The Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT) contributes to the foundation of an inclusive and accessible metaverse so that people with disabilities will have new and enhanced employment opportunities. The PEAT team is dedicated to ensuring that emerging workplace technologies are born accessible and that employers who use the technologies do so in inclusive ways.  

 

Due to the pandemic, many employers shifted to remote and hybrid work. With this change came an increased use of extended reality (XR) technologies for training, upskilling and immersive collaboration. XR technologies include virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR). =What PEAT brings to the equation is a deep understanding of the cost to entry of these technologies and the unique opportunities they can provide to workers with disabilities.

 

In conjunction with helping shape the future of XR technologies by participating in events and speaking with creators, PEAT continues to develop resources that help employers understand the technology and learn how to use it in inclusive ways. By teaming up with the XR Association on an executive-level brief and an in-depth whitepaper that guides employers through the many possibilities that exist in inclusive XR, PEAT is helping to pave the way for people with disabilities who want to join the workforce by showing how employers can use technology to create a workplace without unnecessary barriers.  

 

The PEAT team also supports the XR Access initiative. Bill Curtis-Davidson and Ashley Coffey are both members of the XR Access Coordination & Engagement Leadership Team, and Ashley Coffey co-leads the Business Case work stream. The Business Case work stream is focused on researching the value of inclusively designed XR workplace tools and how companies should prioritize inclusive immersive tools.