Apple introduces new features for accessibility to people with disabilities

Apple Inc has developed accessibility features to allow all individuals to use an iPhone or iPad with greater ease and independence. The features include Assistive Access for people with cognitive disabilities, Live Speech for individuals who can’t speak, and Detection Mode for people with vision disabilities or low vision.

“At Apple, we’ve always believed that the best technology is technology built for everyone,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Today, we’re excited to share incredible new features that build on our long history of making technology accessible, so that everyone has the opportunity to create, communicate, and do what they love.”

“Accessibility is part of everything we do at Apple,” said Sarah Herrlinger, Apple’s senior director of Global Accessibility Policy and Initiatives. “These groundbreaking features were designed with feedback from members of disability communities every step of the way, to support a diverse set of users and help people connect in new ways.”

Here are the features Apple Inc developed to ensure more accessibility:

1. Assistive Access:

After feedback from people with cognitive disabilities and trusted partners, Apple launched Assistive Access to lighten the cognitive load while using an iPhone or iPad. It encompasses a personalized user experience for Phone and FaceTime, which have been consolidated into a unified Calls application, along with Messages, Cameras, Photos, and Music. The feature provides a unique interface with prominently contrasting buttons and sizable text labels.

“The intellectual and developmental disability community is bursting with creativity, but technology often poses physical, visual, or knowledge barriers for these individuals,” said Katy Schmid, senior director of National Program Initiatives at The Arc of the United States.

“To have a feature that provides a cognitively accessible experience on iPhone or iPad — that means more open doors to education, employment, safety, and autonomy. It means broadening worlds and expanding potential,” Schmid added.

2. Live Speech and Personal Voice:

Apple Inc has developed Live Speech for individuals who can’t speak. The feature allows individuals to type what they want to say in phone calls. The users can also save commonly used phrases to quickly respond during conversations with family and friends.

People who are at risk of losing their ability to speak can use Personal Voice to create a voice that sounds like them. The users just have to record 15 minutes of their voice sample on iPhone or iPad and the feature will use machine learning to integrate that voice and will also keep the information safe and secure.

3. Point and Speak:

The Point and Speak feature within the Magnifier tool simplifies the interaction between individuals with visual impairments and physical objects that possess multiple text labels. This functionality streamlines the process of identifying and accessing the desired information by allowing users to point at an object and have the system audibly provide the corresponding text labels associated with it.

For example, in the case of utilizing a household appliance like a microwave, the Point and Speak feature utilizes a combination of inputs from the Camera app, the LiDAR Scanner, and on-device machine learning. This amalgamation enables the system to audibly announce the text displayed on each button as users glide their fingers across the keypad, facilitating their interaction with the device.