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Apple CEO Tim Cook Talks Accessibility With Three Accessibility Activists

Wednesday May 17, 2017 8:42 pm PDT by Juli Clover

In honor of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, which takes place tomorrow, Apple CEO Tim Cook sat down with three YouTubers to discuss the Accessibility features built into Apple's iOS and Mac devices.

Each of the three YouTubers, who met Cook at Apple's campus for coffee, have shared their conversations with the CEO on their respective YouTube channels. All three, including legally blind filmmaker James Rath, deaf advocate and vlogger Rikki Poynter, and actress Tatiana Lee, who was born with Spina Bifida, talked about the Apple products that they use in their daily lives. The three interviews can be watched below.

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

During his meeting with Poynter, Cook explained Apple's stance on accessibility and why the company goes to great lengths to make sure its devices are available to everyone.

Apple is founded on giving people power to create things, to do things that they couldn't do without those tools. And we've always viewed accessibility as a human right. And so just like human rights are for everyone, we want our products to be accessible for everyone. And so it's a basic core value of Apple. We don't make products for a particular group of people. We make products for everybody.

We feel very strongly that everyone deserves an equal opportunity and equal access. So we don't look at this thing from a return on investment point of view -- I've been asked that before. The answer is no, I've never looked at that. We don't care about that.

In addition to Cook's meetings, Apple also recently published a series of "Designed for" accessibility videos, highlighting the different ways Apple's Accessibility features are used to make Apple devices available to everyone, and there's currently an Accessibility feature in the App Store promoting Accessibility apps.

Since October, Apple has had a detailed Accessibility website that demonstrates and promotes the extensive Accessibility options built into Apple products.

Tag: Accessibility

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Top Rated Comments

123 months ago

Go to http://www.aapd.com
(American Association of People with Disabilities)
Click on employment, which takes you to : http://jobs.aapd.com/jobs
Search for Apple jobs in CA
Find no jobs listed by Apple

Now you understand Apple does not really give a sh1z about the disabled, and just uses this garbage as part of their faux "we care" emotional marketing strategy. Period.

Really? Why don't you inform your "opinion" by observing or working with people who actually need and use accessibility features in tech. Spend a day or two at Accessing Higher Ground and meet people who use the features. Work with students through an office of disability services for a day or two. Then come back and share an informed opinion. Apple's tech is pretty darn good at allowing people to access content and get on with their lives. Is it perfect? No, but few things are. Apple has been a longtime provider of accessible tech and, I would guess, has done more to promote accessibility in technology than...say...you.

Your posting of the aapd job board goes to show how desperate you are to criticizee. Why would apple post there? My place of employment has many people with the sole responsibility of providing accommodations and ensuring web, etc. accessibility. There are many, many others who have the responsibility as part of our normal job because we create content. You won't find any of our jobs posted there either. So, the logical conclusion is that we don't care about accessibility? What?

Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)

123 months ago

Jeez, Everyone here is so mad about these videos for some reason. It's a few feel good videos with real people with real disabilities and how they've had things improve for them with Apple. Can you not just be happy about something for once in your life? This is one of those feel good moments you can just sit back and watch.

Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)

123 months ago

"Everyone should have equal access"

Proceeds to increase every products base price for the last 5 years.

Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

123 months ago

Sorry Tim, I'm not buying the Kool-Aid you're selling.

"we don't look at ROI", "we want to make Apple products accessible to everyone".

How about making it cheaper so everyone can afford it would be a good start!

Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

123 months ago

when does this man work ? he is a wanna be politician and really bad at it too

Tim resign from Apple so can a young smart person can make Apple great again

Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

123 months ago

Really? Why don't you inform your "opinion" by observing or working with people who actually need and use accessibility features in tech. Spend a day or two at Accessing Higher Ground and meet people who use the features. Work with students through an office of disability services for a day or two. Then come back and share an informed opinion. Apple's tech is pretty darn good at allowing people to access content and get on with their lives. Is it perfect? No, but few things are. Apple has been a longtime provider of accessible tech and, I would guess, has done more to promote accessibility in technology than...say...you.

Your posting of the aapd job board goes to show how desperate you are to criticizee. Why would apple post there? My place of employment has many people with the sole responsibility of providing accommodations and ensuring web, etc. accessibility. There are many, many others who have the responsibility as part of our normal job because we create content. You won't find any of our jobs posted there either. So, the logical conclusion is that we don't care about accessibility? What?

see:

http://www.aapd.com/disability-equality-index/

Apple is nowhere on the list, which is unacceptable for a company of their 'stature' that prattles on about how socially conscious they claim to be.

Sure, a lot of companies are not on the list, but until Apple IS on the list, they have no credibility to publish this type of emotional advertising.

Essentially, they can sell to the disabled, but do not support them as an employer.

Apple's performance in the area of disability support does not match their message.

Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Read All Comments

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