Partners on Employment and Accessible Technology (PEAT) recently interviewed Knowbility's Executive Director, Sharron Rush, on her thoughts regarding the future of accessible technology. Sharron states that some huge impact has been made by corporations such as Apple putting their best designers on inclusive design. By designing innovative tools like Siri, they added accessibility features which also appeal to users of any ability. This opens up products to the mainstream consumer which drives down the cost.
The onset of ubiquities technology has made huge leaps to level the playing field. It is also true that the fast pace of technology has created some barriers as historically, accessible technology has not caught up. Sharron predicts that we are currently in an age of starting to understand the problems presented by technology and with improved awareness and dedication we can move to a model of inclusive design. The population of persons with disabilities is only growing as the aging population increases. Companies like Apple have led the way. Inclusive design will be the future of accessible technology which will create a win-win-win for users of adaptive technology, corporate bottom line, and mainstream consumers. For more information and the full interview please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TA28nsswpd4&feature=youtu.be