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Apple today shared a new feature celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which was signed into law on July 26, 1990. The law prohibits discrimination due to disability, and has led to significant improvements and awareness of accessibility to help disabled individuals navigate their worlds.

apple_ada_30th.jpg

Apple has long been a champion of accessibility in its products, including numerous features and technologies as core components of its products, operating systems, and apps. The company's feature piece today shares quotes from an Apple employee, ADA activists, and others about both the overall benefits of the ADA and the part Apple has played in the movement.

Jazz musician Matthew Whitaker, who is blind, shares his thoughts on using VoiceOver on an iPod touch as a child, and has graduated to using Logic Pro X on a MacBook Pro to record his music.

Disability rights lawyer Haben Girma was the first Deafblind student at Harvard Law School, where she focused her studies on the intersection of the ADA and technology and has since helped push forward ADA accommodations in the online world.

Actor and model Tatiana Lee, who is paralyzed from the waist down due to spina bifida, discusses her efforts to support disability representation in Hollywood films and how Apple's technology like Voice to Text and Siri Shortcuts helps her be productive even when her hands are occupied performing other tasks.

And finally, Dean Hudson, an accessibility technology evangelist at Apple, talks about the strides Apple has made since he arrived in 2006, including VoiceOver for iPhone and the more recent Switch Control.

Article Link: Apple Celebrates 30 Years of the Americans With Disabilities Act
 

Art Mark

macrumors 6502
Jan 6, 2010
498
1,248
Oregon
A big hat-tip to Apple for their commitment!
Exactly. I remember WAY back in the day...Apple was the only tech company that even tried to develop for everyone and not only did they try, they had radical and wonderful solutions that helped untold numbers of people to be able to join with their fellow humans and use technology. They still focus on it and that's one of the reasons I am one of those wacky Apple fanboys.
 

calzon65

macrumors 6502a
Jul 16, 2008
943
3,563
I like this story and am heartbroken when I see another person living with a disability while they continue to "soldier on". It humbles me and I think how fortunate I am to have a healthy body and mind.

Thank you Apple for leadership on this issue.
 

NT1440

macrumors Pentium
May 18, 2008
15,089
22,155
Exactly. I remember WAY back in the day...Apple was the only tech company that even tried to develop for everyone and not only did they try, they had radical and wonderful solutions that helped untold numbers of people to be able to join with their fellow humans and use technology. They still focus on it and that's one of the reasons I am one of those wacky Apple fanboys.
I attended a college class with a blind woman. She used a MacBook Air. I had never given any thought to the accessibility features and in talking to her she said Apple is the ONLY systems she would use because these features are fully baked into her devices, not just poorly thought out afterthoughts.
 

citysnaps

Suspended
Oct 10, 2011
12,735
27,483
Exactly. I remember WAY back in the day...Apple was the only tech company that even tried to develop for everyone and not only did they try, they had radical and wonderful solutions that helped untold numbers of people to be able to join with their fellow humans and use technology. They still focus on it and that's one of the reasons I am one of those wacky Apple fanboys.

Yeah, Apple took the lead on accessibility a long time ago. Glad they're still paving the way.
 
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biziclop

macrumors member
Jan 16, 2012
70
168
I attended a college class with a blind woman. She used a MacBook Air. I had never given any thought to the accessibility features and in talking to her she said Apple is the ONLY systems she would use because these features are fully baked into her devices, not just poorly thought out afterthoughts.
But why don't  makes cheaper laptops without displays for blind people?
 

NickName99

macrumors 6502a
Nov 8, 2018
946
2,752
I love that Apple advocates things like this.

Also can people please refrain from spinning this into whataboutism arguments about worker rights in China, thanks.
 

NT1440

macrumors Pentium
May 18, 2008
15,089
22,155
But why don't  makes cheaper laptops without displays for blind people?
Because that makes no sense from a supply chain perspective. All of apple’s accessibility features are fully baked into the OS, meaning any apple machine would be able to replace it when needed. Accessibility goes far beyond just visual impairments as well, why make a line of computers pigeonholed just for blind people? There’s all sorts of impairments out there, and ANY Mac comes ready to help.

On a personal note, I teared up watching their latest accessibility video with the full voice command features that are now in Mac/iPad/iOS. It’s truly a freeing experience for those with mobility issues, and with the handoff integration it’s just an amazingly powerful tool that will make a profound difference in people’s lives.

 

jaybar

macrumors 68020
Dec 11, 2008
2,074
640
Not only is Apple committed to accessibility in their hardware and software—but also in hiring.

One day I needed to visit my local Apple store a few years ago. I was helped by a blind staff member, with a guide dog. I learned so much from her about accessibility features and how to use them. She was at the forefront, not because of her disabilities, but her ability. While I am visually impaired (not blind), my being linked with this staff person was totally accidental. At the time I went to the Apple Store, she had been with Apple for at least 5 years.
 
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DinkThifferent

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Oct 18, 2018
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The Netherlands
Personally I found Meg Frost’s part of the WWDC keynote a highlight. Woman in a wheelchair showing that her handicap is not stopping her from doing great work at a very high position in a big company!

I am super fortunate that I don’t have any handicaps but I love seeing apple’s commitment in making all of their products accessible to everybody! Because we all deserve to be treated with the same dignity and respect.

Well done Apple!
 

4jasontv

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Jul 31, 2011
6,272
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That first guy who looks like he is the new Apple Space Ship is Dean Hudson. That guy solves problems I wouldn't have even considered. Like:
1. How to handle speaking punctuation when a blind developer is reading an email that includes code.
2. How should a developer describe an element quickly without annoying the user, and how to automatically add a label to an element in a massive app where one or two things could be overlooked.
3. Making the entire Apple Card and Apple Pay experience available to the blind, including how to review a paper receipt.
 

LeeW

macrumors 601
Feb 5, 2017
4,341
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Over here
Many years ago I had a blind girl sit with me in the office for a couple of hours to learn about what I was doing, admittedly I was immediately like "oh, no". Usual, I had no patience for anything back then nevermind someone with a disability.

After the two hours, I ended up taking her to lunch. When I came back to the office my only response to the rest of the team was "That girl can see so much more than I can".

Since then I have done nothing but given people with a disability the respect they deserve, you should too, everyone has something to offer, a disability does not mean a person has less to offer.
 

Hastings101

macrumors 68020
Jun 22, 2010
2,354
1,482
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That’s awesome of Apple, people with disabilities deal with so many issues that most of us can’t even imagine.

We’re all tech enthusiasts here, just imagine not being able to easily interact with our phones, tablets, macs etc any more. It’s a downer. The need for improved accessibility is an issue I think anyone can get behind.
 

jaybar

macrumors 68020
Dec 11, 2008
2,074
640
One of the areas that Apple might talk more about are Apple Watch bands and disability. For those with manual dexterity disabilities such as CP or eye-hand coordination issues, some of the band types present real challenges for daily use.
 
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Bickley

macrumors newbie
Aug 27, 2008
26
22
Years ago - September 27th 2007 in fact - I was eating lunch outside of the cafe at Apple Infinite Loop campus with my coworker buddy Colin. At the next table over a blind man (I think his name is Dean) and a coworker of his who is not blind sits down. Who walks up to them? Steve Jobs. Sits down at their table, Jon Ivey at the next table over. Steve starts talking to the blind guy, asking him about his experience at Apple, what he does, how is Apple doing for those with a disability, what could Apple do better, etc. (we can hear a little of the convo). Stays with him for what I think is about 10 minutes before finishing lunch with Jon at the next table over, and invites ”Dean” to personally go see him (Steve) if there is every anything he or Apple can do to make his experience better.

Really stood out to me in the moment how much Steve cared and wanted to connect with an employee, so much so that I grabbed a pic. Great to see that “Dean” is still with Apple, and Apple continues to find ways to do right by it’s employees.



45489275-5B75-4343-B2AA-9F1180959B05.jpeg
 

agffth

macrumors regular
Jan 25, 2014
118
282
3. Making the entire Apple Card and Apple Pay experience available to the blind, including how to review a paper receipt.
This is something that I had never thought of but seemed so obvious when I saw this situation. In a Casey Neistat video he went to a coffee shop blindfolded with a blind girl. After paying for the coffee he asked how she knows she's not getting ripped off. She just said you kinda just have to trust them. That blew my mind. Having to have that much trust in every single transaction you make. I believe this was before Apple Pay.
 

jonnysods

macrumors G3
Sep 20, 2006
8,614
7,165
There & Back Again
Love this, and I love the things Apple have attempted and acheived to help people with disabilities.
[automerge]1595441156[/automerge]

[automerge]1595441237[/automerge]
This is something that I had never thought of but seemed so obvious when I saw this situation. In a Casey Neistat video he went to a coffee shop blindfolded with a blind girl. After paying for the coffee he asked how she knows she's not getting ripped off. She just said you kinda just have to trust them. That blew my mind. Having to have that much trust in every single transaction you make. I believe this was before Apple Pay.

Honestly its things like this that give me a heart check. I whine about the dumbest things, some little, some not so little - I should appreciate what other people have to go through in life and be thankful.
 

imnotthewalrus

macrumors 6502a
Nov 20, 2015
923
2,061
earth
This, as a former Apple Creative, is a subject near and dear to my heart. I had the honor of working with blind people regularly. My favorite memory was the husband of a woman who had progressive macular degeneration. I walked her through how she could let her iMac read her email to her, instead of her husband. Her husband couldn't contain the tears, though his wife was unaware. I just winked at him and he mouthed "thank you so, so much". His wife was ecstatic. Just one in several stories including a woman paralyzed from the neck down, and holding several workshops for children with varying forms of autism. Most rewarding job I ever had.
 

Bickley

macrumors newbie
Aug 27, 2008
26
22
That first guy who looks like he is the new Apple Space Ship is Dean Hudson. That guy solves problems I wouldn't have even considered. Like:
1. How to handle speaking punctuation when a blind developer is reading an email that includes code.
2. How should a developer describe an element quickly without annoying the user, and how to automatically add a label to an element in a massive app where one or two things could be overlooked.
3. Making the entire Apple Card and Apple Pay experience available to the blind, including how to review a paper receipt.

Very cool. Thought that was his name, and yes he's the guy I saw Steve sit down and talk to 13 years ago.
[automerge]1595449007[/automerge]
Years ago - September 27th 2007 in fact - I was eating lunch outside of the cafe at Apple Infinite Loop campus with my coworker buddy Colin. At the next table over a blind man (I think his name is Dean) and a coworker of his who is not blind sits down. Who walks up to them? Steve Jobs. Sits down at their table, Jon Ivey at the next table over. Steve starts talking to the blind guy, asking him about his experience at Apple, what he does, how is Apple doing for those with a disability, what could Apple do better, etc. (we can hear a little of the convo). Stays with him for what I think is about 10 minutes before finishing lunch with Jon at the next table over, and invites ”Dean” to personally go see him (Steve) if there is every anything he or Apple can do to make his experience better.

Really stood out to me in the moment how much Steve cared and wanted to connect with an employee, so much so that I grabbed a pic. Great to see that “Dean” is still with Apple, and Apple continues to find ways to do right by it’s employees.



View attachment 936311
Just to be clear, this is they guy Steve was talking to in the pic above, sounds like he's had a long and impactful career with Apple. I never knew him personally, but congrats Dean (and others highlighted here).

Screen Shot 2020-07-22 at 1.13.31 PM.png
 
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