About Lanie Carmelo

Hi, I’m Lanie.

I’m a Christian, a blind, autistic, chronically ill programmer and usability tester, and an advocate for accessibility and disability rights.

My work and advocacy are shaped by lived experience with multiple disabilities and a desire to make technology more inclusive, practical, and humane. I approach accessibility not just as a technical challenge, but as a reflection of care, dignity, and faith.

I’m currently studying IT support, computer science, and full-stack engineering through Codecademy; theology through Christian Leaders Institute; nonprofit development through NonprofitReady; bookkeeping through Lumen Learning; and Braille proofreading through the National Federation of the Blind. I’ve developed my own self-paced learning path because traditional education options often aren’t accessible or accommodating enough for my needs.

In addition to my studies, I serve as IT Manager for my mom’s small business, Apache Restoration & Design. In this role, I handle day-to-day technology decisions, software evaluation, accessibility considerations, and systems setup. This work gives me hands-on experience supporting real users with real constraints, and it strongly informs how I think about usability, sustainability, and accessibility in practice.

My long-term goal is to help build or support a nonprofit by and for people with multiple disabilities, focused on access to resources, education, assistive technology, and community. I’m especially interested in work that recognizes the complexity of living with overlapping disabilities rather than treating them in isolation.

Outside of formal work and study, I spend time evaluating games and digital tools for accessibility, experimenting with assistive technology, and learning how systems break. I’m especially interested in how they can be designed to work better for real users. I value slower, thoughtful problem-solving, clear communication, and tools that respect users’ energy, cognition, and autonomy.

This site serves as a home base for my work, selected writing, and accessibility notes. It’s intentionally small, updated selectively, and focused on clarity over volume.