Brendan Gramer

Brendan Gramer is a UX Design Manager on the Payments team at Amazon, and has been with the company for 16 years. Gramer is passionate about advocating for accessible design at Amazon, and previously served as an internal advisor and stakeholder within the company’s Design Tools & Resources Working Group, AUX (Accessibility to the UX Design Community), and for various initiatives focused on Deaf representation in accessibility, diversity, and inclusion. Brendan recently transitioned out of his 3-year role as the Global President serving AmazonPWD (People with Disabilities) affinity group, and led the creation of Amazon’s first American Sign Language logo. 

Gramer is the recipient of several awards recognizing his work and advocacy, including Honorable Mention at the 2011 FCC Chairman’s Award for Advancement in Accessibility, the Northwest Access Fund’s 2016 Innovation Award, and Amazon’s 2019 Global Accessibility Awareness Month (GAAM) Award in the ‘Relentless Forward Progress’ category. Brendan is an active advocate for the deaf community, and holds various volunteer leadership roles including the Hearing Loss Advisory Council of the Washington Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Deaf Kids Code, United Airlines Accessible Travel Advisory Board, and the Deaf Thrive Steering Committee. 

Brendan was born profoundly deaf in Chicago to a hearing family. He grew up using oral communication, and learned ASL later in life. He currently uses a mix of both modalities, and lives in Seattle with his Deaf wife, and Deaf sons. Gramer uses his life experiences, and passion for self-advocacy and change to help make the world a more inclusive and accessible place for the Deaf community.

ID: Brendan, a white man with gray hair and beard, is wearing a polo shirt while standing in front of a gray wall.