The concept of technology accessibility essentially consists of the digital ecosystem (internet, applications, tools, and terminals) being accessible and usable by everyone, especially people with disabilities. From this perspective, with technology accessibility, everyone can enjoy the same opportunities, whether in a personal or professional setting.
Below is a detailed explanation of technology accessibility to provide you with some useful insights into the concept and some broad areas where employers may need to address it! You can no listen to our blog through video.
One of the most important components of disability inclusion and valuable technical aid in this digital age is technology accessibility. But what do we mean by the accessibility of technology for people with disabilities?
Since the key driver of the productivity and success of the current workplace is technology, its inaccessibility can become a source of exclusion and limited opportunities for people with disabilities. Read on to find out more about Technology Accessibility for People with Disabilities.
Technology accessibility enables users to perceive, understand, navigate and interact easily. The goal is to make everyone evolve at the same pace without anyone being sidelined. This amounts to saying that new technologies in the service of disability overcome the difficulties of people with disabilities.
If technology is inaccessible, the opportunities for people with disabilities are limited, such as getting hired, excelling in a position, or performing their duties. Thus, for an optimized workplace that is fully inclusive, an accessible infrastructure is necessary.
People particularly concerned by technological accessibility can be classified into several categories. Remember: one person in ten suffers from a disability and one in five considers themselves to be limited in their activities.
Disabilities can be physical and sensory (motor, auditory, visual), mental (intellectual, psychic, cognitive), or both (multiple disabilities).
For example, today, blind people can access content on the web using screen readers combined with a braille display and text-to-speech technology.
Innovations for the disabled such as screen magnifiers or plug-in software, are designed for visually impaired people with the possibility of enlarging texts or changing their colors.
PEAT (Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology) defines technological accessibility as enabling everyone to use the same exact technology regardless of their vision, their hearing, and their ability to use a mouse or process information.
Accessible technology can be compatible with assistive technology (AT) or directly accessible being used without AT. An example of an accessible technology compatible with an additional AT is a website that people with visual impairment can navigate using a screen reader. On the other hand, a built-in screen reader system in a smartphone is an example of direct accessibility without AT.
As mentioned above, today, the key to a business’s success is that its employees can access the technology fully to perform their jobs effectively. It benefits a business in several ways:
With technological accessibility, everyone gets the chance to be hired, and promote in their workplace with accessibility. Overall, their productivity enhances, and they feel empowered and a part of the team increasing your employee retention rate and therefore your costs.
Technology is an increasingly essential part of life, and accessible technologies facilitate access to education, employment, public services, shopping, entertainment, and more. To take these innovations to the next level, it is important to involve people with disabilities in research and development, from design to testing, to ensure that decisions about end products take into account these diverse perspectives.
Every person is unique, and the future of accessible technology lies in truly democratizing personalized computing experiences for everyone. Often when we think of accessibility, we think of the design of a laptop’s keyboard-mouse-screen experience, but to go further, we need to rethink the relationship between person and computer. Accessibility drives innovation and creates more human-centric computing experiences.
The tech industry is at a major inflection point, creating breakthroughs with new technologies, data, AI, Internet of Things (IoT), graphics, and software to name a few, to unlock a whole new series of apps that are coming of age.
For example, by applying machine learning algorithms to the processing we do on computers, we can begin to achieve specific anticipatory computing. The computer can begin to understand your intentions and can do things proactively rather than responding to a simple command. The interface could become a companion that understands your needs and acts more on your behalf.
Sensor technologies combined with AI can also begin to mimic human perception systems, our eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, the systems that allow us to interpret the world. This could be a real advantage for people who have a deficit in one or more sensory abilities.
With digital accessibility, everyone has equal access to information.
From a civic point of view, it contributes to the social, cultural, and professional integration of people with disabilities.
These can access the site using technical assistance aids such as a screen magnifier or voice synthesis software, for example, in the case of the visually impaired or the blind.
But accessibility is not just about providing better access to digital resources for people with disabilities. Overall, all users benefit from pleasant ergonomics and greater ease of use.
Compliance with accessibility rules is an excellent way to align societal commitments with its digital policy and strategy.
Although technological accessibility should be integrated everywhere, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires federal employers to pay special attention to it. It requires federal agencies to make their information and communications technology accessible to people with disabilities, their employees as well as members of the public.
Some of the areas where employers are required to implement technological accessibility are:
Other areas that also need technological accessibility to include events of hiring or career fairs, training, and other events and meetings, whether in person or online.
Employers looking for assistance in formulating telework policies that are inclusive of people with disabilities can turn to EARN (Employer Assistance and Resource Network) on Disability Inclusion, which offers a guide for employers to ensure their ICT is accessible to all.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is another area that needs accessibility since it is increasingly used in modern workplaces to streamline application processes, train and facilitate employees, make hiring easier, and screen applicants. Therefore, employers must address accessibility in AI to ensure that people with disabilities are not excluded from the recruitment and hiring process.
PEAT and EARN have been working together to provide businesses with useful guides and resources to make their workplaces a model of technological accessibility.
Businesses can also approach EARN for a roadmap to design, procure and use AI to benefit people with disabilities. EARN’s policy brief offers businesses a strategy to use AI to facilitate opportunities for disabled persons.
In addition, a range of toolkits and resources are offered by PEAT for employers looking for technology-accessible solutions, including
We hope the information we shared has given you valuable insights into the technological accessibility concept. If you’re an employer who needs guidance in this regard, EARN is a great platform to help you make technological accessibility a reality in your workplace.
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