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 pike? Sam has watched the accessibility industry adapt and change over the last 30 years. Drawing on the changes he’s experienced, he’ll take a look at the future, through the lens of the past. After this session, you’ll have a deeper understanding of where accessibility has been, and where it might be going.
Key Insights
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Accessibility started as a clever hack in mainframe days, with braille terminals before text-to-speech technology was widespread.
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Early personal computers like the Apple II had hardware-based, robotic text-to-speech without intonation and two speed settings only.
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In the command-line era, accessibility was easier because the screen content was purely text, simplifying screen reader development.
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The advent of graphical user interfaces forced assistive tech companies to consolidate due to complexity, shrinking the number of screen readers from dozens to a few.
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Apple’s iPhone 3GS with VoiceOver was a revolutionary turning point, making accessibility built-in, easy to activate, and independent of third-party software.
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Before Apple’s integrated approach, assistive tech was expensive, required sighted assistance to install, and users paid significantly more for necessary software.
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Gaming accessibility today mirrors early computing accessibility: fragmented, third-party hacks without standard APIs or best practices.
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AR and VR accessibility remain nascent with no standard APIs or assistive technologies yet, but major tech companies are actively researching this space.
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Accessibility innovations historically benefit all users, as seen with features like Siri, dark mode, and multi-touch originating from accessibility research.
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Current accessibility challenges include delivering multimodal information, addressing AI bias and privacy, and ensuring usability in cloud and blockchain applications.
Notable Quotes
"There isn’t a time I can remember where there wasn’t a computer talking to me."
"Accessibility was just a clever trick that some charitable organization or someone who wanted to give back would do almost for fun."
"The Apple 3GS and the accessibility technology built into it was a massive shift for people with disabilities."
"With Apple, I could pick up any phone and triple-click the home button and VoiceOver would come on."
"Before Apple, I needed someone else to install Windows and then install a screen reader for me."
"When someone makes a game like The Last of Us accessible, it’s still considered an inspiring hack instead of a standard feature."
"We are going to see one company soon crack AR and VR accessibility that will change the world."
"Accessibility innovations benefit everyone — not just people with disabilities."
"Assistive tech was once a medical device people had to pay 10 times the hardware cost for."
"No company has a dominant advantage yet in AR/VR accessibility, but that will change in coming years."
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