Design and accessibility leader focused on removing barriers to digital access. 10 years designing products and building the systems that enable accessibility at scale

I'm Maria — a design and accessibility leader with 10 years of experience.

Currently based in London.

I grew up in Brazil and have lived the past ten years in New Zealand. Both countries have shown me, in different ways, how a lack of access can shape a person's life – who gets to belong and who has to work harder for the same space. I found in design a powerful tool to change that, and it's grounded my practice in listening, connecting, and raising voices that don't always get heard.

My career has had many shapes. I started in an agency, working purely on UX, then moved into product design, where I owned end-to-end experiences within a single team at a time. The biggest shift came when I specialised in accessibility: instead of owning one part of a product, I began working across every team, reviewing designs, shaping interaction decisions, and connecting designers solving similar problems. I've come to enjoy this ability to zoom in and out of problems, working at different altitudes depending on the role.

Alongside my industry work, I contribute to postgraduate design education through guest lectures and by reviewing research and assessing student work. I've also volunteered with Blind Low Vision NZ for close to a decade – work that matters to me as much as anything I do professionally, and how I stay connected to and give back to my community.

I'm currently open to work, looking for a role that lets me keep moving between the detail and the system, owning a problem closely while still shaping it at scale.