People with disabilities represented 19% of the U.S.
population in 2015—exactly 25 years after the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA) became a federal law.[1]
With computer technology being by then integral to daily life, the matter of
accessibility came to the fore under the normative principle of equal, or
universal, access. With major tech companies getting behind this banner, one
question is whether they did so simply to sell more computers and
software—better access translating into more customers. I contend that the
stronger the normative claim being made, the greater the exploitation of the
underlying conflict of interest.
The full essay is at “Apple’s
CEO.”
[1] “IOD
Report Finds Significant Health Disparities for People with Disabilities,”
Institute on Disability/UCED, August 25, 2011.