Matt Ater’s Post

This is great news! I really enjoyed participating in this show. Still so much work to do if we want a fully accessible workplace for people with disabilities.

This week brings CES on the Hill from Consumer Technology Association where the tech world meets Congress. Major topics like #AI, #CyberSecurity, and #Privacy will be discussed. I plan to bring up #Accessibility. 61 million Americans live with a disability, but nearly half of the most popular Federal Government websites are not fully accessible to all Americans. Three major things have happened since December 2023. 1. OMB Released Digital Accessibility Guidance to Ensure All Americans Have Ability to Access Critical Government Resources. https://lnkd.in/eUeJ-2EX 2. This past week the United States Attorney General signed a final rule providing requirements for digital accessibility under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). https://lnkd.in/eA_95_uA 3. Casey, Colleagues Call on Senate Leadership to Make Senate Technology More Accessible. https://lnkd.in/eHKJdRif On Wednesday Consumer Technology Association (CTA) members will head to Capitol hill to discuss technology related issues facing America. In the evening we will host CES on the Hill at the CTA Innovation House showing the latest technology and meeting with members and staffers from Capitol Hill. https://lnkd.in/ejihkdZj One major issue facing accessibility is funding. The federal agencies need direct funding for accessibility. Most agencies will tell you that accessibility is an unfunded mandate. If we want our government services to be accessible for the millions of Americans with a disability, we need to provide the funding to do so. Finally, it is time for Congress to sign the "Websites and Software Applications Accessibility Act." This would ensure that all public digital content be made accessible. https://lnkd.in/e9hniesN #Accessibility #Blind #Disabilities #Section508 #JAWS #CTATechWeek

Home after an incredible week in Barcelona at the McDonalds Worldwide24 event. This was the second one I have participated in, with the last one being Orlando 2 years ago.  I first want to thank the organizers for providing an accessible experience for me. From Jon Goodbrand arranging Aira to the wonderful employees like Clare who assisted me in shopping at the McDonalds Fan Store.  I want to thank Melissa Renae, because without her teams dedication on accessible digital experiences, I would not be needed. The work they do with the digital teams is amazing.  I want to thank Jared Finegold and Amy McCarty for welcoming me into the McDonalds family and including me in activities including the Sunday Worldwide 2024 ’Welcome Reception’ where I got to reconnect with Joshua Sloser and meet many others from McDonalds. I had a wonderful time working in the Kiosk Experience with Raj Asan, Joe N. and Jade Pearn. I enjoyed working with this team. They bring so much knowledge both around McDonalds and kiosks. Working side by side with this team allowed me to share the accessibility features with markets and franchisees. I got to speak to people from Australia to Austria, Italy to Japan, Saudi Arabia to South Africa, UK to Canada and was able to talk with existing franchisees who currently have the audio navigation in the United States.  Currently the audio navigation is available in the United States and South Korea. We look forward to working with McDonalds in the future to bring this feature to other markets.  Audio navigation includes the #JAWSforKiosk screen reader with the Storm Nav Pad giving a blind or low vision guest an accessible experience on the kiosk. Other accessibility features include Magnifier and reach modes.  It was great connecting with kiosk partners like Diebold, Acrelec, Evoke, Coates and Verifone. I also got the opportunity to spend time with Matthijs Verhagen from Storm which was great to finally meet him in person.  If the show wasn’t enough, McDonald’s ended Thursday night titled Final Night with a concert from The Killers and Dua Lipa. What a way to end a great week in Barcelona. Looking forward to the next Worldwide in Las Vegas in 2026.  #McDonaldsWW24 #Accessibility #Barcelona