How AI Is Changing Accessibility: Progress, Challenges, and the Path Ahead
Kyra Coates Kyra Coates

How AI Is Changing Accessibility: Progress, Challenges, and the Path Ahead

Accessible technology is essential for people to function in our ever-increasingly digitized society. For millions of people with disabilities, access to technology can mean the difference between participating fully in education, employment, healthcare, and civic life, or being excluded as a result of barriers to accessibility. Whether it’s reading a document, navigating public transportation, joining a meeting, or accessing government services, technology should be designed with access and equity in mind, so that everyone can use technology as a tool for communication and independent living. As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes a larger part of the tools and systems we rely on, it is having an outsized impact on how we use technology, access the internet, get information, and communicate with each other. In its early stages, AI may not be addressing accessibility optimally, and yet at the same time, AI is providing advantages in technology use that are significant improvements for people with disabilities. Following, we’ll explore some AI-related tech innovations, and consider what may lie ahead, and what’s still needed.

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Everyday Freedom: Celebrating the ADA in Our Lives Today
Kyra Coates Kyra Coates

Everyday Freedom: Celebrating the ADA in Our Lives Today

Every July, we celebrate the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This civil rights milestone continues to shape our world in profound and often invisible ways. In this article, we will explore how everyday experiences we take as the norm were hard-won by advocates for the ADA, how the ADA shapes your life today, and what it would look like if the ADA had never come to pass.

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Disability Doesn’t Discriminate – Why Advocacy and Accessibility Matter for Everyone
Kyra Coates Kyra Coates

Disability Doesn’t Discriminate – Why Advocacy and Accessibility Matter for Everyone

A foundational aspect of advocacy is educating people about the lived experiences of people with disabilities. Currently, approximately 1 in 4 people in the United States has a disability, totaling more than 70 million people. This means about ¾ of the population may not understand or even think about how disabilities may impact their own lived experiences.

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