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
"The difference between the way people talk about how things are done and how they are actually done reveals unconscious assumptions."
Carl TurnerYou Can Do This: Understand and Solve Organizational Problems to Jumpstart a Dead Project
March 28, 2023
"If you have somebody on your team for three years, for five years, that’s amazing from a longevity perspective given enterprise legacy and complexity."
Karen PascoeDeveloping Experience Teams and Talent in the Enterprise
June 8, 2016
"Nothing builds collaborative relationships better than being physically present, so we make annual off-sites a priority."
Jilanna WilsonDistributed Design Operations Management
October 23, 2019
"The collaboration cycle requires following standards for accessibility, content, design system usage, and IA or you don’t launch your product."
Shawna Hein Kevin HoffmanCreate a Cohesive Civic Design Practice Across Agency, Vendors, and Contracts
November 17, 2022
"I still kind of pause in my tracks when I see our corporate vision: a world without fear of cancer."
Barb SpantonDoing Work That Matters: A Look Beyond The Idealistic Notion of 'Doing Meaningful Work'
June 10, 2022
"Our team mission was to accelerate learning and productization of AI and ML technologies in digital imaging."
Briana ThomasThe Quiet Force: Uncovering Hidden Leadership in High-Impact Design Teams
September 24, 2024
"Creating and holding space is like putting bumpers up in bowling so people know they won’t fail if they engage."
Gina MendoliaTherapists, Coaches, and Grandmas: Techniques for Service Design in Complex Systems
December 3, 2024
"Being fluent in multiple data languages and understanding behavioral and attitudinal data will be essential."
Lija Hogan Milan Mijatovic Sam Proulx Louis RosenfeldThree Years Out: Perspectives on the Near-Term Future of User Research
March 15, 2024
"As your design practice matures, your design ops team will reach inflection points, and it’s okay to flip the coin and explore the other side."
John Calhoun Rachel PosmanTwo Sides of the DesignOps Coin: Teams Ops and Product Ops
January 8, 2024
