Keynotes Mignon L. Clyburn, Acting Chairwoman, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Dan Hesse, Sprint CEO, welcomed over 450 top-level attendees from around the world to the only mobile industry conference dedicated to promoting and implementing accessible mobile communications and services for senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
Top industry executives and community advocates were in attendance to support to the Summit. AT&T, Sprint, BlackBerry, Qualcomm, HP, Adobe, Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), Microsoft, Verizon, T-Mobile, IBM, TIA, EZ-Fire, Wells Fargo, Project RAY, COAT, Deque Systems, were among the 150 speakers and 35 high caliber showcase participants who presented their products and perspectives on the latest mobile accessibility technology breakthroughs.
The opening plenary of the Summit, “Universal Access for All Ages and All Abilities,” examined the common objective of how to achieve universal access to technology, information, and communication resources for people with disabilities and senior citizens around the world.
The M-Enabling Summit, organized by E.J. Krause & Associates and G3ict, in cooperation with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), featured one of the highest quality programs encompassing a variety of topics from sectors including education, senior services, rehabilitation, travel and transportation, gaming, mobile e-commerce and emergency response. Leading solutions for physical, visual and speech impairments, hard of hearing, as well as learning and cognitive disabilities were showcased. The Summit also reviewed how mobile applications and services leveraging the latest accessibility innovations embedded in smartphones and tablets are playing a key role in rapidly transforming these sectors.
With more than one billion potential users worldwide, accessible and assistive solutions are at the forefront of the mobile industry as a whole, opening a wide window for new market opportunities. Persons with disabilities alone now encompass the largest minority group with discretionary spending capacity, over $220 billion. Further, accessible technology and solutions are not limited to seniors and those with disabilities, but are now being used as adapted sources for customizable technology for all.
The M-Enabling Summit acted as a powerful catalyst for the development of accessible and assistive solutions. The success of the Summit clearly indicates that this key growth sector is helping to define where technology is going. The next M-Enabling Summit will be held in Washington, DC June 2014.