Accessibility Day in Stuttgart

On Friday, April 28^th 2023, the sixth Accessibility Day of the Competence Centre for Digital Accessibility took place at Stuttgart Media University. Experts gave presentations on digital accessibility with a focus on smart homes and self-determined living. The event offered interested parties an insight into the current state and possibilities of accessibility.

Simone Fischer, the Baden-Württemberg State Commissioner for the Interests of People with Disabilities, pleaded for “representation of people who do not belong to the majority society” and for accessibility to be considered from the very beginning in order to make the environment accessible for all and to avoid retrofitting at a later stage.

Dr. Yehya Mohamad from the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology presented current problems in care in Germany and presented digitalisation projects to improve care. André Peters from the Diakonisches Werk der Evangelischen Landeskirche in Baden e.V. spoke about the opportunities for people with disabilities and care workers through artificial intelligence, the metaverse and the Internet of Things. Maurice Bremer, who is himself in a wheelchair, reported on barriers in the gaming sector and showed how accessibility features can help gamers.

During the break, the participants of the Accessibility Day could inquire about projects in the field of accessibility, smart home and care at various stands in the foyer. The event ended with a panel discussion between the speakers on the importance of accessibility.

“We are happy to be able to host Accessibility Day again after a Covid break of several years,” said Prof. Dr. Gottfried Zimmermann, Head of the Competence Centre. “The topic may not be as popular as, for example, artificial intelligence, but it is at least as relevant for the inclusive society of tomorrow that we are shaping together.”

The slides, recordings and further information are publicly available on the event page of the Competence Centre.