School of Public Health faculty and staff are among the collaborators in a new initiative combining the expertise and passion of researchers, designers, developers and educators from multiple disciplines at the University of Maryland to make digital technologies accessible for all
The Maryland Initiative for Digital Accessibility (MIDA) aims to change technology design research and practice so it involves disability communities as equal partners from the beginning of the design process, and accessibility is proactively built-in. To achieve this, MIDA will involve organizations that support and represent disability communities, technology researchers and designers, and policymakers.
Currently, MIDA has 12 disability rights groups and four tech companies involved as partners, and the number is expected to grow. These partners include the National Federation of the Blind, the National Association of the Deaf, the American Association of People with Disabilities, the Maryland Library for the Blind and Print Disabled, Teach Access, Adobe, Microsoft, Meta and Vispero.
“Inaccessibility is more often the result of lack of information, failure to consult and collaborate with the disability community, and lack of proactive planning than of intent to discriminate,” says Mark Riccobono, president of the National Federation of the Blind. “We wholeheartedly support initiatives that foster born-accessible technology, and we are therefore proud to collaborate in this landmark effort.”