As reported last week, Apple's global head of accessibility, Sarah Herrlinger, spoke at the Lisbon Web Summit 2024 on Tuesday. At the event, Herrlinger talked about everything Apple does to make its devices easy to use for everyone, and also highlighted the use of AI to help people with disabilities.
Apple and accessibility
As reported by iFeed.pt, Herrlinger emphasized that Apple has had a team dedicated to accessibility since 1985. Since then, the company has seen its mission as making accessibility a “human right” because it believes it “drives innovation.”
At Web Summit, the executive used artificial intelligence as an example of how technology can improve the lives of people with disabilities. She noted that features like eye tracking allow users to control their devices using just their eyes, while sound recognition helps people with hearing loss identify things like alarm clocks and doorbells.
Of course, with advances in Siri with Apple Intelligence, using Apple devices hands-free will become even easier.
Another notable advancement, Herrlinger said, is AssistiveTouch for Apple Watch, which allows users to navigate and control their watch using hand gestures. The feature has become so advanced and useful that anyone with a Series 9 or later can now use the Double Tap gesture to interact with the interface without touching the screen.
Apple also sees accessibility as a way to “fight social stigma,” according to Herrlinger. For example, with the latest AirPods Pro 2 update, users have access to clinical hearing health features built into their earbuds.
Apple has a dedicated webpage with more details about its accessibility features, and you can check it out here.
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