There is a continual stream of articles or blog posts and viewpoint items talking about how the tech sector could and really should evidently get the job done more challenging at addressing the requirements of special requirements folks and groups.
But when the industry’s general history on accessibility could be better, some person sellers, these types of as Lenovo, have produced accessibility a central issue organizationally and in their business and development processes. Let us look at the announcements Lenovo created to highlight International Accessibility Recognition Day (GAAD).
Also see: Rethinking Tech Style and design With an Accessibility-Very first Approach
GAAD and the Tech Industry
So what is GAAD? Initially, encouraged by a blog site posted in 2011 by website developer Joe Devon, GAAD aims to enhance consciousness and spark improvements that make technologies solutions and services additional accessible and useful to the believed 1 billion people today throughout the world who struggle with disabilities, together with visual, audial, motor and cognitive impairments. GAAD supporters endorse pursuing the Web Written content Accessibility Recommendations (WCAG) that the Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C) first released in 1997.
With virtually a quarter century of planning, effort and hard work and funding at the rear of it, you would think that WCAG (now WCAG 2.) has built a wonderful deal of progress, appropriate? Not quite.
In reality, a 2020 WebAIM analyze analyzed one million house pages for accessibility difficulties and found that 98.1 p.c of house webpages contained at least a single WCAG 2. failure (main to important glitches). Furthermore, the million property pages analyzed averaged 60.9 glitches every single, together with missing and very low contrast text and vacant links and buttons.
For unimpaired employees and buyers, these mistakes are generally minor inconveniences. Having said that, this sort of problems can generate really serious impediments for a multitude of disabled persons. In turn, as folks, corporations, countries and areas have turned more and additional towards applying electronic providers and applications in schooling, workplaces, authorities and business processes and recreation. This implies that inaccessible technologies are hindering hundreds of millions of disabled men and women from entirely residing, studying and working.
In essence, accessibility is vitally vital to men and women and companies globally.
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Lenovo’s Range by Style and design and GAAD 2022
What has Lenovo been executing to make its remedies and companies additional available? In 2020, the firm developed a new Product Variety Office environment (PDO) created to make certain that Lenovo goods were being produced with “Diversity by Design” – that is, in line with range, equity and inclusion (DE&I) ambitions.
To achieve this, numerous teams function in products scheduling and execution phases, and the PDO also consults with a wide vary of diverse users to validate patterns and present opinions. Lastly, Lenovo encourages partnerships with employee useful resource teams and range partners like its accessibility and inclusion advisor, Haben Girma (the to start with deaf/blind man or woman to graduate from Harvard Law University).
These and other endeavours led to bulletins coinciding with GAAD 2021. This year’s GAAD 2022 inspired new Lenovo posts and bulletins, together with:
- A commentary by Ada Lopez, supervisor and application director for Lenovo PDO that options her feelings on vetting 38 business products for accessibility, and the start of a new “Accessibility Consultation” procedure and kind. Lopez shares some examples of the positive aspects the company has shipped, as well her ideas on the foreseeable future of Lenovo PDO.
- A article by Thorsten Stremlau, CTO and govt director of Lenovo’s Commercial Item Portfolio about a latest collaboration between the business and Dr. Peter Scott-Morgan for Lenovo’s Sort Towns Campaign– an initiative shedding light-weight on the need for kindness in all communities. Identified with motor neuron condition (MND) – also acknowledged as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) – in 2017, Dr. Scott-Morgan presented insights to Lenovo and its partners on developing accessibility answers to generate far better activities for persons with disabilities. Stremlau also discusses how the Covid-19 pandemic has elevated Lenovo’s focus on psychological wellbeing and serving to individuals stricken by stress and anxiety, PTSD and other pandemic-connected problems.
- An write-up exploring a partnership in between Lenovo Turkey and BlindLook to develop into the very first computer system brand in Turkey to cater to those people who are visually impaired. As a final result of the partnership, all Lenovo notebooks and desktops will be compatible with audio simulation technological innovation designed to permit greater entry for end users. Those contain 16 simulations in Lenovo Thinkpad Carbon Styles that are developed to enable impaired customers discover frequent responsibilities, this kind of as how to surf the world-wide-web, how to use business office apps and insights on working with the keyboard.
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Additional Effective Life
The posts and announcements celebrating GAAD 2022 paint a brilliant photo of Lenovo PDO and the company’s initiatives to create obtainable professional products and solutions and providers even though continuing to pursue its range, fairness and inclusion plans.
The wide aim of the company’s DE&I attempts displays its ambitions in this house, as very well as the extent of Lenovo’s globally small business. With supporting operations in more than 60 international locations and profits in close to 180 nations, the company’s literal international get to usually means that the gains of Lenovo PDO and its technological innovation accessibility approach can possibly attain most of the 1 billion individuals battling with disabilities and support them enjoy fuller, extra productive lives.
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