Adobe Reaffirms Its Commitment to Accessibility And the Disabled Community with...

By Steven Aquino

Following Global Accessibility Awareness Day last May, Adobe accessibility chief Andrew Kirkpatrick and inclusive design boss Matt May opened up in an interview with me about building a diverse and inclusive culture at the company, as well as some accessibility-minded product launches. In a nutshell, Adobe is not unlike its tech peers such as Apple and Google when it comes to prioritizing accessibility and assistive technologies. Serving people with disabilities is of the utmost importance to them.

“Accessibility is extremely important at Adobe,” Kirkpatrick said to me in June. “We have strived to make sure accessibility is addressed within our products as well as within the company. Adobe has a strong culture of creativity, and many features and applications come from the ideas of individuals.”

In a new interview, Kirkpatrick reiterated Adobe’s commitment to accessibility, saying it’s about “equal opportunity for all people.” He also discussed several recent announcements that coincided with the thirtieth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act’s passing in late July. “We’re still striving to create a more inclusive world, and we are reaffirming our commitment to accessibility through several new initiatives for our customers and users,” he said.

The first is the Crip Camp Fellowship. The Fellowship was created in honor of the late Ki’Tay Davidson, an activist for and advocate of marginalized groups. Adobe’s partnership with the Camp’s Impact Campaign aims to “empower creatives and community organizers with disabilities to share their stories,” Kirkpatrick said. Selected Fellows receive a $5,000 grant to pursue what Kirkpatrick described as “passion projects” over a 7-month period, as well as receive mentorship from established creatives. Participants also get complimentary access to Creative Cloud to help propel them towards meeting their goal(s). Kirkpatrick said Adobe was inspired to collaborate with Crip Camp after the Camp’s documentary—edited, coincidentally, using Premiere Pro—screened at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. He added Fellowship participants were “thrilled” to be part of the program.

Second, Adobe is creative partner for the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge. The contest enables filmmakers, disabled or not, an opportunity to tell uniquely personal stories which highlight disability of various forms. Winners were announced August 13 at a (naturally) virtual awards ceremony.

The Best Film winner went to Jennifer Msumba for The Fish Don’t Care When It Rains, while Rachel Handler won for Best Awareness Campaign for How Much Am I Worth?. Scott Klumb took Best Editor for Autism Ability.

“This festival changed my life,” Msumba said. “Easterseals Disability Film Challenge is an amazing event.”

The final announcement is a partnership with Limbitless Solutions. Limbitless is a non-profit organization which specializes in bionic technology for children. The company uses Adobe’s Creative Cloud software to design bionic limbs. Kirkpatrick said Adobe recently awarded the non-profit a $100,000 grant to be able to continue their work of fostering accessibility and inclusivity. The money will also go towards expansion efforts, which includes FDA approval to make the technology more commercially available.

Kirkpatrick said Adobe is “proud” to support Limbitless in using technology in creative ways in order to enrich and empower lives. Likewise, Albert Manero of Limbitless said Adobe’s “corporate voice” will help “transform” the company’s work, as well as break down the stigmas associated with people with disabilities.

Lastly, Kirkpatrick reflected upon three decades of the Americans with Disabilities Act. He described the legislation as a “huge step forward” in banning discrimination, but acknowledged there’s much work still to be done. Kirkpatrick shares Rep. Tony Coelho’s thoughts regarding the ADA in today’s all-consuming digital age, insofar as the bill doesn’t regulate the internet nearly as well as it does the physical world. He told me tech companies should be “prioritizing accessibility at the onset of the development stage” in an effort to support all users. He also reemphasized Adobe’s unwavering commitment to serve the disability community through its products, citing their longstanding involvement with the W3C’s WCAG guidelines.

“We call on Congress to look for additional opportunities to clarify for accessibility: to encourage businesses and content creators to improve accessibility support, and to take action and lead a path forwarder equality for disabled people,” Kirkpatrick said.