, the Jesuit social historian Michel de Certeau suggested that resistance to the “celestial eye” of power from above must be met by the force of “ordinary practitioners of the city” who live “down below.”
When we assume that data is more important than the people who created it, we reduce the scope and potential of what diverse human bodies can bring to the “smart city” of the present and future. But the real “smart” city consists not only of commodity flows and information networks generating revenue streams for the likes of Cisco or Amazon. The smartness comes from the diverse human bodies of different genders, cultures, and classes whose rich, complex, and even fragile identities ultimately make the city what it is.
— Read on www.technologyreview.com/2022/06/24/1053969/smart-city-unrealized-utopia/
Tag Archives: futuresense
About Civility and Accessibility
Here’s the real challenge – getting everyone to understand that accessibility is for everybody. Too often people with disabilities are considered to be the ‘others’. This is the biggest problem with getting people to embrace the idea of accessibility and for product designers to embrace the philosophy of Universal Design. In Silicon Valley we’ve always spoken of good design but, to convey this idea more effectively I have needed to dumb down the language to say, “get the specs right on human beings.”
Given the global aging population it seems completely unbelievable that building in Accessibility is too challenging for the world’s leading tech companies. Given the fact that after 25 years since the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act, The US still has a 75% unemployment rate for people with disabilities. I have little patience for scofflaw companies with customers numbering in the millions and reaping billions in profits who have proven unwilling to spend anything on improving accessibility. The unprecedented human rights achievement represented by the Americans With Disabilities Act has been thwarted by the negative cultural bias and neglect tech companies reveal by the fact that at the time of this justice department action less than 9% of all websites are accessible.
This appalling situation reminds me of when no one in the US would broadcast Spanish-language television. Ultimately such exclusionary practices proved to be thoroughly stupid and the lost profits will never be recovered. Same deal here. Why alienate customers and make products and services difficult to use? America’s inventors have given us the telephone, automobiles, electric starters, elevators, transistors, text to speech synthesizers, the internet and many other wonders of the everyday world that began as ways to improve accessibility and overcome limitations imposed by impairments. How many other innovations will come from the US as inventors begin providing accessibility to people who need a better way to solve a problem faced by millions around the world? Too many design decisions result in poorly considered interfaces that necessitates people have good manual dexterity and 20/20 vision. Not a day goes by when I don’t wish I had a large rock to smash my smart phone to pieces. I am often driven completely mad by it’s idiosyncratic behaviors. For the record, no one wants to read manuals in order to use some arcane piece of technology. And yet, that’s what we’ve got!
As a closing note, I would like to share the positive news that America is back! We’ve led the world as social innovators by embracing inclusion for every member of our society. This investment has paid off for us handsomely with the marketplace reaping the rewards of diversity by better serving their global customers. I believe that our best days are yet ahead because of the US’ socially inclusive policies and progressive idealism that America has introduced to the world.
On my part and on behalf of my company and my country I hope we will continue to do so.
Aloha!
I am Gordon Fuller, the host of FUTURESENSE TV This is what I know about and this is what we talk about:
– promotion, innovation and development of sustainable industries for Hawaii
– stimulating entrepreneurship for job creation and social change
– advocacy and job creation for vulnerable citizens and accessible tourism
– start-up, IPO, turn-around, growth, merger and acquisition management
– new product design, engineering processes, research and development
– application prototyping, testing, redesign and manufacturing
– public companies, non-profits, government councils and commissions
– business, technology, strategic alliances, business development and sales
– media strategies for social enterprises and state government initiatives
– cloud computing, industry trends, social networking and Internet 2.0
– tele-health, medical IT, technologies and regulatory environment environment – corporate television, in-house advertising and business communications
– journalism, press, blogging, lobbying, conferencing and investor seminars
– feature films, broadcast television, video podcasting and streaming content
– Hawaii State Independent Living Council, DiverseAbility and Aging Disability
– accessible social networks and integration of peer communities in Hawaii
– media content systems, advanced telework, telehealth and independence
– civic engagement, peer mentoring, training/employment and aging-in-place
– commercial ISP, cable TV, 3D networks, video-on-demand and digital 3D
– disabilities, assistive technologies, policies, rights and indigenous peoples
– telecommunications, media technology, analysis, analytics and architecture
For submissions, program information and consultations call 808 636 7900