On February 13, 2020, ACT | The App Association visited 8th Wonder Distillery, a Houston, Texas based Distillery, to engage with developers about the local tech community, Texas’s app economy, and general trends and opportunities for tech businesses. App Association member For All Abilities’ Betsy Furler spoke at the event. Below, Betsy discusses the tools available to developers through the platforms, and the benefits those tools can have for companies just entering the market including associated trust and accessibility features.

A few years ago, while working as a consultant on tech products for people with disabilities and chronic health conditions, I was asked to consult on employee disability issues. This often includes the use of accommodations, and those are frequently apps or software. This was an easy task for me, so I decided to automate the process and founded For All Abilities. We provide a software solution that enables employers to support their employees who think differently due to conditions like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, learning differences, and autism. My name is Betsy Furler, and I am a speech pathologist who, thanks to online marketplaces, has pivoted into an expertise in the use of technology for people with disabilities.

For All Abilities developed a software solution that includes a strengths, needs, and preferences assessment, a report for employees and their employers that includes recommendations for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accommodations, apps, and software to minimize needs, and a report of preferences in the workplace. The software is built on the Azure platform. By using the Azure platform, I save money on development and have the security and support of a large, established organization. For All Abilities is a small team with one full-time employee (me), contracted developers, a project manager, and several people who volunteer their time to help the organization.

When my team and I recommend an app as a support, it’s vital that the app be easily acquired and stable. Platforms are important because they allow the app developers who create our recommended apps to place their apps in a location that is secure and accessible. Without the large app platforms, apps from small, innovative developers would be difficult to find and to buy. Employers also would be less likely to trust the apps if they were sold individually without the backing of a large corporation through their platforms.

Platforms also give developers—the people my clients and I rely on to create accessibility-friendly software—various tools to ensure that their apps function within accessibility standards. For example, Apple’s App Store has built-in accessibility features, developer tools, and APIs for everything from speech and Guided Access to VoiceOver and display customization. Features like these ensure that the app works with other accessibility features built into the operating system and are crucial to creating apps for people of all abilities.

App developers need continued access to platforms to maintain and sell their apps. This helps For All Abilities and our customers access the apps that allow employees who think and work differently to receive the support they need to be productive and efficient on the job and to feel valued.