Dana Marlowe

Principal Partner

Accessibility Partners

As the founder, president and principal partner of Accessibility Partners, Dana Marlowe practices what she preaches.

Marlowe’s Silver Spring-based company provides consulting services to public and private agencies that want to make their technology accessible to people with disabilities. Meanwhile, 85 percent of her employees have one or more disabilities, including blindness, deafness or mobility impairments.

Her interest in helping the disabled started as a 7-year-old, when she met a deaf girl at summer camp. She learned sign language to communicate and her passion “just grew form there.” From helping bridge the communication gap as a child, she has moved on to helping people bridge the digital divide as an adult.

Her work has won her numerous awards from organizations, including the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. What makes her happiest is knowing her work helps those who need it.

“Hearing that someone who is blind can now use a smart phone app, or someone who is deaf has access to eLearning videos for the first time is another success,” she said.

When not at work, Marlowe volunteers with Support the Girls, an initiative she started to provide homeless women with bras and hygiene products. She is a member of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington and a past volunteer of the Takoma Park Folk Festival.