IBM Accessibility tribute to Dr. Jim Thatcher
News has spread throughout the IBM accessibility community that one of our family, Dr. Jim Thatcher passed away this weekend at the age of 83. Jim worked for IBM for 37 years and left a legacy that to this day works to make technology accessible to persons with disabilities. He first joined IBM as a […]
Diversely Deaf IBMers Work to Create An Accessible Future
This past August, I started my position as UX designer at IBM Accessibility. I was new to the team, and relatively new to the world of inclusive design—but only from a designer’s perspective. Born profoundly deaf, I brought with me a lifetime of experiences with accessibility (or lack thereof, in many cases). My second week […]
Exploring AI Fairness for People with Disabilities
This year’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities emphasizes participation and leadership. In today’s fast-paced world, more and more decisions affecting participation and opportunities for leadership are automated. This includes selecting candidates for a job interview, approving loan applicants, or admitting students into college. There is a trend towards using artificial intelligence (AI) methods such […]
AI Fairness must be considered as part of National Disability Employment Awareness Month
Two days ago, Gartner released its top ten technological trends for 2020 of which business leaders need to be aware. Their third item, “Democratization of Expertise,” caught my eye. I have seen that idea many times tied with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI’s ability to enable users to make decisions without being experts themselves. I […]
Accessibility Conformance Test Rules Format 1.0 reaches Proposed Recommendation status
It’s a common question with accessibility verification and reporting. How did someone arrive at their test results? Are their results accurate, or are the issues being reported really not required by the accessibility standards? As a developer, it can be really frustrating when you’ve done the accessibility work and validated using robust automated tools and sound […]
IBM Celebrates Global Accessibility Awareness Day – May 16
On Thursday, May 16, IBM site locations and iX Design Studios across the U.S. will celebrate the eighth annual Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) – a worldwide observation to raise awareness of digital access and inclusion issues for people with disabilities. As an IBMer with a disability, and a founding member of IBM’s Team Able, I am […]
IBM at John Slatin AccessU 2019
Anytime is a good time to visit Austin, TX. Be it for the Austin City Limits Music festival (ACL), South by Southwest® (SXSW®) or most importantly the Web accessibility training program, John Slatin AccessU. AccessU is named after a pioneering leader in web accessibility, the late John Slatin, a professor at the University of Texas. […]
Invention and inclusion: a two-way approach
Patenting is my passion and inclusion is my responsibility as an inventor. We should always think about how we can include all of the population in the technology we create. Invention and inclusion work very well together, as they can work in both directions. Together, we can invent to improve lives and make this world […]
Reflections from a Brief Detour
About a month ago, I was “temporarily disabled” – I could not move without severe abdominal pain. I was diagnosed with appendicitis and had to undergo emergency surgery to remove the offending organ because it had enlarged to roughly threefold the average size. During the recovery, I was bedridden and under the constant care of […]