I have Cerebral Palsy...But it doesn't have me! #Product Leader and Public #Speaker who loves his wife, #Design, #Agile, #Technology, and #Accessibility.
Waterloo, Ontario
Joined August 2008
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Today, I learned that my #TedX Toronto talk has officially made the Ted.com site. This is the talk I did about #Change, #Leadership, and #Agile in relation to growing up with a #disability. Please recommend my video on the Ted site.
bit.ly/34AY1t0
๐๏ธ How do you invoke voice at work?
As a product maker, I've been thinking a lot about something surprisingly simple: How we start talking to our technology.
There are so many choices. Click a microphone button. Press a keyboard shortcut. Push and hold to talk. Or toggle voice on and off.
I've noticed my own preference changes depending on what I'm trying to accomplish.
๐๏ธ Long, agentic conversations with AI? I prefer toggle. I want to think out loud, explore ideas, and let my thoughts develop without worrying about holding a button.
๐ฌ Quick Teams messages or short dictation? Push to talk feels more natural. Press, speak, release, done.
Neither is better. They serve different jobs to be done.
And that's what makes this interesting from a human-centered design perspective.
Maybe the question isn't which invocation method is best. Maybe it's how well the interaction matches the intent.
I'm curious about how others work.
When you use voice at work, what's your preferred way to invoke it, and does that change depending on what you're doing?
Are you a clicker, keyboard shortcut person, push-to-talk fan, or toggle enthusiast?
I'd especially love to hear from people building voice experiences, researching them, or simply using them every day.
#HumanCenteredDesign #VoiceAI #ProductDesign #UXResearch #InclusiveDesign
๐ค Made with AI
ALT Hand-drawn infographic exploring four ways to invoke voice at work: clicking a mouse button, using a keyboard shortcut, pressing and holding to talk, or toggling voice on and off. Below, one person uses push-to-talk for quick Microsoft Teams messages, while another uses toggle for longer, agentic AI conversations to think out loud and explore ideas. The illustration highlights how different voice invocation methods support different jobs to be done. It ends with the question: โWhatโs your preferred way to invoke voice at work?โ
๐ ๐๐๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐บ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ด ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐.
Now I start in one window: ๐๐ผ๐ฝ๐ถ๐น๐ผ๐.
I run most of my workflow there:
โฆ Drafting emails
โฆ Writing Teams messages
โฆ Creating documents
โฆ Launching next actions across tools
At work, ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐๐ค adds the missing piece: ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐
๐.
Instead of hunting for updates, meeting outcomes, or decisions, I can move straight from intent to execution.
I use the same model at home too. One interface. Full connectivity. Less friction.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ด๐ด๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ด๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป ๐ถ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ.
๐๐'๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ด๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐น๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐.
On days packed with meetings, decisions, and messages, this has become my operating system for focus and follow-through.
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐'๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ณ๐น๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ๐'๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐น๐น๐ฎ๐ฝ๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ผ ๐ฎ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐ผ๐ ๐ถ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ?
#AI #Copilot #FutureOfWork #Productivity #Leadership
๐ค Made with AI
ALT Hand-drawn, split-screen illustration showing the transformation from digital clutter to AI-powered productivity. On the left, eight overlapping Microsoft application windows, including Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, represent a chaotic workflow. On the right, a single Copilot window brings emails, messages, documents, and tasks together, with Work IQ providing context and insights. A large arrow connects the two experiences, illustrating the shift from managing multiple applications to working through one intelligent interface. The message: โLess friction. More focus. Real progress.โ
Dave Dame retweeted
Sam Altman (CEO of OpenAI):
"You no longer need to write prompts."
In just 38 minutes, he explains how to use ChatGPT at a level that most people can't even imagine.
It's a talk he gave to Stanford students. A friend sent me the recording last night.
After watching it, I realized I was only taking advantage of about 15% of what this tool can really do.
Watch it in full and then follow me for more such insightful content
What if your computer worked at the speed of your thoughts, not your typing?
Using voice with AI has transformed my workflows, allowing me to think out loud, create, delegate tasks, and get more done with less friction.
We already use voice with our phones and smart devices, so why aren't we using it more to transform how we work?
If you could control ANYTHING on your computer using just your voice, what would you want it to do?
#VoiceAI #ArtificialIntelligence #FutureOfWork #InclusiveDesign #AI #HumanCentredDesign #UX
๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ฝ ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ. ๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ป'๐ ๐ฒ๐
๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ.
I started with Voice + AI, then built agents to prepare briefings, synthesize meetings, draft communications, and connect information.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ด๐ด๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ธ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐๐ฎ๐๐ป'๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ. ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐.
I think out loud, AI handles the execution, and I retain the judgment.
๐ก๐ผ๐, ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฟ, ๐บ๐ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฐ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ: Stop designing for what AI can do and start building products that empower millions to do more than they ever thought possible.
#AgenticAI #VoiceAI #ProductDesign #HumanCenteredAI #FutureOfWork
๐ค Made with AI
ALT Hand-drawn infographic illustrating the journey from Voice + AI to greater human agency. A microphone leads to AI agents that prepare briefings, synthesize meetings, draft communications, and connect information. Colourful sketches of documents, gears, lightbulbs, and arrows reinforce the message: โThe biggest breakthrough wasnโt speed. It was agency.โ The infographic emphasizes thinking out loud, letting AI handle execution, and retaining human judgment. It closes with a challenge to product makers: Build products that empower millions to do more than they ever thought possible.
Dave Dame retweeted
Last week, we shared the new Windows Search experience and how Search is moving from finding to doing.
The team put together a Beyond the Build makers video, where @YashMisra12 and some of the team share the design and engineering decisions that shaped the experience.
Weโll share more at todayโs NYC Insider meetup. See you soon.
The news of RJ Mitte's passing at just 34 hits differently when you live with cerebral palsy yourself.
Living with a disability is not easy. And what most people never see is the weight we carry just to have the same opportunities as everyone else.
Imagine being expected to run the same race, achieve the same success, and stand out above the rest, all while wearing a 500-pound weighted vest.
That's what life with a disability can feel like.
We don't just have to succeed. We often have to break down barriers just to get to the starting line.
RJ did more than play a character on *Breaking Bad*. He showed the world that disability doesn't diminish talent, ambition, or the ability to make an impact.
As someone who has spent a lifetime navigating those same barriers, I have tremendous respect for what he accomplished and the doors he helped open for others.
34 is far too young.
Rest in peace, RJ. Thank you for making disability visible, and for reminding the world that we belong.
#RJMitte #CerebralPalsy #DisabilityRepresentation #Inclusion #BreakingBad
ALT Portrait of a smiling R.J. Mitte wearing a navy blue blazer over a dark patterned shirt. He stands indoors against a softly lit background. Bold white text across the bottom reads โIN LOVING MEMORY R.J. MITTE,โ with white corner graphics framing the tribute image.
Check out my latest article: Complexity Isnโt the Problem. Confusion Is. linkedin.com/pulse/complexitโฆ via @LinkedIn
Iโve spent most of my life being told, directly or indirectly, that the way I move through the world is different.
Turns out, different has been one of my greatest advantages.
I recently had the opportunity to sit down for an episode of **Wired Divergently**, and this conversation gets pretty personal.
We talk about disability, leadership, technology, inclusive design, and what happens when you stop looking at the things that make you different as limitations and start recognizing how they shape the way you see problems, people, and possibilities.
My cerebral palsy has certainly made parts of my life harder. But it has also taught me how to adapt, how to be curious, how to lead through vulnerability, and how to keep finding another way forward when the obvious path doesn't work.
Those lessons have followed me from growing up with a disability to leadership, product making, writing a book, and now helping shape more human-centered and inclusive technology.
This isn't really a conversation about overcoming disability.
It's a conversation about what can happen when you stop trying to fit the worldโs definition of how things are supposed to be done and start using what makes you different as part of your strength.
Iโm really proud of this conversation, and Iโd love for you to give it a listen.
๐๏ธ **Wired Divergently, Episode 2: Meet Dave Dame**
open.spotify.com/episode/6Xgโฆ
If something in the conversation connects with you, share it with someone who might need to hear it too.
And Iโd genuinely love to hear what part resonated with you most.
#Leadership #Disability #InclusiveDesign #Accessibility #HumanCenteredDesign #LeadingWithImperfectFeet
Dave Dame retweeted
The Surface launch happened this week in Maui with our Snapdragon partners.
One of the interesting parts was seeing @dan_saito from our team bring his own workflow into the demo. Danilo works on experiences & devices and has been exploring how AI can help across the creative process.
The workflow moved from Photoshop to Blender on the device, then into Vizcom in the cloud for image and video generation. That mix was the interesting part: a lot of the creative work happening locally on a portable PC, with cloud AI extending the workflow when it makes sense.
More to come in October as we bring the launch to more places and share more stories from creators.
Check out the demo:
What an incredible evening at Brick & Mortar Books.
It was a privilege to share the stories and ideas behind Leading with Imperfect Feet with such an engaged group of people. The thoughtful questions and genuine conversations about leadership, vulnerability, adaptation, and perseverance reminded me why I wrote this book in the first place.
It was an even greater honour to share the evening with Andrew Hill, who wrote the foreword. Andrew brought curiosity, insight, and humanity to our conversation, creating space for an honest discussion about what leadership really looks like when we stop chasing perfection.
Thank you to Brick & Mortar Books for hosting us, to Andrew for helping make the evening so meaningful, and to everyone who came out, asked questions, bought a book, or simply joined the conversation.
I hope you enjoy the book and that it motivates you to take your own next imperfect step.
This may have been one evening, but the journey continues. I look forward to many more conversations ahead.
#LeadingWithImperfectFeet #Leadership #Vulnerability #Perseverance #InclusiveLeadership #AuthenticLeadership #AuthorEvent
ALT David Dame and Andrew Hill sit together behind a table at Brick & Mortar Books during a conversation about leadership, vulnerability, and perseverance. A copy of *Leading with Imperfect Feet* is displayed between them. The name cards on the table read โDavid Dameโ and โAndrew Hill.โ
ALT David Dame smiles from his power wheelchair and points toward a chalkboard outside Brick & Mortar Books. The sign reads: โAdult Nonfiction Event. David Dame, author of Leading with Imperfect Feet. Tues., Sept. 22nd at 6 p.m.โ The bookstoreโs event website appears in smaller text along the bottom.
Writing Leading with Imperfect Feet was one of the greatest honours of my life.
This is not simply a book about disability. It is a book about leadership, vulnerability, adaptation, and learning to move forward when the path was never designed for you.
Living with cerebral palsy has taught me that leadership is not about waiting for perfect conditions or pretending to have every answer. It is about trusting people, creating space for others to grow, and having the authenticity to take the next imperfect step.
On Tuesday, September 22 at 6:00 p.m. PDT, Iโll be at Brick & Mortar Books in Redmond for a special in-person conversation with Andrew Hill , who wrote the foreword to the book.
Andrew will interview me about the stories behind the book, the leadership lessons my disability has taught me, and why vulnerability can be one of our greatest strengths.
If you are in the Redmond or Seattle area, I would be honoured to have you join us. Bring a colleague, a friend, or someone who is navigating change and trying to become the leader they want to be.
Your starting point does not define your ceiling.
Leadership is not about having perfect feet. It is about taking the next imperfect step and helping others rise along the way.
๐
Tuesday, September 22
โฐ 6:00 p.m. PDT
๐ Brick & Mortar Books, Redmond Town Center
๐๏ธ Event details: brickandmortarbooks.com/evenโฆ
I hope to see you there.
#LeadingWithImperfectFeet #AuthenticLeadership #InclusiveLeadership #DisabilityInclusion #Vulnerability #Leadership #Adaptability
US Amazon:
amazon.com/Leading-Imperfectโฆ
Canada Amazon:
amazon.ca/Leading-Imperfect.โฆ
Dave Dame retweeted
We have new WIP builds today!
Beta: aka.ms/Beta-8-17-2026
Beta (26H1): aka.ms/Beta-26H1-8-17-2026
Experimental: aka.ms/Experimental-8-17-202โฆ
Experimental (26H1): aka.ms/Experimental-26H1-8-1โฆ
Experimental (Future Platforms): aka.ms/ExperimentalFP-8-17-2โฆ
Dave Dame retweeted
Um Apple might not be paying attention to what others do but a quick search and their branding team would have found Surface Duo
Dave Dame retweeted
Two accessibility feature improvements we're rolling out: Voice isolation for Voice Access (filters background noise) and Narrator support for HID braille displays. HID displays now work over USB during PC setup so deaf-blind users can set up their PCs independently.
Why Talking to AI May Improve the Way We Think
For years, voice technology has been designed for two things: commands and dictation.
But I increasingly use voice with AI for something else.
I use it to think.
I start speaking before the idea is fully formed. I test assumptions, change direction, hear contradictions, and sometimes discover the real problem only after talking it through.
That is not dictation.
Dictation assumes the thinking is finished and simply captures the words.
Thinking out loud is different. It forces an idea to take shape. When a thought stays in your head, it can feel clearer than it actually is. The moment you explain it aloud, the gaps become easier to hear.
AI can make that process more useful by reflecting the thought back:
โYou started with speed, but moved toward decision ownership.โ
โYou have described the solution, but not the problem.โ
โThose two assumptions may conflict.โ
That creates a powerful loop:
Speak. Reflect. Challenge. Revise.
The productivity gain is not simply entering words faster.
It is reaching a clearer problem statement, a stronger decision, or a better strategy sooner.
The old voice model was:
Say a command. Get an action.
The emerging model is:
Start with an incomplete thought. Speak to explore it. Use AI to organize and challenge it. Keep going until the complexity becomes clearer.
The real productivity gain is not speaking faster.
It is thinking more clearly through complexity.
The future of voice is not command and control.
It is conversation as a cognitive tool.
We will not just talk to AI to get things done.
We will use voice and AI to navigate complexity, challenge our thinking, and reach better decisions.
#ArtificialIntelligence #Productivity #FutureOfWork #Leadership #Innovation
What if โdesign for one, extend to manyโ is right, but incomplete?
Designing with one often asks: can a person with a disability use this?
Extending to many asks: is it good enough that people would choose it?
That shift matters.
My new blog: medium.com/@ddame/inclusive-โฆ
#Accessibility #AI #InclusiveDesign #FutureOfWork #ProductDesign
