Apple’s global head of accessibility, Sarah Herrlinger, has spoken about the company’s renewed focus on accessibility in a new interview with the Evening Standard.
Speaking to the UK publication, Sarah said that Apple’s ultimate goal is to create a level playing field, where everyone can become productive and creative members of society.
“We all want to be productive members of society and do good things and show the whole of who we are,” she told journalist Amelia Heathman.
“Being able to create technology that levels the playing field and lets everyone shine is really important,” she added.
When asked about Live Listen, which allows you to use your microphone on your iPhone as a hearing aid, drowning out ambient sound so you can hear conversations, Sarah said: “Things in assistive technology have applicability for a broader audience so it’s always fun when we find things that were originally built for one community that has such great applicability for so many.”
Where Apple stands out from the crowd, Sarah says, is in its unique ability to control the hardware and software – where most manufacturers rely on Google’s Android, Apple has built iOS for iPhones and iPads exclusively, meaning everything has been thought about.
“VoiceOver is built to be available in every nook and cranny of the operating system,” Herrlinger said. “If you’re trying to take a photo, it’ll tell you how many heads are on the screen, where they are centred if you need to tilt the camera slightly and how to move so you can take a more levelled photo.”
“We can infuse accessibility across everything we do and do it in a really holistic way,” she said, before adding that Apple continues “to create amazing technology that may be a lifeline to someone, and that hopefully the work we’re doing is helping them to have connection and empowerment.”
Are you pleased to hear about Apple’s extended push towards accessibility? Have you been able to benefit from a new feature or tool Apple has launched in recent years? Let us know your thoughts over on Twitter and check back soon for more news and rumors, every week.
