Remarkable World Commentary Episode #102: Interview with Aaron Di Blasi, Sr. PMP, Mind Vault Solutions, Ltd., Regarding Her Ongoing Attempt To Take The Apex Program's CompTIA Network+ Exam at a Pearson Vue Testing Center As A Blind Woman in Canada

🎙️ Remarkable World Commentary Episode #102: Interview with Aaron Di Blasi, Sr. PMP, Mind Vault Solutions, Ltd., Regarding Her Ongoing Attempt To Take The Apex Program's CompTIA Network+ Exam at a Pearson Vue Testing Center As A Blind Woman in Canada https://donnajodhan.com/rwc-08-07-2026/ In this candid and unusually raw episode of Remarkable World Commentary, Donna J. Jodhan hands the microphone to her friend, associate and longtime collaborator Aaron Di Blasi for what he calls a "reverse grilling", a date-by-date walk through her two-year attempt to sit the CompTIA Network+ exam as a blind candidate. Beginning with the $7,500 Apex Program scholarship awarded in November 2024, they trace a scholarship that turned out to be 21 typo-riddled Word documents with no learning platform and no human support; a first exam abandoned in October 2025 when the reader said "I don't know what to do here"; the articles Donna published and the scholarship Apex withdrew because of them, telling her "you've made us the enemy"; the CNIB stepping in twice; and a second exam in May 2026 where the diagrams were still undescribed, the reader and recorder were one person, and her printed results had to be read aloud to her by a friend in the parking lot. The second half turns to what Donna did about it, writing directly to the chief executives of CompTIA and Pearson VUE, and learning in reply that a JAWS-compatible version of the exam had existed all along. Aaron is unusually candid about his own part, admitting he gave up before she did and calling it the advocacy lesson of the episode. They close on the ownership changes neither of them knew about at the time, and on Donna's own framing of why any of it was worth doing: "I am not the point. I was never the point." TRANSCRIPT Podcast Commentator: Greetings. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP and MBA invites you to listen to her biweekly podcast, Remarkable World Commentary. Here, Donna shares some of her innermost thoughts, insights, perspectives, and more with her listeners. Donna focuses on topics that directly affect the future of kids, especially kids with disabilities. Donna is a blind advocate, author, sight loss coach, dinner mystery producer, writer, entrepreneur, law graduate, and podcast commentator. She has decades of lived experiences, knowledge, skills, and expertise in access, technology and information, as someone who has been internationally recognized for her work and roles. She just wants to make things better than possible. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Hello everybody, and welcome to another episode of Remarkable World Commentary. I'm Donna J. Jodhan, a lifelong disability advocate and one who sees the world mainly through sound, touch and stubborn optimism. I am a law graduate, an accessibility consultant, an author, a lifelong barrier buster who also happens to be blind. You may know me from a few headline moments. In November 2010, I won the landmark charter case that forced the Canadian government to make its websites accessible to every Canadian, not just [the sighted ones? 00:01:53]. And in July of 2019, I co-led the Accessible Canada Act with more than two dozen disability groups to turn equal access into federal law. And most recently, on June the 3rd, 2022, I was greatly humbled by Her Late Majesty's Platinum Jubilee Award for tireless commitment to removing barriers. When I'm not in a courtroom or in a committee room or in a pottery studio, you'll find me coaching kids with vision loss, producing audio mysteries, or helping tech companies to make their gadgets talk back in plain language. Everything I do circles one goal: to turn accessibility from an afterthought into everyday practice. I invite you to think of this show as our shared workbench, where policy meets lived experience and lived experience sparks fresh ideas. Now, before we jump into today's conversation, let me shine a spotlight on today's guest, a change maker whose work is every bit remarkable as the world that we are trying to build. I will let him tell you more about himself, but for now, I'd like to welcome my friend, my associate, my mentor, Aaron Di Blasi. Welcome again to the Remarkable World Commentary. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Hello Miss Donna. Thank you again for having me. It's always great to be on this podcast with you. I always have so much fun, and I think we're going to have a great deal of fun today. And that's what it's about. Sad as the topic might be, it will be a great deal of fun too, to let everyone know what's happening, because I don't think a lot of people know about this. So I am excited to get it into the eyes and ears of many more people. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Let's get started. Go for it. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Okay, well, let's just let people know first a little bit about me, because this being your podcast, I'm going to assume they know about you. My name is Aaron Di Blasi and I am an engineer by trade, a software engineer of more than 30 years. I got into the accessibility space in 2004 when I began working for the then publisher of Top Tech Tidbits, the weekly newsletter, which is currently the leading weekly not-for-profit newsletter for disability technology information. We spun off other publications. We'll get into that. We don't need to cover that in this podcast. The point being, I've been working with Donna as her friend and mentor for probably 13 years now. We were introduced by Mr. Larry Lewis, who was the former publisher of Top Tech Tidbits, and during that time, Donna has taught me a lot about what real advocacy means. And today is two things. It is a tragedy, and it is also a workshop on real advocacy and what that means, the real painful, costly type of advocacy. And with that, I will set the stage. And Donna, if there's anything that you would like to say to that before we open up, just let me know. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: No, I can't wait for this interview to take place. And I want to thank you for walking the walk with me. So let's walk. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Let's walk, let's tell the story. Hopefully we don't get too entrenched in that, but the story is the important part. So let's start on November 25th, 2024, when you were awarded a full $7,500 USD scholarship to the Apex program, 12 weeks sponsored by Novacoast. This scholarship was facilitated in part by Doctor Kirk Adams. He helped to make it possible. Would you like to talk about how you felt the day that you received that news? Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: You know, I still remember that day when I think it was you who told me and I thought, nah, this can't— Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: I think it might have been. Yeah. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Well, why would I, of all people, a Canadian, receive a scholarship from Doctor Kirk Adams? Like, well, through Doctor Kirk Adams. And I thought, sure, I can't be true. And then you said, oh yes, it's very true. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: It was indeed. And Apex being a United States based program and you being in Canada, that's the important part to distinguish. But it was wonderful. It was fantastic. I was very excited for you. And the reason I was excited for Donna is she always had a great interest in cybersecurity. So any program specific to blind people, with the word blind people specifically in the program, I thought would make her very happy. And it did. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Yes it did. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Yes it did. However, days later, Donna received her first login. And this is the nervous part. I don't know if you want to say anything about this part, Donna. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Well, oh my gosh, the first login, and I quickly realized— Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: This is where you find out if it's real. This is where you find out if it's going to happen. And unfortunately, I think listeners know it didn't happen. The screen reader reads nothing. We contact Apex and Apex says it's a glitch. Well, I go and I take a look. Again, I'm a software engineer. And by look, I don't mean that I just looked. I mean that I use tools to probe the code and to see what was going on. And what we figured out was there was no LMS. That stands for Learning Management System. And that's the only real way that you're going to develop or deliver an accessible experience to a learner online, is to customize an LMS, and they did not have an LMS in place at all. It was simply a static HTML page. And for whatever reason, her screen reader could not read it nor access it. So at her request, we reached out to Apex and asked if they could provide it in a, quote, accessible format. And at my recommendation, we asked for Word documents, because I just know it's a fallback. And surprisingly, they provided us with just that. Word documents. 21 of them. 21 typo-riddled and visibly out-of-date Word documents, at least from my view as a visual person. And Donna backed this up with her use of a screen reader to search for certain terms, etc., none of which came up due to the way that the documents were created. And I think anyone listening will understand that portion. So we quickly realized that the $7,500 amounted to about 21 Word documents, which was okay, because we thought, well, there's still the help that Donna's going to get. There's these workshops, there's all of this assistance. So at least we still get that. Right, Donna? Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: That's right. We thought that. But lo and behold— Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Well, she reaches out to one David Mayne, I believe. Is that correct? David Mayne. And she asks how a blind person should study specifically. And his response — they had no idea what I was talking about. And I was there for that email. And they literally had no idea what she was talking about. When we say that, I mean his response was, there's the Word documents. What else do you need? They're accessible. You can access them, right? And we said, yes, we can access them. What else do you need? And we explained what isn't there. Is there assistance? Are there workshops? Is there anyone to watch my schedule as I get closer to testing? But apparently there was none of that. And there was none of that simply because they wouldn't answer. So I decided that we needed, if Donna wanted to continue with this, that we were going to need some help. And for me as an engineer, that help is artificial intelligence today. So we took those 21 Word documents and we ran them through some of the smartest AI available. And we had that AI cross-reference some of that incorrect information with correct information and form tests that Donna could actually access using code that her screen reader would understand. Now, the irony is that Donna, probably at the end of it, ended up spending $7,500 getting that information into a format that she could study. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: That's correct. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: So that's the food for thought, I think, for this section. One year later, despite all of this — no assistance, no human assistance, no workshops, no nothing, just an exchange of emails with David Mayne here and there, but no real new information provided — one year later, Donna masters all 21 chapters using the AI-generated study guides and the flash tests that we created for her. And basically it would just generate a new flash test on a subject every single time until she could master them at a 90 to 100% efficiency rate, over and over and over. We think it's a very unique way for a blind person to learn a large corpus of material, by the way. So let's everybody keep that in mind. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: You know, I guess if my head was properly screwed on, I would have realized right away when I saw the inaccessible login that there was much trouble ahead. But you know me. You said so. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: You said so, and I did not doubt you. I was just hoping for the best, but unfortunately, it just got worse. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: And you know, for me, I always think it's going to get better. It's going to get better. But it's like, think of it this way. You're in the ocean and you expect those waves to get less and less. Well, they got higher and higher and higher. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: They did. Wait till we see what those waves did. So the point is, at this point Donna moves on and we decide that we're going to do it all ourself. I mean, that's mostly Donna, mind you. And she got through this and she mastered the material and she said, Aaron, I'm ready to test. Which I thought was amazing. And then the next obstacle presented itself. Remote testing was ruled out. Donna's needs for the bathroom exceeded the two hour on-camera window. So that was not an accommodation that they could allow. So she had to test at a center, which we knew, and we figured that was fine. Donna has done that many times for many other certifications. She put in a request for accommodations. Pearson returned about 2 to 3 days later with those accommodations and gave her everything that she asked for. But then 2 or 3 days after that, they called and said that her location had changed, because they could not accommodate her at the location that they had originally agreed to accommodate her at. So they changed that location. And Donna asked basically, are you sure this is final? And they said, of course it is. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Yes. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: October 1st, 2025. Exam day. Now, Don, I would like you to take the steering wheel here a little bit and talk about the airport style scanners, the Kleenex that was confiscated, and the proctor that you met for the first time ever. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: So they confiscated my Kleenex. They confiscated everything I had brought, although I made darn sure that my stuff — I had put them all in transparent bags — so they took everything out of those bags, out of my bags, and gave me their bags. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Pearson is serious about cheating. We all know that. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: So then we go into just outside the exam room and I meet my reader. I could tell that she was quite young because her voice sounded young. She was quite friendly and everything. But then what came about next was there were two things. First, they had to read all the agreement documents to me. I asked if it was there in electronic format and they said no. So they read it to me. I signed everything. I walked into the room with my reader. I thought I was going to have a recorder and a reader — a recorder to record my— Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: That's what you were supposed to have. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: That's correct. But I didn't have it. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Was that accommodation met? We don't know. Right? Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: No. Well, it wasn't met at that time, because I thought it would be two persons. It was one. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: It was supposed to be. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Yeah. So we sat down and she logged in. And again she read all the documents to me, the pre-exam documents, which I agreed to, and we signed off on it. And then came the big wave. That being that she brought up the exam. And the very first question was one filled with diagrams. And I knew then I was in big trouble. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: An example of those questions: from the diagrams below, select the configuration that shows a proper network connection. Now just imagine that, listeners — whether you are blind or sighted — that you are attempting to answer a question regarding proper network connection cables in different orientations. I mean, that's an incredible visual challenge, to say nothing of properly describing that visual challenge. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: But then came the horror. When I said to her, I said, could you just look to see if there are similar questions to this one? And she quickly scanned down the questions and she said there were quite a few. At that point I said, so I wonder what we should do? And she said to me, I don't know how to read these questions to you. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: I believe her exact response was, I don't know what to do here. That's right. Which we understand — she was not prepared for this. Does not make this person's fault, mind you. However, she was not given the tools, as we later will learn, that she should have been provided for this particular session. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: So I made the decision to pull the plug on this exam. We were not going to go anywhere. When someone says, I don't know what to do, I think, oh— Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Well, sure. And nor should your exam be based on someone else's descriptions of an exam that they've never seen before today. You know, I always said from the very beginning, Don, I said that these tests — if I'm CompTIA, I have to provide these tests in an accessible format. That's the top of the chain. So therefore there must exist a sanctioned official description of each network diagram that should be provided to a blind person. So really, if she were handed that document, she could have simply read the ALT descriptions that were approved, assuming they existed. However, we did not know at the time whether they existed or not. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: No we didn't. So I pulled the plug on the exam, walked out of the exam, told them what had happened. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Very frustrating day for you. A very sad day for you. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: And the administration staff, well, they just simply said, we're not here to help you. We're just here to make sure you take the exam. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: So the feeling that I always got from Pearson is that we prevent cheating at all costs. Even the cost of accessibility, it seems. And I know that accessibility is very close to cheating — I mean, I understand that — but guys, come on. Oh my God, it's just so frustrating. Okay. October 3rd, 2025. After this happens, a call with Apex. They later claimed that they gave consent for her to write about this situation. Now, what we want to talk about at this point is that you began publishing your frustration publicly in a series of articles. These articles exist online, listeners. There are currently three of them available, with a fourth one due to be published soon. And believe it or not, by the end of this podcast, there may even be a number five, because we don't know if this is closed yet. However, on October 14th, 2025, Donna published part one of her series about her experience — and literally her honest experience. Everything that we've talked about up to this point was published within the article. Apex's response to this article, the very next day, was: please pause any further media rollout until a meeting. The reason they gave was, the damage this article has done to our brand is significant. Mind you, this was not a request. It almost seemed to be a demand, as if they had some type of authority over Donna's ability to publicly and honestly log her experience. Does that make sense? That's kind of how I — and I was frankly appalled at their response, not just from a disability perspective, but just from a pure PR perspective. The first — when someone says you're not accessible, or you've hurt me, or your product has hurt me, or your service is not what it's supposed to be — I don't know a company in the world in an email that says, well, take it down until we can talk. I've never experienced that in my 30 years in marketing. So that was unique. And at that point, I think we knew we were dealing with some unique people. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Yes, we were. Those people. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Our contacts at that point had spanned out from David Mayne to Katie Mcauliff and her attorney, Emmy Savenelli. And that was apparently the legal counsel for Apex, who was also copied on these initial requests for us to take down Donna's initial post, in which she described her experience with Apex — and exactly as we've described it. 21 Word documents, no human assistance, no workshops. Nothing that they actually promised was delivered, outside of 21 Word documents, which were riddled with errors. Okay. Other blind test takers begin to write to Donna at this point. They have had similar experiences with Pearson, not necessarily just from cybersecurity and not necessarily from Apex, but they had similar experiences trying to test with CompTIA exams through Pearson as a blind person. So they understood. But the difference is, they weren't advocates. They didn't have media dollars. They didn't have the ability to get on a podcast and talk about what's happened to them. So they were just stuck, much like Donna is currently stuck. We'll talk about that. Okay. November 15th, 2025. Pearson reaches out because Apex called them on her behalf. So this is the one positive thing that Apex did. I don't know why they didn't do more positive things. It would have been wonderful. They could have been the hero of this. Thank you, Apex. If only we could have worked together like this from the beginning, I believe, was your response. That's right. On November 18th, 2025, five questions were put to Pearson about why this happened. Were there sanctioned ALT descriptions available for these diagrams, yes or no? We just could not get a yes or no to that question. And I see now why — because we were asking Pearson. And they're never going to answer that properly. But we now know that they should have. So we put five questions to them. We got five non-answers. The best question that she asked was, why was I unable to test? And they would not answer her. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Well, frankly, I was shocked at their request. And it wasn't a request. It was a demand. And I felt as if I was being pushed. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: You were. I still wonder what that meeting — and by the way, listeners, that meeting never took place. We'll get into why we denied it. But I think we know, even after the second time when you did meet with them, it turned out to be the very same thing. And it was just coercion. Take down what you've said about us, change your story. And that's just not — I don't know why they think you would do that. Especially you. I mean, if they just did a quick Google search, I think they'd know who you are. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: I kind of thought they felt, this little Canadian lady, we'll push her into a corner and she'll just do as we ask. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Well, isn't that what they did with all of the people that contacted you and said they had the same issue? Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Yeah. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: It's not that they push you anywhere. They just leave you there. There's no one to contact. There's no one to talk to. And you know what they'll say? We didn't do anything. That's exactly what you did. You didn't do anything. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Right. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Exactly. Okay, so we'll leave on that note. December 8th, 2025. Part two of your articles gets published. Now, at this point, we had stirred quite a pot with the first article. I think a lot of people were very invested in the Apex program at this point. But I think the first article began to change things. And when the second article came out, I think they realized that this was not going to end. Now, this is the point generally where a mainstream company or PR firm would bring outside help in to help fix this. They did not do that. Katie Mcauliff and her legal staff continued to answer emails themselves. Same day, she emails the CNIB, asks them to read her articles. So on December 8th, 2025, you emailed the CNIB and asked them to read your articles. You want to talk about that before we continue? Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Yes. I kind of thought, well, I got nothing to lose here. And the CNIB is one of the main players re advocacy in Canada. I have a good relationship with them. And I thought, I'm going to stir the pot a bit and see what happens. So I decided— Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: I'm sorry I didn't think of it, frankly. It's a great idea. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: And they responded right away. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: They did. CNIB reads them, writes a letter to Pearson themselves, and asks her permission to send it, which we thought was awesome. This is the first real assistance that we had received and it was very exciting. And sincerest thanks to the CNIB for all of their efforts on our behalf. December 12th, 2025, CNIB's letter goes to Pearson VUE on our approval. December 15 to 16, Pearson's tone changes. Isn't that interesting? Genuine retest options are provided and Donna agrees to sit the test again. Now I ask you, if you're listening at this point, would you sit the test again? I just want you to sit with that. Just think about it. You don't have to answer. Both certifications were in her scholarship, so she asks Apex for the Security+ curriculum as well. And guess what happens at that point? I'll let Donna tell you what happens when she asks for the Security+ curriculum. What happens, Donna? Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Well, I was told, you know, your scholarship is no longer available. Those were their words. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: No longer available. Not that it's been revoked. Not that we've removed it for saying honest things about us. Just that it is no longer available. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: That's right. So then I— Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Which begs the question. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Yeah. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Which begs the question, why is my scholarship no longer available? And what did they say when you asked that question? Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Because of the article that was published. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: They literally admitted it in an email. Said, because of the article you published. And their exact quote was, you've made us the enemy. Now I ask you, if you're listening so far — I don't like the word enemy, but take a look at what's going on here. Take a look at what Donna is trying to do. She's attempting to get a degree that any sighted person would have walked out of Pearson with that day. And we're still here and they still say things like this. So at this point, I think they become weapons. That's my personal view. Okay. January 13th, 2026. Katie Mcauliff, VP of operations, CC counsel Emmy Savenelli, says the scholarship is no longer available. So this is direct, copied to her attorney. I don't understand this position at all. But this is literally how open people can be about you being honest, about true public journalism, about saying what really happens to you — whether it's accessible or whether you slipped on the floor. They're out there to make sure that you don't tell the truth. And I hope that's what everyone takes away from today. Apex cancels its Top Tech Tidbits sponsorship after I publicly back her. This happened a few days later. I run a newsletter called Top Tech Tidbits. We have sponsors that keep that newsletter funded. Apex was a sponsor of Top Tech Tidbits prior to any of this happening. And we had great reviews of them and people loved them and everything was great about them. And this is why I was so very happy when Donna received the scholarship, because I thought these good vibes were going to be transferred on to her. And instead we were treated to this. So I do understand it, but again, publicly you claim to support blind and low vision persons. You claim to support disability. But the moment the truth is exposed, rather than fixing that and making that what those people need, you simply pull your funding. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: That's true. That's what they did. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: So that's what they do. Honestly, Donna, that's what they do. But okay. On ARCH's advice, Donna writes, asking why. Silence, and then a meeting request. Now, you want to talk about ARCH and what ARCH is and how they help you? Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: ARCH is — I don't really know what it stands for, but it's called the ARCH Disability Law Centre of Toronto, and they take on very interesting cases dealing with human rights, dealing with— Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Accessibility. And sometimes pro bono, if the case— Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Most times it's pro bono. So they decided — I decided to ask for their advice, and they told me, write a letter to them asking for clarification. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: In other words, why is my scholarship no longer available? That's the question that we're going to ask. Okay. Before February 3rd, CNIB steps up again, connects her straight to CompTIA, who grants her a full Security+ credit. So now, mind you, at this point, Apex taketh away, and CompTIA giveth. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: That's right. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Which was very nice. Okay, so now we've got CompTIA obviously doing the right thing, and Apex continuing to do the wrong thing. February 3rd, 2026. The call. You decided to take a call with them. They wanted to meet with Donna and I initially, together, and I agreed to that call. I said fine. We had an argument over who was going to set up the call, because whoever set up the call would own the recording. And I spoke with my legal counsel and Donna spoke with her legal counsel. And we agreed that we wanted to own the recording if we were going to have the meeting. It was our hope that this would prevent them from attempting to bully us or make us take down any further articles or anything. We just thought, if you're being recorded, you're going to be as honest as you can be. That was our thought. So we requested that. And with some dissatisfaction, we got that accommodation and they said, sure, you can own the recording. Okay. So we go ahead and we attempt to set up that meeting. And the very first thing that Katie Mcauliff says to us is, please provide us with an agenda for the meeting. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: That's very true. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: And I said no. And Donna and I sat with that. We sat and you and I talked about that. And we have no agenda. We don't have an agenda. All Donna did was write about her experience. What Donna would like is your assistance in getting a cybersecurity degree. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: That's right. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: So, not sure what we were supposed to talk about. We were rather offended, and we just felt like we were going to waste time with them trying to coerce us, even on a recording. So I decided — I advised her that I wasn't going to take the call, and I didn't think she should either. Donna, however, being who she is, decided to take the call anyway. Which is fine. That's exactly her right. Unfortunately, it went as we thought it would go. But yes, it was valuable, because it proved it. And it taught me a lesson that you should go through with things even when you know they're sabotage. And that's odd to me. But again, advocacy lesson of this podcast. So the call. Opening question: when, Donna, what's on your agenda today? That's the first thing they asked you. What is your agenda today? And your reply was, I actually felt sick. And then they said, yes, Donna, we cancelled your scholarship because of the articles that you wrote about us. You've made us the enemy. That's an exact quote. I'm going to read that again. Yes, Donna, we cancelled your scholarship because of the articles that you wrote about us. You've made us the enemy. I was appalled that not only that they said that, but that they thought that we are trying to make them the — I don't know how you and I are profiting off this in any way whatsoever. It's cost you a great deal. I know it's cost me a great deal. I'm really not sure how we're benefiting from this whole thing. She withholds the credit until the very end of the call. You want to talk about that? Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Oh, indeed. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Oh, indeed. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: You know, so after saying, you know, like, it's not available, but we will pay for your exam if you take it again — I ask, how much are you going to give to me? And they said, we can only give you 100 USD. And the exam cost in scholarship, it cost— Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Three, 95, something. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Like that. Yeah. But I made a slip here and I only received 100 CAD, which is less than $50 U.S. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Sure. I got you. Not that they cared about any of those fees to begin with. That's okay. Oh, but you withheld the news about CompTIA giving you a credit. How did they respond when you told them that? Was there any shift in their posture? Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Oh, they took credit for what CompTIA was offering me. They said, oh, we spoke to them. And I sat there thinking, you're lying. You're not being honest. You did nothing. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: I don't think they did. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Personally, I don't think they did. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: I don't think they did. Well, on February 22nd, 2026, Donna publishes part three. And part three has a subtitle: Apex does not care about blind people. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: I can only tell you how horrified I was at all of this. I didn't think that these guys — I thought they were reputable people, but I was wrong. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: It was very brutish, wasn't it? Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: It was. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: I was amazed, frankly. Okay, we move on to act five. The cost and the long wait. March 4th, 2026. Donna writes me: Pearson is not responding to my request for updates on my scheduling. Am I concerned? A wee bit. March 9th, 2026, we decide to launch a GoFundMe in order to cover the rest of the cost of Donna's exam. And I think we should stop and thank everyone who contributed. I don't think we quite made it, but we definitely made up a couple of hundred dollars that otherwise we would not have had. Sincerest thanks to everyone. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Thank you everybody. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: April 24th, 2026. Apex practice tests not searchable. Several answers wrong. Many typos. I know you'd love to talk about this part, right? Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Well, you know, you go into the practice test and I know, with regard to some of those questions, their answers were not correct. So I checked with my good friend AI and went through chat. And they confirmed that what my answers were, were correct. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Just imagine how difficult this was before the advent of AI, and still is for many blind people who don't use AI in that manner or have access to someone sighted who can use AI in that manner. It's still very difficult. Those programs are not accessible. There's a lot of copy and paste that is very difficult as a blind person. It's access that many don't have, is my point. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: So I kind of knew, you know what, this is not going to go anywhere. But call me silly, call me whatever you — I would persevere and write the exam one more time. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Which you did, using the practice tests that we created rather than the ones that Apex provided. May 23rd, 2026. Donna emails me and says her long time Pearson contact has retired, and the replacement insists that all readers can handle diagrams. Now, you have listened to the beginning of this podcast, right, everyone? Do you remember what happened to Donna the first time she sat for that exam? But the replacement insists all readers can handle diagrams. Okay, she reminds them the last one couldn't, and says, I'll let it go. But should we have let it go? I don't know. In any case, we move on to May 27th, 2026, the second exam. Now, this is the second time that Donna has sat for this exam, [unclear 00:36:24]. Okay. It is 10 a.m. She is at Pearson Professional Centre, Toronto East. She has 270 minutes and every accommodation has been approved on paper. You want to talk before we go into the details of that day? Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Well, here again, we go in and they read all the pre-document— Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: They take your Kleenex again. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: No, not this time. No, they didn't change bags or anything like that. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Okay. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: You know, along the line they were always friendly, always very proficient at what they were saying and doing. And then I met my reader, and she sounded older than the other reader. And so we go into the exam, and then comes the big wave when she sits down and opens up the exam and off we go. And right away I know— Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Guess what, everyone. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Nothing has changed. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Diagrams again. And diagrams are being described by a person who has never seen them before today. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Right. And you don't have a reader and a recorder. The reader is the recorder. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: You were approved for a reader and a recorder. That is recorded in your accommodation. However, they only provided one person and assigned both roles. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: That's right. So Donna makes up her mind after question [two? 00:37:48]. Donna, you're not going to be successful at this exam. Why? It's the same thing over and over again. But I thought, well, silly me. I'll take the bloody exam and just wonder. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Which you did. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: You did what you did. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: And then your results certainly were given to you in some type of format that you could read immediately. Right? Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Oh. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Well. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: They printed it off. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Oh, they printed it. Okay. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: They printed it off, handed it to me, and I said, could you tell me what the results are? Well, we can't. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Did I pass, did I not? Could you imagine standing there, people? Did I pass? And it's in your hand, but you can't see it. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: No. And they say, we can't tell you. I said, is it available online? No, it's not online. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: And they can't tell you. They're not allowed to speak it to you. Wow. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: No, they did not do that. So I had to wait and go outside with my friend and she read it to me. And I will tell you, I failed — not by much — but I walked out of there thinking, you know what? I have nothing more to — I don't know what to say. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: I would just ask you, if you're listening at this point, what would you have done? Would you have gone this far? Would you have sat this exam twice? And we're not done yet. Just mind you, we're not done yet. Okay. May 29th, 2026, Donna begins drafting a letter to Pearson and CompTIA. June 24th, 2026. Oh, this is the point where we wrote directly to Todd Thibodeaux, CEO of CompTIA — or at least we thought he was — and Gary Gates, Pearson VUE. Senior people copied on both sides. Not a support form. She writes to offer help, not to complain. I'm going to stop and talk about this point here, because this was a lesson for me. I got angry, people. I don't have a disability myself. Not an official one. I live with a very complex condition that bothers me daily. But I do not have a certified disability, and I cannot imagine the anger and the frustration that Donna must have felt. I know that I felt it and I gave up. I stopped. I will say I gave up. I really did, and I should not have. And this is where Donna did not give up. She decided to write to the CEO. We didn't know who we were writing to, frankly. I mean, we did our best to find these contacts. We later learned, I think, that Todd was not the CEO of CompTIA anymore. We'll talk about that in a minute. But we basically gathered these emails and tried to speak to as many people as we possibly could, just giving them links to the articles that we've written, what Donna has been through, etc. And this is what I should have supported her in doing, and I did not. So if you want to be an advocate, this is the point where you learn the lesson that never give up means never. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Absolutely true. But you know what? I have lived all my life as an advocate. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: I know. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: I know. And I think for you— Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: It's a wonderful lesson for me, Donna. It really is. I applaud you for writing that email. I thought, oh my God, here she goes. She's going to get her heart broken again. So at what — when is she going to give up? Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: No, no more. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Never. And I'm glad you didn't, because here's what happened, people. July 9th, 2026. CompTIA replies. And drops it. Network+ is available in a JAWS compatible format designed for independent completion. I'm sorry, just in case you didn't hear that: Network+ is available in a JAWS compatible format designed for independent completion. No human reader needed, end quote. Wow. I think there was a guy named Aaron that said something a couple of years ago that that had to exist. I don't know who that guy was. They asked two questions. Your reaction? I told you so. I knew it. I was very happy to hear that this existed. I don't know why it was not provided to Donna or presented, but amazing nonetheless. July 27th, 2026. Donna answers both in full and confirms that she was never denied JAWS. Now, this was an important distinction that we had to make. She argued back and forth quite a bit about it, in fact, and the deciding factor for Donna was that there would be no technician on site that day. And she had issues in the past with her law degree with JAWS — taking it with JAWS and there being no technician on site. They had to call someone and then she had to come back and test a different day. Anyone who has sat for one of these tests knows the commitment that it takes, the mental commitment and the preparation, and it's not something that you really want to do more than once if you can help it. You confirmed that you were never denied JAWS, but that you were steered away from it. You want to talk about that? Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Yes. What happened? They strongly recommended that I use one of their readers to do it. They never came right out and said that the exam was available in an accessible format by using JAWS. Never, ever said that. So that was a shocker to me. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: I arrived at [that? 00:43:19] purely out of logistics. I just assumed that from the top, CompTIA being the large — at the time we thought nonprofit — organization that they were, maybe that was our assumption, that they would have to provide this type of formatting for diagrams specifically. I just don't know how you could possibly sell a test and call it accessible if you don't. And it's just interesting that it wasn't that they weren't available. It was simply that for whatever reason, Pearson was not using them, or did not want to steer you toward it for some reason. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Yeah, absolutely, I agree. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Okay, so July 28th, 2026. CompTIA's entire reply: thank you for your helpful feedback. We will look into this. CompTIA Legal. Now I just want to mention that that ends, CompTIA Legal. So this is the legal team for CompTIA that reached out to us, not the CEO or anyone that we actually reached out to. But it seems to have fallen to CompTIA's legal team. And there's a bit about that at the end. You said to me on that day, I'm not going to hold my breath. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: That's right. I'm not going. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: No. At this point, I don't think anyone would expect you to. All right. Let's talk about where all of this lands right now, and some things that we might want to look back at that you and I didn't realize at the time. Today the Apex program now trades as AccessCyber, LLC, part of EnterpriseKC, and Novacoast is no longer named anywhere on the site. Now, we can take that for what it's worth. Its site today promises the following, quote: built from the ground up to be accessible first. 24/7/365 access to expert guidance and an instructor in 24 hours or less. How's that sound, Donna? Would you like to be a part of that program? It sounds kind of— Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Sounds— Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Nice. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Doesn't it? I don't think so. I mean, like, what? First of all, why were they sold by Novacoast to this other— Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Well, we don't know. We can speculate all we want. And who knows? I think from the background that you and I got, I don't think they had any idea what they were doing trying to assist blind people, frankly. For whatever reason they took on the project, they did not put someone in charge who knows and understands the needs of a blind person, even if someone on that team was blind. God forbid. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Yeah, I agree. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: So, very difficult there. The last portion of this that makes this interesting — I don't think it's had anything to do with it, but it's something I want to mention. CompTIA's certification business is owned by H.I.G. Capital and Thoma Bravo. Now, we didn't know that, and that actually took place, believe it or not, on November 4th, 2024, which was just a few weeks — three weeks — before you were given your scholarship. So CompTIA, up until three weeks before you were given your scholarship, was not a for-profit structure, as I understand it. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Okay. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: But it became one. Now, how that affects us today, and perhaps why we're hearing back from CompTIA Legal instead of the actual CEO, etc. — that might shed some light on that. Who knows? But this leaves us — where does this leave us, Donna? Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Oh, God help us, I don't— Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Where does this leave us? I get you. You have to answer that. Where does this leave you, I guess I should say. I know that article number four is going to come out, which is going to explain everything up to this point. But with you now waiting for CompTIA Legal to get back to you, what are your honest thoughts? Would you ever sit a third time? Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: I don't think so. I mean, as I said to them in my letter, this is a marvelous way to open up new career opportunities. And this is what had interest in me. I also thought we could bring this program to Canada. But it has drained me. Honestly, I don't know if I have the energy. I don't know if I have any respect. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: I don't know if I would recommend that you do, frankly. I just don't see any way that — what are they? Maybe they come back with, Donna, here's a certificate. We assure you all will be well this time. And no offense, that's what they said the second time. How many times should we believe that they will fix the process so that you can test accessibly? Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: I don't know. I mean, like, I'm not really prepared to battle anybody anymore. Not in this case. I just think we've done the best we can. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: So why then should we get on this podcast today and regale people with this wonderful tale of accessibility? What's the point then? What did we get out of this, Donna? What did we learn and what did we provide to others? You said something along the line of, I am not the point. I was never the point. That blind test takers wrote to you that they had the same experience. And that you wanted to use your voice and your advocacy in ways that they could not. And I think that's the point of these four articles. That's the point of this podcast today. That is why I have done a reverse grilling of Donna today, to give everyone an idea of how she felt and what she has gone through during this process, and what real advocacy and change looks like. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Advocacy has a cost to it, and it's a hidden cost. And people don't realize that. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: And it's not always progress as you would measure it. Sometimes it's just four articles and a terrible situation that you put out there. But the next blind person that goes to take a test, or has a problem with Pearson, or searches online and sees what you went through — I think it will change their experience. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: I hope it does. I hope that we have done something here that will benefit anybody going— Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Amen. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Or it may turn them away. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: It may. What I would love to see — I would love to see Pearson, CompTIA and such programs, whether they are targeted towards blind people or not, come together to take accessibility seriously. The entire process. Not just to the end of your organization, but throughout the end of the experience for the user. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: I agree. But will it be done? I don't— Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Know. I doubt it. Donna, frankly, I doubt it. And how to get it done outside of funding it yourself — if I knew the answer to that, well, the world would be a different place. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: And I'm not prepared to put any more of my own personal funds into this. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: I don't blame you, Donna. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: No, I'm not willing. No. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: So if anyone listening today has any questions about this or any other aspects of this process that we went through, please reach out to Donna. Feel free to do so. I'm sure she'll be happy to respond. And thank you so much for your time and energy today. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Quite a journey, Aaron. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Quite a journey, Miss Donna. Podcast Commentator: Donna wants to hear from you and invites you to write to her at [email protected] [address unverified 00:50:54]. Until next time.