Change by Design
Will employers seize the golden opportunity offered by accessible technology?
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| Andrew J. Imparato |
Twelve years after the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law, its promise of equal employment opportunity remains unfulfilled. The vast majority of the nation’s 35 million working-age people with disabilities want to work, but only half are actually employed - about the same number as when the ADA was passed.
While the law has begun to remove some long-standing barriers, it cannot easily undo centuries of prejudice and the effects of organizational inertia. America’s underemployment of people with disabilities costs the economy hundreds of billions of dollars a year in lost earnings and tax revenue. It is an enormous waste of talent and skill.
But prospects for real change are better today than ever before. Barriers that prevent all Americans from realizing their full potential are falling, thanks to advances that make technology more accessible.
Technology can be a workplace obstacle unless accessibility is built in. For example, the personal computer offered many benefits when it first emerged as a productivity tool, but it also increased the need for visual acuity and keyboard dexterity when performing many jobs. So Microsoft and many other technology companies began working to ensure the accessibility of their products. Also they partnered with a growing ecosystem of companies to develop new software and devices specifically designed to assist people with disabilities.
Technological progress has been phenomenal. Today, screen-reader software converts computer text into speech for people with visual impairments. Puff sticks and other assistive devices enable people without fine motor skills to use a PC. Improvements in speech-recognition software will soon enable people who are deaf or hard of hearing to participate in meetings by using a laptop instead of a sign-language interpreter.
Accessible design not only benefits people with disabilities; it benefits every user. For instance, voice-recognition technology that was pioneered for blind people is proving a boon for drivers who want gadgets that respond to voice commands.
Many employers are not yet aware of all the technological innovations that have made it reasonably simple and inexpensive to accommodate potential employees who are among the one in five Americans living with a disability. Employers who make the effort, however, can reap a competitive advantage from drawing on an often overlooked pool of highly motivated workers. With today’s technological tools, the promise of the ADA can be realized.
The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is the largest membership organization promoting political and economic empowerment for all children and adults with disabilities in the United States.
