{"id":18305,"date":"2021-05-20T10:00:46","date_gmt":"2021-05-20T09:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/?p=18305"},"modified":"2021-05-21T14:16:55","modified_gmt":"2021-05-21T13:16:55","slug":"the-innovations-transforming-accessible-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/the-innovations-transforming-accessible-technology\/","title":{"rendered":"The Innovations Transforming Accessible Technology"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today, on <\/span>global accessibility awareness day<\/span><\/a>, we are educating ourselves on technology accessibility. We\u2019ll take a look at why it\u2019s crucial to our global economic and social success, the strides we have made to address accessibility for our users and the long road ahead, as we continue to innovate.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is accessibility?<\/span><\/h2>\n

To understand what we mean by accessibility, let\u2019s try experiencing inaccessibility for a moment. Turn off your computer monitor and start typing. Use your phone from under a table where you can\u2019t see it. Unplug your mouse and try to navigate your company website. Set the screen zoom in (magnifying glass) level on your Google browser to 500%, limiting the amount of content you can see at any one time. Unplug your speakers and watch a webinar<\/a> without sound. Get the picture?<\/span><\/p>\n

Accessibility<\/span><\/a> means that everyone has access to the exact same technology as anyone else \u2013 regardless of whether they can use a mouse, how much vision they have, how many colours they can see, how much they can hear or how they process information.<\/span><\/p>\n

Access by Design<\/span><\/h2>\n

Now you might be wondering how <\/span>accessibility<\/span><\/a> technology helps people with disabilities. How does it help them operate mobile phones or tablets? The answer is that <\/span>accessible technology<\/span><\/a> is designed with these capabilities in mind. <\/span>Accessible technology<\/span> <\/a>adds layers into the software, mobile apps and more to allow people with disabilities to access the same information as everyone else.<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s exciting about today is that the technology landscape is evolving right in front of our eyes. From AI to v<\/span>oice-enabled technology<\/span><\/a>, the <\/span>r<\/span>evolution is impacting every industry to make tools accessible and adaptive. Let\u2019s take a look at seven advancements in accessible tech to show you where the industry is heading.<\/span><\/p>\n

Voice-powered technology<\/span><\/h2>\n

The buzz-worthy topic that\u2019s taken the world by storm,<\/span> voice-powered technology<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speech recognition<\/span><\/h3>\n

Speech recognition technology<\/span><\/a> works with a mobile, computer or smart home device. For someone with severe dyslexia, if they\u2019re trying to write down three ideas and they can only speak (to their phone or smart home device), it will take note of all three ideas. . Speech recognition has given all the ability to express knowledge and understanding to a greater extent.<\/span><\/p>\n

Smart home device adoption<\/span><\/h3>\n

Smart home tech adoption is rising within the disabled community. These personal smart devices (Alexa, Google Home, etc) are becoming a staple for households globally. It\u2019s incredibly powerful for people with disabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Find out about RingCentral\u2019s Alexa integration<\/span> here.<\/span><\/a> Find out about RingCentral\u2019s integrations with Google <\/span>here.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Interactive voice-powered web pages<\/span><\/h3>\n

Voice powered web pages<\/span><\/a> are the future of web browsing. We have only touched the surface of controlling our laptops or desktops with our voices. The rising popularity of chatbots is merely a precursor to the forthcoming pervasiveness of VoiceBots. In the not so distant future, businesses will use VoiceBots to connect, qualify and engage their website visitors through personal conversations. This will also make their website more accessible for any type of customer, broadening their total addressable market to those with disabilities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

VoiceBots allow website visitors to navigate companies\u2019 websites and obtain the information without having to type or read. They also give companies more control over their brand identity and are helping companies learn about their visitors by capturing actionable data otherwise impossible to obtain through text. Web pages interacting with end-users with voice technology is going to be the future of accessible web advancement.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, you can listen to this blog via audio recording at the top of the page – scroll up!<\/span><\/p>\n

Keyboard accessibility<\/span><\/h2>\n

Keyboards are a vital component of web accessibility. A user that is blind, has motor disabilities, tremors, little or no use of their hands or doesn’t have hands, must still rely on a keyboard for navigation and to access content. Lack of keyboard accessibility was ranked fifth in the list of most problematic accessibility items to disabled users in a <\/span>WebAim survey<\/span><\/a> of over 1,000 participants. Approximately 11% (10.9%) of respondents with disabilities said keyboard accessibility was their single most problematic area.<\/span><\/p>\n

The emergence of on-screen keyboards<\/span><\/p>\n

On-screen keyboard: A non-physical keyboard for those who can\u2019t access a standard or accessible keyboard. Some can be accessed by a mouse, switch or eye gaze.<\/span><\/p>\n

Accessible keyboard breakthrough: Tap and wearable keyboards<\/p>\n

\"Tap-Strap-Keyboard-And-Mouse-scaled-654\"<\/p>\n

Recent developments have added yet another option for those seeking an accessible keyboard. A <\/span>tap keyboard<\/span><\/a> fits around the user\u2019s fingers, which is connected through five rings and only requires limited finger movement and the use of one hand. Tap keyboards transform any surface into a keyboard you can \u2018type\u2019 on.<\/span><\/p>\n

For someone who only has the use of one hand, a tap keyboard is a much more sensible ergonomic option than a one-handed keyboard.<\/span><\/p>\n

Learn about RingCentral\u2019s keyboard accessibility features <\/span>here.\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Closed captions and transcriptions<\/span><\/h2>\n

Whether participants are hearing-impaired, have different levels of language proficiency or are joining from a noisy area, video meetings should be accessible for everyone. That\u2019s why RingCentral launched <\/span>closed captioning<\/span><\/a>. The new tool automatically converts spoken words into captions in real time and populates them in a new section above the menu bar. Every participant is also able to enable and disable this feature individually.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why you should try it<\/b><\/p>\n