March Digital Accessibility Roundup

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This Month's Roundup Powered by: Cushman & Wakefield.

Welcome to Disability: IN’s monthly round up of digital accessibility news for March.

At Disability:IN we know that digital accessibility impacts all aspects of disability inclusion. If you have questions about our digital accessibility program, please contact Jeff Wissel, our Chief Accessibility Officer.

Disability:IN Happenings

Rounding out our cross-channel celebrations for #WhiteCaneWeek, we are proud to highlight Disability:IN staff Jeff Wissel, Chief Accessibility Officer, and Russell Shaffer, Executive Vice President of Programs and Strategy, as they share what being a #WhiteCane user means to them.

There is an exciting addition to the Disability:IN 2024 Disability Equality Index. Procurement Accessibility is a new category with non-weighted questions for 2024. Advancing accessibility through procurement is a critical component of a mature accessibility program. Is your company advancing accessibility through your procurement process? If so, then consider signing on to the Procure Access Statement. Wherever you are on the journey of establishing or advancing accessibility in your procurement process you can find the information you need in the Procure Access Toolkit.

And be sure to watch the Building Block Series to learn how industry leaders have implemented accessibility requirements into their procurement processes.

Spotlight on Disability:IN Partners using technology to enhance the accessibility of products we use every day.

Microsoft

Microsoft’s Ability Summit is a one-day, free digital event experience on March 7, 2024. It celebrates people with disabilities, allies, and accessibility leaders who will provide learning opportunities at the event.

Are you interested in how you and your organization can imagine and build a more inclusive culture while including voices across the disability spectrum? Register to learn about leading accessible technology, discover real-life stories of empathy and vulnerability, get exclusive access to thought leadership discussions on how accessibility empowers everyone in your organization, and so much more.

Scotiabank

Was featured in the Everyone’s business: Accessibility in Canada – Report from the Chief Accessibility Officer, 2023. Recently released report. In the report Scotiabank Made reference to working with Disability:IN on their efforts focused on Accessible Procurement.

Starbucks

Starbucks launches the first of many accessible and inclusive stores.

Starbucks Commitment to Access and Disability Inclusion One-Pager

What is inside a more accessible and inclusive Starbucks store?

Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo hires first CAO

Join Disability:IN in congratulating Andrew Holbrook on being selected as Wells Fargo’s Chief Accessibility Officer!

TPGi

TPGi & Indeed Empower Job Seekers with Disabilities through Digital Accessibility

TPGi’s Accessibility Management Platform, ARC, has been selected by Indeed, the world’s number one job site, to ensure a compliant and usable experience for all job seekers, regardless of ability.

Google

Google’s Super Bowl Ad Will Focus on A Pixel 8 Series Accessibility Feature

Check out Google’s Super Bowl 2024 ad featuring the Pixel 8’s Guided Frame, an accessibility tool aiding visually impaired users in photography. The ad, narrated by blind director Adam Morse, showcases the technology’s empowering impact on people with disabilities. Check out this post from Laura Allen which highlights a video of the behind the scenes making of the Super Bowl Commercial.

Slack

Slack’s first set of AI features is going live for enterprise users. Slack’s new AI means less time lost hunting for buried information and more time getting work done. Think personalized AI-powered search, instant channel recaps, and thread summaries at your fingertips.🍿Our Summary (also below)

Disability:IN is honored to highlight the following Corporate Partners who won the DEQUE Axe Awards at axe-con 2024.

HSBC UK – Accessibility Culture Award
GitHub – Accessibility at Scale Award
Google – Longstanding Commitment to Accessibility Award
Jim Thatcher Lifetime Achievement Award: Jennison Asuncion

Other Accessibility Highlights for this Month

Elon Musk’s Neuralink Implants Brain Tech in Human Patient for The First Time | CNBC

Elon Musk’s Neuralink has successfully implanted their brain technology in a human patient for the first time. This groundbreaking development marks a significant milestone in the field of neurotechnology. Discover insights on how this innovation could revolutionize treatments for neurological disorders and enhance human-computer interactions.

AppleVis Unlimited: What’s New and Noteworthy for January 2024

More accessible homes and stronger community ties: The impact of visit ability- January 31, 2024 Source: Input Fort Wayne

When you make plans to visit a friend, family member, or neighbor, what logistics do you consider? You wonder how long it will take to get there. You will consider your schedule and how much time you can spend there. But what if, before you visit, you had to consider if there are any steps to get to the front door? What if you had to wonder how wide the front door is or how wide the doorways are inside the house? What if you had to consider that your time visiting with friends, family, or neighbors might be limited because you cannot access a restroom in their home?…

Plaintiffs Filed More than 8,200 ADA Title III Federal Lawsuits in 2023- Seyfarth Shaw

Audible Sight

Audible Sight, Inc. has announced the launch of its software-as-a-service that helps visually impaired people to “see” their video content by seamlessly inserting audible descriptions into the video. At the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) annual conference that opened today in Orlando, Audible Sight ^TM demonstrated how, within minutes, their AI analyzes the visual content of any video. It then generates simple text descriptions that are then verbalized using a synthetic voice. These editable descriptions get added to the original video effortlessly, and users get their accessible version within minutes. Until now, adding audio descriptions to video has been slow, expensive, and labor-intensive.

Neurodivergent Leaders Find a Voice at Davos to Make the World Economic Forum Accessible to All

A newly formed advocacy group called “Neurodivergent and Neurodistinct Leaders in Davos” has set out to drive change at World Economic Forum ’24. The goal is to recognize the importance of establishing opportunities for other neurodivergent leaders to contribute to the conversation.

Discover essential tips for blind individuals on solo travel, from navigating with mapping apps to planning activities and staying safe. A guide to embracing new experiences with confidence.

Samsung has announced that the Galaxy Watch line has received FDA approval for sleep apnea detection

The move is a big one for the smartwatch category, where health and fitness now comprise most new features. For the last several years, the industry has focused on heart monitoring and blood oxygen detection, as it is looking for the next big thing.

Screen Reader User Survey #10 Results | WebAIM.org

The results of WebAIM’s 10th Screen Reader User Survey are now available. This survey was conducted in December 2023 and January 2024 and had 1539 respondents.

GPT-4 Image Recognition: An Absolute Game Changer in Accessibility Aaron Preece | American Foundation for the Blind | 2/9/24

Explore how OpenAI’s GPT-4 revolutionizes accessibility with its image recognition feature. Integrated into apps like Be My Eyes and Seeing AI, it provides detailed image descriptions for the visually impaired, despite occasional inaccuracies. Available for Windows via NVDA addon, GPT-4 enhances access to visual information, representing a significant leap in accessibility technology.