Breaking Barriers with Accessible Tech [Nov 14th Episode]

Eric Marquette

Welcome back to Beyond the Label, everyone. I’m Eric Marquette, and as always, I’m joined by Ruby Sturt—hello, Ruby. We’re diving into something a bit close to my heart today: accessible tech, and the way it’s fundamentally changing daily life for so many. You with me, Ruby?

Ruby Sturt

Absolutely, Eric! Look, there’s been such a groundswell of innovation lately, and it’s, like, genuinely exciting because it's not just the flash new stuff. Even the humble old screen reader has had a glow-up, right? I think back to about five years ago—Jess, this mate of mine, started uni and suddenly had to switch from her trusty magnifier to a full-blown eye-tracking app. Seriously, the learning curve would’ve made a kangaroo jump sideways. But she got there, eventually, figuring out that, with the right tweaks, those eye tracking systems could let her finish assignments hands-free even on bad fatigue days.

Eric Marquette

That’s fantastic. And, you know, you mentioning screen readers, it’s wild how they’ve evolved. For ages, it was text-to-speech and, frankly, a robotic one at that. But then you get things like Apple’s VoiceOver—now that was a game changer. Suddenly, iPhones and Macs were accessible out of the box. No extra cost, no separate device to hunt down. And then Google, never one to be left behind, pushed Live Caption. That—oh, I always say it’s like magic—live captions auto-generated for any video or audio, even just on speakerphone. It takes something that was a massive barrier for Deaf folks and, poof, makes it vanish in real time.

Ruby Sturt

Yes! That’s the thing—I helped Jess set up Live Caption for her lectures once. She was a bit skeptical—like, “Rubes, surely it’ll stuff up the technical words,” and to be honest, sometimes it did, but it still meant she could keep up without waiting days for transcripts. It’s these moments, right, where assistive tech doesn’t just help you keep pace—it shapes what genuine inclusion actually looks like.

Eric Marquette

Absolutely. Devices keep getting smarter, but what gets me is how quickly those improvements actually change lives—immediately, sometimes, not just down the line.

Eric Marquette

Speaking of smart, right, AI’s been everywhere in headlines, but in this space, it’s far more than hype. It’s about personalization—fine details, like adjusting fonts or voice speeds for each user. But also the big leaps, like immersive tech. Augmented reality, virtual reality—what’s your take, Ruby?

Ruby Sturt

I'm totally here for it! It’s one thing to watch someone demonstrate an AR app, but when you put on a headset and suddenly the world’s got, like, extra handrails or sign language avatars? That’s rapid-fire progress. And, like, for kids who always felt shut out of field trips, VR lets them hike the Grand Canyon with the rest of their class, from their living room. I reckon, when you get that sort of access—real, immersive access—it’s honestly a whole redefinition of what’s possible.

Eric Marquette

Exactly. Let me give you an example from my own family. My uncle—he lost most of his sight in his sixties. He struggled for years, trying gadgets that never really clicked. And then Microsoft came out with Seeing AI. He sends me voice notes now, joking about “his pocket narrator.” The app reads out text, describes scenes, even recognizes faces. It’s AI, but not the abstract sort—he literally grocery shops solo again.

Ruby Sturt

Wow—I love that. And, look, things like machine learning are the engine under it all, yeah? Every time somebody corrects an AI misread, it gets sharper for the next person. So it’s that cycle of learning and sharing. Plus, with AR and VR spaces growing, designers are actually building with accessibility from the start—after, well, years of bolting things on later. Progress I can get behind!

Ruby Sturt

This all tees up that bigger picture: universal design and, well, the big pushes behind it. I get nervous with policy stuff—so Eric, save me if I stumble! But, seriously, laws like the ADA in the U.S., and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines—WCAG—these are the levers that really forced tech to get with the program.

Eric Marquette

You're spot on—these acts didn’t just change buildings, they rewired how tech companies deliver products. Apple, Google, Microsoft—massive names, yes, but they started embedding accessibility from the ground up. Not as an afterthought, not as a checkbox, but as a design ethos. And, honestly, universal design just makes good business sense. If you design for everyone, nobody’s left out. Simple as that.

Ruby Sturt

Can it be that simple, though? Remember that Jellypod hackathon a couple years back—the “design for all” one? I still remember the team that tried to make a voice-controlled kitchen timer. Sounds tiny, but the way they battled with different English accents and noisy backgrounds? There were arguments, creative chaos, and, in the end, a solution that worked for someone with no hands and someone with, well, just a thick Scottish accent. True story—there was a lot of tea involved. That’s the messy, creative bit I like about universal design: the breakthroughs often happen because you include those perspectives, not in spite of them.

Eric Marquette

That’s a great point. Universal design does mean extra work upfront, and yes, probably a bit more tea. But it keeps paying off—look at your kitchen-timer-turned-accent-buster. We end up with solutions nobody predicted at the start. And, I might be biased, but when you get people together with wildly different needs, that’s when real creativity kicks in.

Eric Marquette

So, let’s gaze ahead for a moment. Not science fiction—just the next frontier. Brain-computer interfaces, for one. I mean, it’s early days, but being able to control devices with just your thoughts? For people who can’t move or speak, that could be world-altering. Cautious optimism, though—those things are a long way from being affordable for most of us.

Ruby Sturt

Yeah, absolutely, but you know who tends to spot the bugs in all these fancy prototypes? The people using them every day. Community-driven feedback is the secret sauce for next-gen assistive tech, hands down. Like, companies can have all these bright ideas, but if they aren’t listening to users—truly, humbly, listening—they’re basically shooting in the dark.

Eric Marquette

Spot on. Some of the best improvements come from users who aren’t afraid to say, “this doesn’t work for me, and here’s why.” Actually, some of the bigger players are catching on—setting up advisory councils, partnering directly with disability advocates—it’s a clear signal this is a two-way street now. Part of what keeps the industry growing, I think.

Ruby Sturt

Yeah, and I know sometimes these partnerships sound corporate. But there really are examples where, say, a group of wheelchair users co-designs a new wheelchair mapping app, and suddenly every other city starts copying them. It’s that ripple effect that I love—it’s messy and community-based, but it leads to real, practical change.

Ruby Sturt

Still, all this cool tech isn’t worth much if only a lucky few can use it, right? There are whole regions where, honestly, just getting screen reader software on a basic phone is a stretch. Socioeconomics, patchy infrastructure—so much of the map is left behind. Where do you see hope, Eric?

Eric Marquette

I was just thinking of that—there’s a real digital divide, and it’s not just about gadgets. It’s about broadband access, devices, affordability. But there are some cracking examples of scalable solutions pushing through, like lower-cost accessible smartphones, solar-powered internet hubs—it’s a start. Plus, some multinationals and nonprofits are teaming up to get affordable assistive tech into more hands. It’s slow, but the momentum’s growing.

Ruby Sturt

Yeah, and I’ve noticed a lot of user-led projects in the Global South where people are literally hacking together accessible tools out of whatever’s available. That’s massive—because it means innovation isn’t just top-down anymore. Local communities get to lead. It reminds me of what we talked about in our earlier episodes: grassroots advocacy and bespoke solutions, not just shipping the same thing everywhere and hoping it fits.

Eric Marquette

Exactly. Local adaptations, real collaborations—those are the things bridging the gap. With each new initiative, we’re getting closer to accessible tech that’s truly global, not just global in name. We still have a way to go, but the trajectory looks good so long as that inclusivity remains central.

Ruby Sturt

I reckon we’ll be seeing more partnerships, more open-source movements, and plenty more tinkerers keeping industry honest. So, that’s it for this episode! Eric, as always—absolute pleasure. Thanks for sharing your stories and tea analogies.

Eric Marquette

And thank you, Ruby—love your eye for the practical and, frankly, your kitchen-timer stories. Stay tuned, everyone—there’s plenty more to cover in the world of accessible tech and beyond. Goodbye for now.

Ruby Sturt

Catch you next time, everyone—take care!