The Next Decade Will Reshape How We Think of Technology Accessibility
Technology has allowed for huge strides in disability accessibility, from improved voice-to-text functions to apps that connect someone with a virtual assistant, but experts say there’s still a lot of work to be done
By Kristin Toussaint
As more and more of our lives are spent in the digital world, it’s important that that world is accessible to everyone. Technology has allowed for huge strides in disability accessibility, from improved voice-to-text functions to apps that connect someone with a virtual assistant, but experts say there’s still a lot of work to be done — especially when it comes to simply using the internet. Americans with disabilities are three times as likely as those without a disability to say they never go online, according to the Pew Research Center.
Advancements have been (and continue to be) made for those who are visually, hearing, or physically impaired, but Gregg Vanderheiden, director of the Trace Research and Development Center at the University of Maryland, says we haven’t yet tackled the most challenging area: differing cognitive abilities. As we’re about to enter a new decade, he hopes this is a gap…