The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 paved the way for decades of
incremental changes to the way buildings, businesses and laws accommodate
people with a wide variety of disabilities. At 30 years old this week, the
law's effect on tech has been profound, but there's still a lot of work to
do.
The ADA originally applied mainly to things like buildings and government
resources, but over the years (and with improvements and amendments) came to
be much broader than that. As home computers, the web and eventually apps
became popular, they too became subject to ADA requirements - though to what
extent is still a matter under debate.
I asked a few prominent companies and advocacy organizations what they think
about how tech has improved the everyday lives of people with disabilities,
and where it has so far fallen short.
Those who responded had the most to say about how tech has helped, of
course, but also offered suggestions (and recriminations) for an industry
that has in some ways only recently begun to truly include people with
disabilities in its processes - and in many ways has yet to do so.
Claire Stanley, Advocacy and Outreach Specialist at the American Council for
the Blind
"Tech has opened the door to so many things," said Stanley. "Books, for
instance - 10 years ago to get a book you might have to wait for the Library
of Congress to convert it to audio. Now, because of Kindles and e-readers,
the day a book comes out I can buy it. Access is a lot faster than it once
was."
"The ability to do certain things in the workplace, too. The caveat is,
people don't always design software to work with accessibility technology.
Designing with screen readers in mind can be very helpful, but if they
don't, that opens up whole new problems," she said.
"Companies just don't think about accessibility, so they design a product
that's totally inaccessible to screen readers. To my understanding, if you
design it right from the get-go it should be easy to make it compatible.
There are the <https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/> WCAG
standards - if programmers took even a cursory glance at these, they'd be
like, 'oh I get it!,' " said Stanley. "And I've heard from a lot of people
that when you make something accessible to the blind it makes it better for
everybody."
That's exactly the problem that
<https://techcrunch.com/2020/07/27/fable-aims-to-make-disability-inclusive-d
esign-as-simple-as-a-service/> Fable intends to alleviate by providing
software testers with various disabilities as a service to companies that
may not have thought that far ahead in their QA process.
New devices and services are also changing the landscape for blind folks.
"Braille literacy is going down because people are turning to audio
synthesizers - but new designs of braille readers are coming out, and
they're getting cheaper. I have mine right next to me," said Stanley.
Of course for the deaf-blind community braille is still indispensable. One
dad hoping to teach his daughter braille recently
<https://techcrunch.com/2018/01/18/the-becdot-is-a-toy-that-helps-teach-visi
on-impaired-kids-to-read-braille/> built his own in
<https://techcrunch.com/2018/01/18/the-becdot-is-a-toy-that-helps-teach-visi
on-impaired-kids-to-read-braille/> inexpensive braille education device -
not something you were likely to do 20 years ago.
<https://techcrunch.com/2018/01/18/the-becdot-is-a-toy-that-helps-teach-visi
on-impaired-kids-to-read-braille/> inexpensive braille education device -
not something you were likely to do 20 years ago.
<https://crunchbase.com/organization/aira> Aira is an app that has been
around for about four years - basically, through video from your phone, a
person on the other end can answer questions and identify things. I use it
all the time. They're starting to integrate AI to do some simple things like
read signs," Stanley said.
"We've also been working a lot in the autonomous vehicle space. That will
open up a lot of doors, and not just for blind people, but people with other
disabilities, the elderly, children," she added. "I know we have a long way
to go, but we've been fortunate enough to be at the table with companies and
Congress when we're talking about what making an autonomous vehicle
accessible looks like."
Eve Andersson, Director of Accessibility at Google
"To me, one of the most notable tech advances has been changes in captioning
technology. About two years after I started at
<https://crunchbase.com/organization/google> Google, in 2009, we introduced
automatic captioning on YouTube using AI. Then eight years later, we
introduced the ability to caption sound effects (laughter, music, applause,
etc.
She pointed out that although captions were originally made with
accessibility for deaf and hard of hearing users, they quickly became
helpful for many other users who wanted to be able to watch videos on mute,
in other languages and so on.
transcribe is another feature that tech has enabled, letting hearing
impaired people follow in-person communications live.
"Before the ADA, some parts of the physical world remained inaccessible to
people who are blind or low-vision," Andersson said. "Today, you can find
braille under almost all signs in the United States, which paved the way for
us to create products like
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.googlecode.eyesfree.brail
leback&hl=en_US> Google BrailleBack and the
<https://blog.google/products/android/braille-keyboard/> TalkBack braille
keyboard, which both allow braille users to gain the information they need
and communicate effectively with the world around them. In addition, the
spirit of ADA in making the physical world accessible to people with
disabilities is what inspired innovations like
<https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/accessibility/lookout-discover
-your-surroundings-help-ai/> Lookout, an app that helps people who are blind
or low-vision identify the world around them."
"One area that we're thinking about more and more is how to leverage
technology to be more helpful for people with cognitive disabilities. This
is an incredibly diverse space spanning many different needs, but it remains
largely unexplored," she said. "Action blocks" in Android are an early
effort to address it, simplifying multi-step processes into single buttons.
But the team is looking into larger scale improvements to help out those who
have trouble using a smart device out of the box.
"As an industry, we need to work to ensure that people with disabilities -
from employees to consultants to users - are always included in the process
of developing a product, research area or initiative from the very
beginning," she said. "People with disabilities or who have family members
with disabilities on my team bring their experiences to the table and we
make better products as a result."
Sarah Herrlinger, Director of Global Accessibility Policy at Apple
"It's fundamentally about culture," said Herrlinger. "From the beginning
<https://crunchbase.com/organization/apple> Apple has always believed
accessibility is a human right and this core value is still evident in
everything we design today."
Though somewhat general of a statement, Apple has the history to back it up.
The company has famously been ahead of others on the accessibility curve for
decades. TechCrunch columnist Steve Aquino has
<https://techcrunch.com/2019/06/05/apples-global-accessibility-head-on-the-c
ompanys-new-accessibility-features/> documented
<https://techcrunch.com/2019/06/09/apple-puts-accessibility-features-front-a
nd-center/> these efforts over the years,
<https://techcrunch.com/2016/05/19/when-it-comes-to-accessibility-apple-cont
inues-to-lead-in-awareness-and-innovation/> summing many up in this feature.
The iPhone, being Apple's flagship product since its introduction, has also
been its main platform for accessibility.
"The historical impact of iPhone as a mainstream consumer product is well
documented. What is less understood though is how life changing iPhone and
our other products have been for disability communities," said Herrlinger.
"Over time iPhone has become the most powerful and popular assistive device
ever. It broke the mold of previous thinking because it showed accessibility
could in fact be seamlessly built into a device that all people can use
universally."
The feature that has been helpful to the most people is likely VoiceOver,
which intelligently reads off the contents of the screen in a way that
allows blind users to navigate the OS easily. One such user posted her
experience recently, racking up millions of views:
As for where the tech industry has room to grow, Herrlinger said:
"Representation and inclusion are critical. We believe in the mantra of many
within disability communities: 'Nothing about us without us.' We started a
dedicated accessibility team in 1985, but like all things on inclusion -
accessibility should be everyone's job at Apple."
Melissa Malzkuhn, Founder & Creative Director, Motion Light Lab at Gallaudet
University
"If not for the laws in place to safeguard our access, no one would
implement them," Malzkuhn said frankly. "The ADA really helped push greater
access, but we also saw a lot of change in how people think, and what is
considered socially responsible. More and more people now see that their use
of social media comes with a sense of social responsibility to make their
posts accessible. We would like to see that social accountability with all
individuals, and with all companies, big and small."
<https://www.gallaudet.edu/about> Gallaudet is a university that aims to be
"barrier-free for deaf and hard of hearing students," providing a huge
amount of resources and instruction for that community. Many of the
technologies its staff has used for years have seen major improvements as
mainstream users have flocked to virtual meetings and the like and found
them wanting.
"We have more video meeting options than ever, and they continue to improve.
We also have seen a constant improvement in our experience with video relay
services," Malzkuhn said. She also cited voice-to-text as having improved a
lot and provided serious utility; Gallaudet's Technology Access Program has
worked with Google's Live Transcribe.
"Language-mapping processing, and the early pioneering work on gesture and
sign recognition is exciting," she added, though the latter is still a ways
from practical use. She was unsparing in her criticism of the many attempts
at smart gloves, however: "Enough with the sign language gloves. It
reinforces a bigger ideology: Give deaf people something to wear and our
communication issues will go away. It is not about putting the burden of
communication on one group of people."
"I would say that the Apple iPad has revolutionized how we look at the
experience of reading for deaf children. In the Motion Light Lab here at
<https://crunchbase.com/organization/gallaudet-university> Gallaudet
University, we have created bilingual storybook apps, intersecting both ASL
videos and written text on the same interface," she said. "But technology
will never replace the humanity in all of us. All it takes are attitudes and
the willingness to communicate, regardless of technology. Learning a bit of
sign language goes a long way."
Malzkuhn emphasized the value of inclusion and chastised companies that fail
to take even elementary steps in hiring and process.
"Companies that hire deaf people have it right. Companies that focus on
inclusive design and accessibility as an important and 'non-negotiable'
aspect in product design also have it right. Their products are invariably
superior to inaccessible products," she said, while those who do not are
guilty of "a serious omission. Many companies strive to create products to
'help' our lives, but if we are not in the room in the first place, and if
we do not have a seat at the table, that is not helpful. Inclusive design
starts with an inclusive team."
Investors need to look at startups focused on accessibility and deafness as
well. Like any growing community, they need funding and mentorship.
Malzkuhn also wanted to make sure that companies are thinking about the deaf
and hard of hearing not just as consumers of an end product, but
full-fledged users.
"That is a driving force in my work - we need to always give tools so anyone
can design technology. We need to ensure that we have the responsibility of
training, teaching and making those accessible so we develop and cultivate
the next generation of young deaf people who design and construct, who are
architects of systems, who can program systems, as well as being end users
of technology."
Inclusive design starts with an inclusive team."
Investors need to look at startups focused on accessibility and deafness as
well. Like any growing community, they need funding and mentorship.
Malzkuhn also wanted to make sure that companies are thinking about the deaf
and hard of hearing not just as consumers of an end product, but
full-fledged users.
"That is a driving force in my work - we need to always give tools so anyone
can design technology. We need to ensure that we have the responsibility of
training, teaching and making those accessible so we develop and cultivate
the next generation of young deaf people who design and construct, who are
architects of systems, who can program systems, as well as being end users
of technology."
Jenny Lay-Flurrie, Chief Accessibility Officer at Microsoft
"On a personal level, the ADA drove a new bar of awareness and provision of
captioning, interpreting which are both invaluable to me in the workplace,
home and navigating crucial life needs like medical care," said Lay-Flurrie.
"Technology can unlock solutions that can help empower people with
disabilities in the spirit of the ADA and lead to greater innovations for
everyone. To enable transformative change accessibility needs to be a
priority."
Like Google's Eve Andersson, Lay-Flurrie highlighted captioning as a major
recent advance.
"Captioning, like many other aspects of accessibility, is increasingly woven
into the fabric of what we do," she said. "Captioning has evolved so much in
the last 30 years, and accelerated as a result of AI and ML in the last
five. Teams now has AI captioning integrated and we have seen the impact of
that during COVID with Teams Captioning usage up 30x from a few months
prior."
"Accessibility has also diversified - with technologies like Seeing AI,
Learning Tool, and the Xbox Adaptive Controller as
<https://crunchbase.com/organization/microsoft> Microsoft focuses on
inclusive design, building with and for people with disabilities in these
instances, creating breakthrough technologies for blind/low vision, dyslexia
and mobility," she said.
The Adaptive Controller was one of the best hardware surprises of recent
years - a device for playing games and interacting with computers and
consoles that's hyper-compatible and clearly the result of immense effort
and expenditure.
"Accessibility has also diversified - with technologies like Seeing AI,
Learning Tool, and the Xbox Adaptive Controller as
<https://crunchbase.com/organization/microsoft> Microsoft focuses on
inclusive design, building with and for people with disabilities in these
instances, creating breakthrough technologies for blind/low vision, dyslexia
and mobility," she said.
The Adaptive Controller was one of the best hardware surprises of recent
years - a device for playing games and interacting with computers and
consoles that's hyper-compatible and clearly the result of immense effort
and expenditure.
It's an example of one of the "doors that remain closed and need to be
opened, vehemently and with speed," as Lay-Flurrie put it. "Seeing AI is a
great lens on what is possible here, and I get excited to think about what
AI/ML, as well as ARm can do across the spectrum of disability.
Additionally, we believe that AI can help unlock solutions to some of the
biggest challenges people with disabilities face, which is why the AI for
Accessibility program plays a crucial role in how Microsoft is working to
drive inclusive innovation."
Lay-Flurrie had a good deal to say on how to integrate inclusivity into a
company's processes - and with good reason, seeing as Microsoft has been a
leader on these issues for years.
"Accessibility isn't optional. It must be part of your business, ecosystem
and managed/measured," she said. "It starts with people and we have really
focused on how we build an inclusive culture, pipeline of talent. Though we
are still continuing to grow and learn, we have also taken steps to share
our learnings with other organizations through resources like the Autism
Hiring Playbook, Accessibility at a Glance training resources, the Supported
Employment Program Toolkit and the Inclusive Design Toolkit."
"We realize that each organization has its own pace and starting point. The
first step is to recognize the need to design for accessibility," she
continued. "It's particularly important to evaluate the maturity of a
product development life cycle through the lens of accessibility and look to
build in assistive features from the start, not bolted on later in the
process. But there is more to do here. Until then, my mantra stands - if you
don't know it's accessible, it's not."
Mike Shebanek, Head of Accessibility at Facebook
"The portability, ease of use, affordability and built-in accessibility of
smartphones has allowed people with disabilities to be more connected, more
mobile and more independent than anyone thought possible 30 years ago," said
Shebanek. "The rise of voice technologies like speech synthesis, speech
recognition and voice control of devices has also radically improved the
lives of people with disabilities."
"
<https://crunchbase.com/organization/facebook> Facebook created React
Native, and made it open source, so that developers can create accessible
mobile apps. We've also helped set global digital standards for web
accessibility that enable everyone to enjoy a more accessible internet," he
continued.
Like the others, he suggests that tech companies need to consider
accessibility needs and methods early on, and increase the numbers of people
with disabilities in the development and testing process.
Machine learning is helping address some major obstacles in a more automated
way: "We're using it at Facebook to power automatic video captioning and
create automatic Alt-Text to provide spoken descriptions of photographs to
people who are blind," said Shebanek. "But these are only recent innovations
and the industry has barely begun to scratch the service of what's possible
in the next 30 years as we begin to thoughtfully address the needs of people
with disabilities."
Website:
https://techcrunch.com/2020/07/27/as-ada-turns-30-tech-is-just-getting-start
ed-helping-people-with-disabilities/?guccounter=2
<https://techcrunch.com/2020/07/27/as-ada-turns-30-tech-is-just-getting-star
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