To Boldly Go: The New Frontiers of Accessibility
Summary
The metaverse, virtual reality, Web 3.0, distributed infrastructure, the Internet of Things, wearable computing, and AI: all these things are going to change the face of accessibility over the next 10 years. In this talk, Samuel Proulx, Fable’s Accessibility Evangelist, will give you an overview of what the current landscape looks like at the frontier of accessibility and assistive technology. Where’s the research taking us? What might be coming down the pipe?
Key Insights
-
•
Early accessibility technologies like the IBM 3767 Braille terminal were expensive and rare, limiting access to a few pioneering users like Sam’s father.
-
•
Hardware text-to-speech systems such as the Echo2 card on Apple II were foundational but costly and limited to command-line interfaces.
-
•
The transition from command-line to graphical user interfaces with Windows 95 introduced major accessibility challenges requiring new techniques for screen readers to interpret visual content.
-
•
Software text-to-speech synthesis replaced expensive hardware devices as PCs grew powerful, enabling more portable and accessible computing devices.
-
•
Assistive technology industry consolidation occurred due to the increasing complexity of accessibility needs post-GUI, exemplified by mergers forming companies like Freedom Scientific.
-
•
Apple’s introduction of built-in VoiceOver on iPhone 3GS marked a paradigm shift by integrating accessibility directly into the OS and developer APIs, eliminating dependence on third-party products.
-
•
Accessibility features initially designed for disabilities benefit all users, such as captions in noisy environments, dark mode, and voice dictation.
-
•
Gaming accessibility remains nascent, relying heavily on third-party modifications and reverse engineering, with little first-party API support.
-
•
Emerging technologies like VR/AR and AI pose novel accessibility challenges, demanding fresh approaches as traditional screen readers and magnification don’t translate directly.
-
•
Sam sees the next big accessibility breakthroughs coming from self-driving cars, neural inputs, and smart home innovations, emphasizing inclusivity across the full disability spectrum.
Notable Quotes
"Nothing about us without us."
"I don’t remember a time when there wasn’t a computer in the house talking at me."
"Accessibility was considered kind of an inspiring hack, an inspirational rarity."
"The GUI transition meant assistive tech had to track cursor, mouse, and graphical objects, making it far more complex."
"Apple unlocked so much innovation by including accessibility in the phone with VoiceOver built-in."
"Accessibility is not only important to preserve rights but leads directly to innovation."
"Accessibility needs are a spectrum, not binary."
"We still think of accessibility as a binary when it should be recognized as a continuum."
"Gaming accessibility is still considered an inspirational hack rather than a built-in feature."
"When we solve accessibility challenges, everyone benefits, not just people with disabilities."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Slides are hitting a brick wall; video clips make findings much more interactive and engaging for stakeholders."
Taylor Jennings Joe Nelson Alex KnollRepository Retrospective: Learnings from Introducing a Central Place for UX Research
March 9, 2022
"Destiny is the belief that a certain future outcome is predetermined regardless of the path."
Nicole AleongFuture Orientations to Everyday Life: Futures Anthropology as a Methodology
March 26, 2024
"Hackathons are a fun activity to spend some creative time together and then go back to making the stuff that we normally make."
Jeff GothelfInnovation Studios: the Engines of Enterprise Experimentation
May 14, 2015
"Accessibility ownership should never fall on just one person but be understood and shared across entire product teams."
Saara Kamppari-MillerDesignOps for Inclusive Design and Accessibility
May 26, 2022
"Creating moments of joy in the day can encourage positive behaviors and brighten people’s days."
Tess DixonC'mon Get Happy
September 29, 2021
"When your team sees themselves in your North Star and structure, they feel safe, secure, and inspired to stay."
Liam ThurstonWhy Your Design Team Is Quitting, And How To Fix It
June 10, 2022
"Careers as ladders are what HR wants, but careers aren’t linear; they should be a jungle gym."
Ian SwinsonDesigning and Driving UX Careers
June 8, 2016
"Choosing the right hill to die on is so important and so hard; the problems that matter come around again and again."
Leisa ReicheltOpening Keynote: Operating in Context
November 7, 2018
"Without a design ops function, teams make their own flavors that dilute brand and accessibility."
Rachael Greene Alison DavisBuilding a Design Ops Practice that Really Works (Most of the Time)
October 2, 2025
