Designing with your eyes closed: Improving Accessibility for the Blind I am going to introduce the audience to the current state of technology available to the blind, and then talk about how we can do better!

1. Ignite Pittsburgh • October 23, 2013 • Brillobox
Chris Maury
Founder, Conversant Labs

2. Improving Digital Accessibility
for the Blind
Chris Maury
Founder of Conversant Labs
Reinventing Accessibility.

3. I’m going blind, and there’s not much I can do.
A representation of what
it’s like for me to see right
now.
3

4. There are 6.5 Million people in the
US with a severe visual impairment.
(285 million globally)
Source: 2010 US Census

5. Access to technology has historically been
cumbersome and extremely expensive.

6. Screen Readers
$2,000
Digital Magnifiers
$3,000
Braille Displays
$7,500

7. The growth of mobile devices has spurred
renewed innovation in Accessible Technology
while also bringing down prices.

8. Currency Identifiers
$9.99
LookTel
Text To Speech
$9.99
Text Detective
Braille Keyboards
Free/$29.99
MBraille

9. The rise of Apps is starting to change the
way that accessibility companies build their
products.
Except…

10. Screen Readers still suck.

11. Why Screen Readers suck:
✘Require training in order to learn
✘Time consuming interactions
✘Apps must be specially designed in order
to work.
✘After 30 years, only 14% of the blind use
them on a regular basis

12. Screen readers are fundamentally flawed.

13. Screen readers are fundamentally flawed.

14. Conversant Labs provides an app experience
specifically tailored to the needs of the blind.
Puts the blind first
Our apps are not subject to the
design decisions made in the
visual interface.
Audio-only experience
No complex keyboard commands
are needed to use the app, only
the sound of your voice.
Simple, intuitive navigation
No special training
necessary, and there’s no need to
memorize the layout of
14

15. Who benefits?
• The Blind.
• The Illiterate (34m people in the US).
• Older, less tech savvy population.

16. Providing Accessibility Training
classes with local partners

17. Pgh is doing a lot for Accessibility
• Quality of Life Technology Center @ CMU
• RETINAL IMPLANTS!!!
• BrainPort

19. Retinal Implants

20. Brain Port

21. Thanks!
Join us at the next Pittsburgh Area
Accessibility Meetup event!
@cmaury
21