We Build & Support Communities
Only 38.8% of adult job seekers with disabilities are in the labor force, compared to 76.9% of those without disabilities. PEAT is an initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) that strives to help close this gap.
Our vision is to create a future where all technologies are accessible by design so that everyone can succeed in their careers. To make our vision a reality, PEAT develops and influences the policies and practices that help increase the number and quality of job opportunities for people with disabilities. Here is a snapshot of our impact* since the beginning of 2020.
40+ Presentations
Every time we present, our goal is to inspire attendees to think of accessibility as more than just a checkbox. By presenting at national and international conferences like CSUN, Gatherverse Summit and axe-con, we spread the word about how inclusion is critical to the workplace of the future.
150+ Organizational and Individual Collaborators & Connections
Building a network of dedicated champions for change is one of our passions. Our network includes members from education and research institutions, employers, technology companies, government organizations, professional associations, advocacy organizations, standards setting organizations, and technical assistance organizations as well as independent advocates and experts. We appreciate the chance to learn from and collaborate with thought leaders from organizations that value accessibility and inclusion as much as we do.
200+ Think Tank Participants
Uniting the accessibility community ensures we can all contribute to an inclusive future. We bring thought leaders from around the country together to discuss technology topics that impact the future of digital accessibility. Our think tanks have included participants from Adobe, Amazon, Apple, Cisco, Google, IBM, Intuit, Microsoft, Oracle, Verizon and many more!
800+ Initiative Participants
PEAT helps shape early-stage ideas into initiatives that make an impact. XR Access, Start Access and Teach Access are critical initiatives that PEAT helped establish and cultivate. These initiatives grow in participation and influence each year, leading to meaningful change.
2,600+ Talk Attendees
Each person we interact with holds the potential to unlock change in their workplace. PEAT presentations attract large audiences from a wide range of backgrounds. We present to experts, people entirely new to the field of accessibility and just about everyone in between.
Recent Awards & Honors
We Create and Share Inclusive Resources & Tools
300+ Shares of PEAT Resources and Policy Materials since July 2021
Thanks to the support of our engaged network, our resources reach a global audience. PEAT materials have been proactively shared more than 300 times by over 200 organizations and individuals since July 2021.
4,800+ Social Subscribers & Followers
We know that social media and newsletters are direct ways to keep our community informed. Through these channels, we distribute PEAT resources, give insight into inclusion issues and share exciting things happening in the accessible technology community.
75,000+ Podcast Downloads & Pageviews in 2021
PEAT believes in amplifying the voices of thought leaders with lived experience. The Future of Work podcast is produced in collaboration with Workology, a leading HR and workplace resource, and draws hundreds of listeners each month. In 2021 alone, episodes of the Future of Work podcast had over 75,000 pageviews and downloads.
94,000+ Website Users
PEAT takes pride in creating reliable, clear resources that are free to everyone. We provide expert perspectives to our site visitors, constantly releasing new resources and updating past publications. In 2022, our website was recognized with a Gold dotComm Award, two Silver MUSE Creative Awards and a Gold MarCom Award.
Policy Impacts
- We provided input related to disability bias mitigation, nondiscrimination and accessibility to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for Special Publication SP-1270 Towards a Standard for Identifying and Managing Bias in Artificial Intelligence.
- We provided input to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) regarding disability equity considerations in the use of tech-based hiring systems that helped shape EEOC’s technical assistance guidance on the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Use of Software, Algorithms, and Artificial Intelligence to Assess Job Applicants and Employees. Such guidance is the first of its kind from a U.S. government agency.
- We organized a series of virtual events in partnership with the U.S. Access Board to explore the promise and potential of Inclusively-Designed Autonomous Vehicles and are helping to shape the Access Board’s policy agenda through new leadership by the Assistant Secretary for Disability Employment Policy.
- We encouraged XR-focused groups including the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF), the XR Association, Gatherverse and AWE to recognize accessibility and inclusion as a foundational part of public policy for the metaverse.
- We provided expert input to the NSF Workshop Accelerating Disability Inclusion in Workplaces Through Technology, which resulted in a call for research (Track H) in NSF Convergence Accelerator Phases 1 and 2 (2022).
- We provided recommendations to shape the criteria for Microsoft’s AI for Accessibility employment-focused grants program.
We Help Build the Accessible Workplace of the Future
The PEAT team has a unique vantage point that allows us to anticipate future trends and technologies that will impact the public we serve. We use this knowledge to build resources that help employers and employees realize a more inclusive future of work.
- We Authored a Telework & Accessibility Toolkit
This toolkit helps organizations ensure their virtual and hybrid workplaces are accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities. PEAT received a 2020 Service to the Citizen: Champions of Change™ award as a result of our innovative work in support of inclusive telework policies and practices. - We Developed an Inclusive XR & Hybrid Work Toolkit
This toolkit gives employers clear guidance on using virtual, augmented and mixed reality technologies in inclusive ways. PEAT received a 2022 Service to the Citizen: Champions of Change™ award in recognition of our efforts in inclusive XR. - We Launched an AI & Disability Inclusion Toolkit
This toolkit teaches organizations how to use artificial intelligence (AI) in equitable ways and won a 2022 G2Xchange Disruptive Tech Program Award. We Built an Accessibility Playbook for Emerging Technology Initiatives
This Playbook is a blueprint for anyone seeking to launch a successful initiative to drive the development of emerging technologies that are accessible to and inclusive of people with disabilities. It was even mentioned in a 2020 Presidential Proclamation on National Disability Employment Awareness Month for its in-depth guidance.
In recognition of our impact, the PEAT team and ODEP leadership have won several recent awards, including a 2020 Zero Project Award. In 2021, Nathan Cunningham, Senior Policy Advisor for the Department of Labor’s ODEP, was honored with a Government Rising Star Award for his work guiding PEAT.
*Please note that the data above is aggregated from January 1, 2020, until April 4, 2022, unless otherwise indicated, and the total numbers are approximate.
