MacDirectory magazine is the premiere creative lifestyle magazine for Apple enthusiasts featuring interviews, in-depth tech reviews, Apple news, insights, latest Apple patents, apps, market analysis, entertainment and more.
Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/1505412
Regulating recent advancements When the U.S congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990, it was meant to prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities in various areas including transportation, services and telecommunication. As it currently stands, the ADA does not specifically apply to recent technological advancements such as smartphone apps. There is no specific regulation that pertains even to website content other than an application of “general nondiscrimination and effective communication provisions.” The U.S. Department of Justice encourages the use of technical standards such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to make websites accessible. WCAG also lacks specific standards for smartphone apps, but it provides comprehensive guidance that does not set requirements on how to apply their existing website standards to smartphone apps. WCAG makes clear three things: (1) Not all guidance applies to smartphones; (2) Informative guidance does not address all disability needs; and (3) Mobile devices have different accessibility challenges compared to other devices. When it comes to information and communications technology, the FCC has a mandate to develop and implement regulations. Under its consumer guide, it outlines general accessibility requirements. One of the requirements states that, if achievable, manufacturers must make their hardware and software, including apps, accessible to people with disabilities. While the FCC guide mentions apps, the conditional nature of the guide and the lack of specificity on what is achievable weakens the requirement. The future of accessibility Whether due to the high cost, lack of operating system mandatory requirements, government regulations or specific technical standards, current conditions present a challenge to accessibility of apps. As a result, the ability of people with disabilities to use apps for transportation is negatively affected. It is inevitable that disability-related regulations will catch up to app technology and the world of apps will move towards more specific accessibility requirements. In the meantime, developers would benefit from using available resources provided by Apple and Google, and using WCAG guidance to make apps accessible. It may also give them the opportunity to contribute to making a more inclusive digital environment. This may help developers avoid potential ADA-related lawsuits, fines and expensive accessibility retrofitting, which may end up being more expensive than the initial cost of adding accessibility features. Text-to-voice technologies can make apps more accessible for everyone. (Adobe Stock)