Apple’s global head of accessibility to attend Web Summit Lisbon 2024

By Levi Gobin, 5 November, 2024

Forum
Accessibility Advocacy

According to an article on 9to5Mac,
“ This year’s Web Summit Lisbon kicks off next week, and guests will have the chance to attend a talk by Sarah Herrlinger, Apple’s current global head of accessibility. Unsurprisingly, the presentation will discuss how Apple considers accessibility when building its products.”
Here’s the link:
https://9to5mac.com/2024/11/05/apple-accessibility-web-summit-lisbon-2024/
I am quite interested to see what Apple has to say, and I may attend this conference (if it’s virtual) to see what Apple says.
I highly doubt it, but who knows if we’ll hear anything related to upcoming voiceover improvements or changes, or any other accessibility features.

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Comments

By Holger Fiallo on Wednesday, November 6, 2024 - 14:50

Mostly how wonderful their accessibility is tean is and what apple is doing. Nothing new to report.

By Igna Triay on Wednesday, November 6, 2024 - 14:50

If it’s vertual, you could always join and tell them about your concerns, no? As could anyone here who's unsatisfied with x or y bugs not getting fixed.

By TheBllindGuy07 on Wednesday, November 6, 2024 - 14:50

This is awesome. Remember guys that to put things into prospectives, nintendo completely ignore even the concept of a screen reader while that of ps5 has exactly 0 web browsing support. We have to acknowledge the amount of effort and money put just for a 20% segment of the market with actually no return expected, if not only losses. I am the one to rant every once in awhile about macos and VO for example, but we must acknowledge that as a community. Otherwise we are literally underappreciating developers' incredible niche, hard work put into screen readers which is very possible to create conditions for burnout in worst cases if these efforts are not recognized. The sighted community does not or cannot care enough for the incredible over engineering under the hood of screen readers so we are literally the only positive feedback they can ever hope to get. Plus we have to recognized that compared to a graphic designer for example, a developer working at accessibility in any company or software will never have the same social impact in the public's eyes.
Just food for your thoughts.
At least here in the west we can even use digital devices at all, and fortunately many emerging countries are only starting to follow this example now. Being disabled, and especially blind, is hard enough by itself with lots of social stigma and what not so moaning for everything and anything will not help anyone and just increase the negativity.
Feel free of course to share your opinion.
In any case though, I am not saying that it justifies the terrible implementation of iphone mirroring on macos with voiceover, for example.

By Brian on Wednesday, November 6, 2024 - 14:50

This should be an interesting experience. Kinda agree with Holger though, sorry if that is upsetting to read, but truth is often upsetting. Side note, I sure hope Nintendo reconsiders accessibility in their next iteration of the Switch, or whatever their next gen system will be.

*Pets Xbox lovingly* 😇

By Ekaj on Thursday, November 7, 2024 - 14:50

If there is a link to attend virtually for free--and provided I'm not otherwise occupied--I'll try and attend. As stated on here many times, I like what has been done with VoiceOver and other things thus far but still I'm curious to see what's in store with this event.

By Holger Fiallo on Thursday, November 7, 2024 - 14:50

Cirious she will mention why it took almost a year to make mirror your phone accessible and why face time with controling someone else phone is not accessible? Is not in beta yest from I heard here is not accessible with VO.

By Igna Triay on Thursday, November 7, 2024 - 14:50

N idea, but again, nothing is stopping you from escalating it, as it where if you feel like reporting it to apple accessibility is not enough. Again, keep in mind these features take time. While yes, idealy they should've have been accessible from the start, sirtain factors might have prevented this. However, given time, these will be made accessible, even if its not on day 1 as we'd like.