Sponsored by: Google

Overview

This session will provide a high-level overview of the latest accessibility features and initiatives from Google. This will include updates on products and services such as Android, Chrome & Chromebook, Google Workspace, and more. The session will also include updates on Google's work with the disability communities, as well as new research and development initiatives.

Content Disclosure: This presentation will talk about particular Google accessibility products and will not include information on other similar or related products.

Learning Objectives

1. Identify five new accessibility features in Android, Chrome & Chromebook and Workspace.
2. Recommend three Google accessibility tools or resources that would be helpful for a person with a specific disability.
3. Describe three ways that Google is working to make the digital world more accessible.

Strand(s)

Mainstream Accessible Technologies

Target Audience

Accessibility Professional; AT Specialists; Caregivers; Consumers/Individuals with Disabilities; Consultants/Trainers; Disability Services; Educators; Faculty/Instructors - Higher Education; Instructional Technologist; Occupational Therapists; Speech-Language Pathologists; Special Education Educators; Teachers of the Visually Impaired; Teachers of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing; Visual Impairment Specialists; Vocational Rehabilitation

Experience Level

Introductory

Primary Life Cycle Addressed

Elementary - Secondary (K-12); Higher Education; Adult/Senior

Session Delivery Format

In-person presentation with live-stream

Course Schedule

This course was given at the ATIA 2024 Conference on Friday, January 26 from 2:15 PM - 3:15 PM (EST)

Continuing Education Credits

For Satisfactory Completion and Continuing Education information, please visit: ATIA Online Education CEUs

This course is offered for the following CE Provider Credits:
ACVREP; AOTA; ASHA; CRC; IACET
For: 0.10 CEU Units or 1.0 CEU Hours

Speaker/s:

Laura Allen

Google, Head of Strategy & Programs, Accessibility & Disability Inclusion

Biography

Laura Allen is the Head of Strategy & Programs for Accessibility & Disability Inclusion at Google. She works cross-functionally across teams to improve the accessibility and usability of Google products and processes, and to make Google a more accessible and equitable place for people with disabilities. In addition to her core role, Laura is the Global Head of Operations of the Disability Alliance Employee Resource Group. Due to her personal experience with low vision, she believes that technology has more power now than ever to transform lives, and progressing accessibility and disability inclusion is her true passion and purpose.
Prior to her role as Head of Strategy & Programs, Laura served as the Senior Accessibility Program Manager for the Chrome and Chrome OS teams at Google. For 6+ years, she collaborated with engineers, designers, product managers, and researchers to make the Chrome family of products accessible and usable across platforms, for people of all abilities.
Laura also represents Google in the Teach Access organization, where various technology companies, higher education institutions, and disability advocacy organizations come together to drive the inclusion of accessibility in core computer science, design, human centered interaction programs, and other key disciplines to close the accessibility skills gap. As of 2020, she serves as the Chair of the Teach Access Board of Directors. Since 2017, Laura has also served on the board of directors for the San Francisco Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and is the 2nd Vice Chair. Since 2020, she also serves on the board of the Alphapointe Foundation, an organization centered around empowering individuals who are visually impaired to achieve their goals and aspirations and gain meaningful employment. And in 2023, Laura joined the board of inABLE Africa, an organization striving to empower people with disabilities across Africa.

Relevant Financial Relationship: Yes
Salary from employment at Google

Relevant Non-Financial Relationship: Yes
Chair of the Teach Access Board of Directors; Board member of the San Francisco Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired; Board member of the Alphapointe Foundation; Board member of inABLE Africa.

Ajit Narayanan

Google, Senior Staff Engineer

Biography

Ajit Narayanan leads Google's engineering team building Assistive Technology features on platforms like Android, Chrome, and Google Assistant. Some features he’s worked on include Select-to-Speak on Chromebook, Reading Mode on Chrome, and Action Blocks on Android. Prior to Google, Ajit was the founder and CEO at Invention Labs, a startup that built Avaz, India's first communication device for people with speech disabilities. Ajit has won several awards and recognitions in the disability domain, including the National Award for Empowerment of People with Disabilities; the MIT TR35 award for top young innovators worldwide; and being a TED speaker. Ajit has been awarded more than 50 patents. He has degrees in linguistics and electrical engineering, and lives in Chennai, India.

Relevant Financial Relationship: Yes
Salary from employment at Google.

Relevant Non-Financial Relationship: No

James Stout

Google, Director of Accessibility Engineering in Products for All

BIOGRAPHY

James Stout leads accessibility engineering within Products for All at Google. His team has built award-winning assistive technologies for Android and Chrome in addition to tools that enable development teams inside and outside of Google to build more accessible products. Previously, he led a team at Waymo that made virtual world simulation the most critical step to ensuring road safety. In his personal time, he runs the blog handsfreecoding.org to chronicle his adventures using speech recognition and eye tracking to control his desktop for work and leisure.

Relevant Financial Relationship: Yes
Salary from employment at Google.
Relevant Non-Financial Relationship: No