Assistive devices in the workplace: Making communication accessible

Assistive technology manufacturers are often under considerable pressure. After all, their primary objective is to make daily life a little easier for people with disabilities. Especially for blind and visually impaired people, the lack of or non-working augmentative communication devices frequently means that they have no prospect of participating in the workplace. We discussed with Bruno Behrendt from Papenmeier why screen readers are sometimes nothing more than pretty tools and learned why technical support is THE perennial issue when it comes to customer service.

The COVID-19 pandemic single-handedly managed to achieve something that was once deemed unthinkable in the German corporate structure – it has made working remotely from a home office more socially acceptable. Microsoft Teams has become an integral part of remote work along this journey. The virtual meeting space with its chat function is surprisingly accessible, an issue that is not always at the top of everyone’s agenda. The great news is that – despite being a niche market – a lot has happened in terms of accessibility advances in recent years.

"Over the next decade, consumers will observe established companies investing resources by integrating the principles of universal design and accessible user experience into their design and development cycles," said Christopher M. Lee, Director of Education at G3ict, the Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies, (ICTs) back in 2018 in our article that highlighted augmentative communication devices. He estimates that companies will increasingly incorporate principles of accessible design, such as flexibility in use, simple and intuitive use, perceptible information, tolerance for error, low physical effort, and size and space for approach and use.

The German Federal Participation Act (BTHG) regulates support and accessibility requirements for people with disabilities at the social law level, which also helps the digital realm. Although things are still far from an ideal society despite these efforts, in our 2019 article on inclusive software, Hansjörg Lienert predicted a trend towards software accessibility.

Bruno Behrendt can also attest to this statement. "I think these half-baked measures we see in part today are only an intermediate step that will progress towards accessibility," he is optimistic. "Microsoft Teams, for example, shows that there is a commitment to accessibility, even if it is not yet been achieved 100 percent. But it’s merely trivial things we can fix easily and quickly," says Papenmeier's head of rehab technology. The medium-sized company from North Rhine-Westphalia can look back on 45 years of experience in assistive technology products for blind and visually impaired people. Besides Braille storage and playback devices and software development of computer screen reader programs such as JAWS, the company also offers solutions such as magnification software for screen enlargement. The head of rehab technology also sees a paradigm shift in local companies: "Companies no longer ask whether a blind person can meet the job description but inquire about the type of software he or she needs to successfully complete the job tasks."

Yet until accessibility features become more widespread, Papenmeier’s biggest task remains offering competent help and support. After all, if the assistive technology manufacturer is unable to make the right software adaptations to accommodate a blind or visually impaired employee, the workplace will simply not exist. "Needless to say, we also advise companies on designing new software that is accessible. But our main business is to visit our customers and program the screen reader to where it spits out something sensible, even if the application is only partially accessible. In other words, we adapt our technical aids to enable people to work with them." With key accounts, this happens via so-called silent install, i.e., the installation of a software program that requires no IT or employee interaction, which then works with all the necessary applications. Modern workplaces are complex. The biggest challenge is to always keep software up-to-date and sometimes to find custom solutions that optimize the integration of assistive technology tools. After all, "Screen readers and magnification software are the prerequisite for any information that comes out of the computer – but are essentially nothing more than pretty tools if the website or the respective program itself is poorly designed."

While the IT industry and the corresponding software products are constantly evolving, the essential tool for blind people – Braille displays - remains unchanged. Why is that? "It is really difficult to improve the existing quality Braille displays," Behrendt explains. He knows what he's talking about. At the beginning of his career at Papenmeier, the graduate engineer co-developed or enhanced Braille displays. There are good reasons why these systems can still cost as much as a small car: "Quality is more important than price when it comes to developing/producing these assistive devices." After all, a blind person depends on this tool. If the Braille display does not work, nothing else matters. That is why Papenmeier produces entirely in Germany. While this makes the device more expensive, it is still the best Braille display on the market in terms of quality.

In 2019, REHACARE.de took a closer look at what working with the "perfect" equipment as it pertains to hardware and software can look like and accompanied Conny Rippe, who is blind, to her office for a day.

Granted, it may take a while before we return to a pre-pandemic office workplace. For now, the novel coronavirus has the world firmly in its grip. Until then, it is good to know that virtual meeting rooms create spaces where all people can feel welcomed. And who knows? If accessibility plays an increasing role in both software and hardware design, perhaps social inclusion, and access to opportunity for all will one day no longer be an issue. After all, if people with disabilities are privy to digital inclusion, it will only take a small step towards including them in everyday life.