Why I Started Accessible 3?
For over ten years, I labored in the mines of inaccessible digital environments. As my eyesight worsened, my challenges in accessing the tools and spaces I needed to work or communicate grew. Through various support groups I joined during that time, I came to understand that these issues were widespread and largely unresolved in the experiences of many others in the blindness community.
To my friends in blindness, my gratitude runs deep, you make me brave. Your vivid and unfiltered honesty has been a source of courage, inspiring me to share my story, advocate for systemic changes needed for true inclusion, and creating an optimistic future where the next generation can thrive.
Values
We begin with an unwavering commitment to putting people with disabilities’ needs at the center of our efforts. From this foundation, we explore pathways that align human empowerment with business value. We believe in approaching challenges with nuance, rejecting the notion of absolute good or evil, and instead focusing on what drives real-world effectiveness over abstract righteousness.
Mission
To raise the full-year, full-time employment rate for blind and visually impaired Americans from 36% to 70% by 2045. Through advancing digital inclusion and promoting best practices in designing tools that support meaningful economic participation.
To lead research and development efforts that transform the accessibility narrative from a zero-sum focus on "doing the right thing" for inclusion to a broader perspective that equates usability with accessibility, demonstrating how investments in innovation can enhance productivity and reduce frustrations for all users.
We accomplish this in four ways, in alignment with Statute 4998 of the United States Congress:
Through foundational research into the current state and evolution of accessibility tools, standards, strategies and tactics, framed from the perspective of user experience best practices.
2. Through the delivery of research studies and whitepapers that analyze the impact of legacy operating systems, hardware, application software, websites, and assistive technologies on the ability of individuals with disabilities to fully participate in employment, framed from the perspective of user experience best practices.
3. Through the delivery of research studies and whitepapers that evaluate the impact of emerging technologies and modalities on the ability of individuals with disabilities to fully participate in employment, framed from the perspective of user experience best practices.
4. Through the development of Telegraph, a product designed to safely, easily, and effectively capture and transmit the experiences—both triumphs and challenges—of users with disabilities across operating systems, hardware, application software, websites, assistive technologies, and emerging technology modalities. Telegraph will identify patterns, provide critical discovery research, and, when necessary, report persistent complaints and make recommendations to drive meaningful change.
We are excited to join forces with individuals and organizations who share our mission. Right now, we're particularly interested in partnerships focusing on Artificial Intelligence, Haptics, and Augmented Reality. Ready to make a difference together? Reach out to Jason Revalee at we@accessible3.org.