Google Ireland opens the doors to its first dedicated Accessibility Discovery Centre to drive R&D in accessible technology

Google is opening a dedicated accessibility space  where Google engineers, researchers and wider product teams will focus on driving new innovation in accessible technology to help to remove some of the barriers that people with disabilities face everyday.

The ‘Accessibility Discovery Centre’ has been built in consultation with local partners including Spinal Injuries Ireland, ADHD Ireland, the National Disability Authority, Fighting Blindness  and Google’s internal Disability Alliance employee resource group. Not only a workshop for research and product development, the centre will be a space for cross-industry learning, sharing information and building greater understanding and empathy among the accessibility community.

The centre will also facilitate tours to increase awareness of the power of technology to empower those with disabilities. These tours will include real life examples of new technologies empowering people with disabilities via a series of interactive zones and gaming zones that bring to life the ways people with disabilities interact with technology. The opening is also an acknowledgement that there is much more to do to meet people’s ever changing needs, allowing Google to learn from and partner with accessibility and disability communities to keep improving and innovating for users.

Christopher Patnoe, Accessibility and Disability Inclusion, Google, said,  “The Accessibility Discovery Centre isn’t just a place where we will build better products and services – it’s also a medium through which we can engage more effectively with different disability communities to better understand and address their needs. The new space can break down barriers and will ultimately change lives for the better. Today’s event marks the beginning of that exciting journey that will first understand the myriad problems that exist and then address them in an inclusive manner.”

Sinead Burke, CEO, Tilting the Lens said, “As the CEO of Tilting the Lens, a global accessibility consultancy, our value is not merely in guidance and advice, but in creating meaningful connections. Over the past year, we have been fortunate to bring our clients together at Google’s Accessibility Discovery Centre in London, where they have been energised by the advancements in accessible technology and ambitious to implement better practices in accessibility. As an Irish-based company, we’re excited to leverage Google’s global influence through their newest Accessibility Discovery Centre at home.”

Dr Gerald Craddock Chief Officer at The Centre for Excellence in Universal Design at the National Disability Authority commented: “The Centre for Excellence in Universal Design (CEUD) welcome the launch of the Accessible Discovery Centre (ADC), a great initiative by Google in creating an innovative space for co-designing and learning on accessibility with the disability communities in Ireland.  These elements are the bedrock of Universal Design which is enshrined in legislation in Ireland and we readily recognise the value of this new initiative.  The ADC will provide a ‘discovery’ space for everyone as well as demonstrating new and inclusive technologies.”

Among the first events to take place at the new space will be regular readouts with accessibility and disability communities. Developers will also be given the resources they need to integrate accessibility into products from the beginning of their processes.

This is Google’s first Accessibility Discovery Centre in the EU and builds on years of investment and innovation in helpful technology that can improve the lives of people with disabilities.

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