Assistive Technology and Accessibility

Today, May 17^th, marks the seventh anniversary of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). Held annually on the third Thursday of May, GAAD is meant to promote dialogue, discussion, and awareness of digital inclusion for people with disabilities. Originally begun as a day for developers to share accessibility knowledge with one another, it has transformed in to a day where we all can reflect on the accessibility challenges we still experience, and as a global community, begin to change the world.

Like many organizations, New Editions has shifted to an Agile development methodology over the past few years. The business reasons are plentiful: quicker delivery and shorter release time for systems; greater collaboration and input among development team members and product owners; and earlier and more frequent review and feedback from clients and end users.

During the first week of August, I attended a conference hosted by Aniridia Foundation International (AFI). Aniridia means “lack of the iris,” which is the colored ring around the pupil of the eye. Advances in research and development have shown that the impact of aniridia extends beyond the eye and can affect the development and maintenance of the eyes, pancreas, central nervous system, olfactory system, and parts of the brain. Aniridia is caused by a mutation of the PAX 6 gene which is now known to control development of the eyes as well as several systems in the body.