Humanware

Blind users buy HumanWare braille displays and GPS devices when mass-market phones lack tactile feedback. Humanware provides specialized assistive technologies that serve as essential tools, yet their necessity often highlights systemic gaps in mainstream product design.

ENABLE Model location

• Post-launch Compensations → Use Assistive Technologies

What it is

HumanWare produces specialized assistive technologies such as Braille displays and GPS devices that blind users acquire when mainstream phones and other mass-market products lack essential tactile feedback. These tools enable individuals to access information and complete tasks in digital and physical environments where accessibility is not inherently built into products or services

Why it matters

The need for tools like those from HumanWare signals a fundamental failure in pre-launch accessibility care, such as inclusive design and development. When digital systems are created with a narrow view of the "average user," barriers persist, forcing users to rely on their own tools to participate. While assistive technologies should enhance autonomy, their necessity as a primary access strategy places an undue responsibility on users to patch environments that should have been accessible by default. This situation arises when inclusive requirements are not set, content is not authored accessibly, or compatibility with assistive technologies is not tested, shifting the burden downstream to the user.

Real-world example

Blind users purchase HumanWare braille displays and GPS devices because mass-market phones often lack the necessary tactile feedback, making them inaccessible. This demonstrates how users must acquire specialized tools to gain access when mainstream technology fails to meet their needs natively.

What care sounds like

• "We are designing our mainstream mobile devices to include integrated tactile feedback so blind users can navigate interfaces directly."
• "Our public navigation application is being developed with multimodal output (audio, haptic) to ensure blind users can get directions without a separate GPS device."
• "We conducted usability testing with blind users specifically on the tactile interactions of our smart devices and the clarity of our spoken directions."
• "We're setting requirements for all new product lines to include native accessibility features that reduce reliance on external assistive technologies like Braille displays for core functions."

Such statements reflect a commitment to building accessibility in early, ensuring it is smaller, cheaper, and kinder to fix, rather than relying on users to compensate post-launch.

What neglect sounds like

• "Tactile feedback isn't a core requirement for our phone's interface; users can just rely on the screen reader."
• "Why would blind people use our standard GPS app? They have specialized devices for navigation."
• "Adding advanced haptics or physical button alternatives is out of scope for this product version."
• "We don't have time to test compatibility with external Braille displays; our focus is on visual interactions."
• "Our design is for the average user; specialized needs like Braille input or haptic-only navigation are niche."
• "Accessibility for diverse input methods can be added later if someone complains."

What compensation sounds like

• "I had to buy a Braille display just to read basic text on my phone because the built-in accessibility isn't sufficient."
• "My GPS device helps me navigate, but it's frustrating that the city's main transit app doesn't provide audible or tactile cues that allow for independent travel."
• "I spend extra money on specialized tools because mainstream devices aren't designed for me."
• "It's exhausting always having to rely on my device for information that sighted people get effortlessly from their standard phones."