As we prepare for the third annual Sight Tech Global (December 7-8, free & virtual, register here), a technology event that tracks the advances in technology supporting people who live with blindness, two big shifts are front and center.
First, new digital experiences, notably virtual reality, are testing known approaches to accessibility. There are no white canes or screen readers (yet!) in the metaverse. That digital realm is on the verge of going mainstream both for consumers and enterprises so quickly that accessibility could easily become an afterthought, as it was at the start of the PV era.
At Sight Tech Global, we will hear from the people working to ensure that the metaverse is open to all. The event is free and virtual!
Second, the technology platforms underpinning so many of the breakthroughs in assistive and access tech — the tools that help blind and low vision people navigate the world — are advancing fast and enabling better, cheaper devices. Not long ago, AI-powered computer vision systems were costly marvels of miniaturized cameras, GPUs and batteries, but faster networks, cloud services and more powerful mobile phones are changing everything, especially the cost. …
