Powered By the People: How One Organization Harnesses the Power of Accessible Technology
Some people say technology is the great equalizer. While there are many examples of how technology opens doors and levels the so-called playing field, others might say that equality is contingent upon access. There is still a significant disparity between who can and cannot touch certain technologies, barring access. Thankfully that gap is closing due to the hard work of users coming together to create a community centered around universal design.
I recently flew down to San Diego to attend the California State University at Northridge (CSUN) annual technology conference, put on by the campus’ Center for Disabilities. This gathering is the biggest and most well-known conference to focus exclusively on assistive and accessible technologies for populations with special needs. Outside of the expected Southern California sunshine, the three days I spent at this conference bore witness to a growing movement of technology change makers and creators driven largely by the population of people using the technologies being developed and created. This is the ethos of accessible technology after all, the idea that technology is designed with the needs of its diverse users in mind; technology that can be customized and adapted to individualize the user experience.
While at CSUN, I saw that the ecosystem of technology innovation is extremely diverse as well as deep and rich. More importantly, I saw that building a culture of accessibility is just as important as the technology itself. Inclusion in design truly creates a culture of universal design. I experienced these principles first-hand through the people and TechSoup technology partners I met.
On the evening of the second night, I walked into a Microsoft after hours party with the distinct purpose of introducing myself to Bill McCann, the inventor of Dancing Dots, a software that adapts music technology for the blind and who is blind himself. While I was headed to the bar to pick us up two cold ones, I bumped into Arif Syed and Rachel Feinberg of the Hatlen Center, a program of Junior Blind based out of Northern California’s Bay Area, who also just happen to be TechSoup members. Two weeks later, the three of us were discussing how to adapt video production technologies over lunch.
Arif is the coordinator of the center’s technology department and Rachel is the assistive technology and Braille instructor, who is also a graduate of the center. During my visit, they gave me a tour of the center’s facilities and let me speak to some of its residents and instructors.
The Hatlen Center was created in 1972 as a place for visually impaired youth (18+) to come live in an immersive environment to learn the skills necessary to transition from family to independent living. Resident students of the center pay rent, cook their own meals, pay their own bills, and use public transportation to get around.
Although the center serves a small number of students at any given time, having this small group of students means direct one-on-one instruction, making for a higher success rate. The through-line for success at the center is the technology education provided. Mark, a 4 month resident at Hatlen said:
“In high school, I didn’t think I would need a program like this. I thought that I would just figure it out on my own. After being here just one month, I learned that so many things could make my life easier. Everything that I learn here makes me happy — from cleaning the toilet, or the tub, or doing my own laundry. It’s awesome here.”
For Mark and other residents of this program, access to technology is what makes life easier. From low tech to high tech magnification tools and optical character recognition software to apps like Lyft, technology allows these transitioning young adults to access and engage with the world around them on their own terms. This is the power of accessible technology.
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