The Accessibility 100 -- The Top Innovators and Impact-Makers
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Accessibility is about far more than wheelchair ramps or live captioning. The field has emerged as a bustling innovation hub, an educational imperative and—unapologetically—a business sector waiting to explode.
'This isn't charity. This isn't just 'doing the right thing,'' says Mike Buckley, CEO of Be My Eyes, whose software in Ray-Ban/Meta sunglasses connects blind and low-vision people to live, seeing volunteers who help them navigate the world. 'It's about seeing a market, innovating, scaling and ultimately ROI. Venture capital is getting more and more involved every day.'
The Accessibility 100—a new Forbes list, launching June 17—will unveil the 100 biggest innovators and impact-makers in the field of accessibility for people with disabilities. The list will include the top global forces in accessibility-related fields ranging from consumer products and software to education, AI-driven robotics, sports and recreation, travel, the workplace and the arts, among others. Some will be juggernaut tech companies leveraging their reach and resources to embed their products with crucial accessibility features; others will be smaller entrepreneurs whose innovations are poised to change the world.
The Accessibility 100 will be launched on Forbes.com alongside a live panel discussion at the Cannes Lions Festival in France.
For the purpose of this list, the disability categories that listees are impacting include the following:
For the purposes of this list, 'Accessibility' is defined as software, devices and services that allow people with disabilities to have access to information, content, public spaces and experiences. Examples include:
The Accessibility 100 was compiled through interviews with more than 400 experts, along with an expert advisory panel. Emphasis was placed on breadth of true impact across the widest landscape. The final selections will feature companies and individuals from more than 15 countries.
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As with all Forbes lists, there was no fee for any company or person to be considered for the Accessibility 100. For questions about the list, please email Alan Schwarz at aschwarz [at] forbes.com.
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