Overview
Technology isn't just about access anymore. It's about creativity, productivity, mobility and independence. It's about putting people in the driver's seat of work and life.
So how do companies like IBM help their clients innovate to deliver that new technology experience to the greatest number of people? That's the question the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) teamed up with companies like IBM, Microsoft, SAP, and others to answer at the second annual ATIA Leadership Forum on Accessibility in Orlando, Florida last month.
The Forum, which helps governments and large corporations understand and implement best practices for accessibility, was the inspiration of ATIA executive director David Dikter and Frances W. West, director of IBM's Human Ability and Accessibility Center and an ATIA board member.
"The evolution of Web 2.0 and other technology innovations is exciting," said Dikter. "But the reality is, for a lot of people it creates a whole new set of barriers. People with disabilities represent the single largest minority group worldwide. The goal of the forum is to bring assistive and information technology companies together with public- and private-sector leaders to share their expertise. Ultimately, we believe that free exchange of information will lead to processes and technology systems that are more inclusive for everyone."
Forum sessions covered a range of topics-from business value to technical implementation—designed for organizations just learning about accessibility as well as those looking for ways to expand on established initiatives. In the first main-tent session, West made the business case for inclusion, supported by global market and technology trends and the findings of a new study by The Customer Respect Group..
The study, "Accessibility and business value: Profiles in success," was cosponsored by IBM and evaluated the accessibility of Fortune 100 company Web-sites based on a benchmark developed by The Customer Respect Group. Ensuing interviews with leading companies—including Verizon Wireless, Southwest Airlines, General Electric, Proctor & Gamble, TIAA-CREF, Washington Mutual and others—showed that organizations that approach accessibility as part of a larger corporate strategy realized the greatest return on investment.
"Accessibility is no longer about one specific group of people," West emphasized. "In just over a decade, nearly 50 percent of the U.S. workforce will be over the age of 55. Statistics show that one person in four over the age of 50 and almost half over the age of 65 have some form of disability. When you think of it that way, you begin to see that at some point accessibility is about all of us. That makes it more important than ever for governments and businesses to find new ways to leverage assistive and information technology to create a truly inclusive digital society."
For IBM, she added, that means continuing to design infrastructure that enables usable IT solutions, fostering open collaboration to inspire more developers and helping clients create environments that empower not just people with disabilities, but everybody.
Subsequent Forum sessions included a case study about a Walgreens initiative aimed at facilitating the employment of people with cognitive and other disabilities through the use of assistive technology systems and distribution processes; and a presentation on the development of an accessible government job-search engine, USAJobs.com, by Monster.com and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
Other presenters included executives, consultants, and policy advisors from Microsoft, Adobe, Canon, AOL, TecAccess, Highmark, the U.S. Office of Disability Employment Policy, CAPTEC, Michigan State University and others. The Human Ability and Accessibility Center also presented three sessions on IBM's accessibility strategies for public and private sectors.