior Accessibility Engineer at 8x8, based out of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

8x8: Kit, thank you for accepting the invitation. To start us off, can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Kit Sparrow (KS): I’m American originally, but I dreamed of moving to Canada since I was a child reading wilderness books by Gary Paulsen. Now I have my own little cedar cabin in the woods, complete with a cozy wood stove. It’s a peaceful life and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I’ve always loved animals and have quite the menagerie of critters—four horses, a dog, a cat, and a snake. I board the horses at a stable about ten minutes from my home.

My horses each have their own strengths and quirky personalities. My miniature horse, Jude, is a wholesome little guy who adores kids and pulls a cart. My peevish pony, Blackbird (Birdie), is a big character and loves trail rides and jumping. My feisty mare, Rita, is a retired racehorse and enjoys going fast. And Rita’s son, Pendragon (Penny) is still a youngster, but he’s a friendly and brave baby who could go in any direction once he’s old enough to be ridden.

8x8: What about work, what do you do at 8x8?

KS: I’m originally a Fuze employee (I joined 8x8 following 8x8’s acquisition of Fuze in 2022) and I’ve just recently celebrated my five-year anniversary. I’m based out of our Ottawa office and work as a Senior Accessibility Engineer. As such, I evaluate our software to ensure that it is usable for people with disabilities, and I help with training, documentation, audits, and policies.

I also speak with current and prospective customers and coordinate user research studies and interviews. Additionally, I’m a part of what we call our Team8s Diversity Council. In short, if it has to do with accessibility, I’ve got my hands in it!

8x8: Did you always know that you wanted to pursue a career in this field?

KS: I wanted to be involved in web development since I was 12, when I started learning more about HTML, CSS, and JavaScript through the virtual pet website, Neopets. Accessibility came a bit later.

At my first job, everyone on my team was required to choose a specialty. I chose accessibility because I was already passionate about the subject. My cousin is autistic and I used to volunteer at the therapeutic horseback riding program he participated in. Also, I have epilepsy and an autoimmune condition that causes chronic pain, so accessibility was a personal topic to me.

In 2013, I was flown out to WebAIM’s headquarters at the Institute for Disability Research, Policy, and Practice at Utah State University to participate in a multi-day crash course in accessibility. The rest is history!

“I love being an advocate for change and encouraging others to join the cause.”

8x8: What do you most like about the work you do at 8x8?

KS: I love being an advocate for change and encouraging others to join the cause. Making software more accessible creates a better user experience for everyone, not just people with disabilities. We need more voices and awareness on this topic. 8x8 is about empowering people to do their best work. Technology should be an enabler, not a barrier.

8x8: What are your thoughts on hybrid work?

KS: I have a rather uncommon working arrangement in that my direct manager and nearly all the teams I work with are “across the pond” in Europe. As a result, I go into the office almost exclusively for social events (or for IT). I believe different people find comfort in different working environments. I work with many teams across the globe, so my day-to-day activities are not limited by geography.

Where I work should be just as flexible as who I work with. Hybrid work doesn’t have to just refer to being able to work in multiple places. It could also refer to hybrid spaces themselves, too! If people can adapt to where they work, where they work can also adapt to the people.

I would like to see office work in general lean more toward remote status with rented coworking spaces for social gatherings and collaboration.

8x8: As a fan of remote work, have you ever found yourself working from unusual places?

KS: I’ve taken calls from my barn with a horse peeking over a stall door! There is a peaceful ambiance that comes with equines munching on hay. I’ve also had meetings on my back porch with a spring breeze ruffling my hair. I work best in quiet places where I can listen to music and feel the sun on my face.

8x8: What methods or tools do you rely on to stay on top of your work?

KS: I swear by the Google G Suite. Since I work across so many different departments and teams, I’m not tied to any one particular JIRA project. I keep brief project notes in Google Keep, create documentation and longer notes on Google Docs, and assign tasks to myself on Google Calendar. It’s definitely an improvement from the wall of sticky notes I used to keep as an intern when I first started my career!

8x8: What do you find most challenging about working from home?

KS: When I’m helping someone with an assistive technology question, sometimes I wish I could teleport them into the room. It’s easier to show and explain certain issues and build empathy in person. With the differences in office locations and time zones, we get by with video calls and recorded demos. I’m excited to see how virtual reality might help with these sorts of problems, but having another layer of technology could make it even more complicated, too.

8x8: What is your morning routine for a good day?

KS: Some people are coffee drinkers, and some people swear by tea. I’m the latter. I must start every morning with a cup of tea. I have a wide variety of teas in my kitchen cupboard. If you asked me my favorite, it’d be a hard sell between a London Fog or Chai Latte.

“Working in accessibility has made me humble. It has a way of distilling experiences into very human challenges and victories.”

8x8: What about after work, how do you recharge?

KS: If I’m not at home, I’m at my home away from home—the stable! I am a part of a welcoming, inclusive barn community. We go on regular trail rides together and support each other in shows and events. They’re my found family and I am immensely grateful to have them.

I also love listening to music, mostly alternative rock and pop, but I have a special place in my heart for the oldies that my parents listened to while I was growing up. All my horses, intentionally and unintentionally, are named after Beatles songs (Hey Jude, Blackbird, Lovely Rita, and Penny Lane). Some names I chose (Jude and Birdie), one came with her name (Rita), and one I didn’t realize was a Beatles song until afterward (Penny). I guess you could say that my horses are all rock stars!

8x8: What’s something surprising that not many people know about you?

KS: I’ve yet to travel outside of North America! I immigrated to Canada from the United States in 2018. I hope to travel to other offices like London or Cluj someday to meet more of my coworkers in person.

8x8: What would be one piece of advice that you would give to anyone interested in joining our team?

KS: Always be learning with an open mind. Working in accessibility has made me humble. It has a way of distilling experiences into very human challenges and victories. Sometimes to see the truth in something, you need to set aside your own preconceptions. Be curious and let go of your ego. As Simon Sinek said, “Humility, I have learned, must never be confused with meekness. Humility is being open to the ideas of others.”

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Read more in 8x8’s A Day in the Life series: