For people who are deaf or hard of hearing,
Apple’s Live Listen tool allows users to fine-
tune their Made for iPhone hearing aids
and AirPods to help them hear clearly, and
moving an iPhone towards a conversation can
help to amplify what they’re saying so users
are never left out. That’s without mentioning
the power of FaceTime for people who use
sign language to communicate, LED light
flashing for notification alerts, Guided Access,
Typing Feedback, AssistiveTouch, Apple
Watch workouts for wheelchairs, and Switch
Control which allows for switches, a joystick,
or other adaptive devices to control what’s on
an iPhone or iPad - without having to touch
the screen itself.
It would be easy to argue Apple had “done
enough” to make its hardware and software
as accessible as possible, but the company
is always one step ahead of the competition
when it comes to such features. At WWDC,
Apple lifted the lid on the latest round of
accessibility features coming to the devices
we all know and love, with Tim Cook, Craig
Federighi and others sharing details on what’s
potentially Apple’s greatest accessibility push
to date.
VOICE CONTROL TAKES AWAY THE NEED
FOR PERIPHERALS
First announced during the Accessibility
segment of WWDC 2019 is Voice Control. The
feature supports editing and menu navigation
in macOS Catalina and iOS 13, meaning users
who cannot control a keyboard or mouse can
still use their iPhone, iPad or Mac in the same
way as everyone else, taking advantage of