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
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Early assistive technology, like Braille terminals on IBM mainframes, was expensive and rare, making accessibility a niche 'hack' rather than built-in feature.
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The transition from command line to graphical user interfaces around Windows 95 caused a massive increase in assistive technology complexity.
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Apple's integration of VoiceOver in the iPhone 3GS was a major accessibility paradigm shift, making it built-in and mainstream for the first time on mobile devices.
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Assistive technology industry consolidation occurred due to increased software complexity after the GUI shift.
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Accessibility features initially designed for disabilities often benefit the broad population, such as captions, dark mode, and voice dictation.
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Gaming and emerging technologies like VR, AR, and XR currently lack first-party accessibility APIs and rely on third-party reverse engineering and mods.
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Artificial intelligence introduces new accessibility challenges, including how to convey AI confidence and maintain privacy while ensuring inclusion.
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Accessibility should be seen as a spectrum rather than a binary, recognizing a wide range of visual and hearing abilities.
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Future accessibility innovations include self-driving cars, neural input devices, and smart home technologies that provide greater independence.
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The 'nothing about us without us' principle is critical: involving people with disabilities in design and testing is essential for sustainable accessibility.
Notable Quotes
"Nothing about us without us."
"Accessibility was considered an inspiring hack, something very unique and rare."
"The GUI transition made assistive technology products a lot more complicated because you now had to track focus, cursor, and graphical objects."
"Apple unlocked so much innovation through including accessibility in the phone."
"Accessibility benefits all of us, not just people with disabilities."
"Accessibility needs are a continuum or a spectrum, not a binary."
"The first to solve accessibility for new modalities like XR or AI will have a market-leading advantage for years to come."
"We need to rethink how accessibility technology works in AR and VR since there is no traditional screen."
"AI must communicate its confidence levels so users can trust what it tells them, especially when they cannot double-check visually."
"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure."
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