The Forbes list recognizes the top global organizations 'changing the world of accessibility.'
The University Health Network’s KITE Research Institute has been named to the Forbes' Accessibility 100 list, recognizing its leadership in the field.
The list features the best organizations worldwide working in accessibility and disability, alongside notable groups such as Apple, Nike, and Google.
“KITE's hundreds of scientists and trainees have devoted themselves to improving accessibility through their research and innovations,” said KITE Director Milos R. Popovic. “It's an honour to be recognized for our impact through the Forbes' Accessibility 100 alongside other prestigious institutions."
This is the first year Forbes has created an Accessibility 100 list. It announced who made the list on June 17 during a live panel at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
“[The groups on this list] are revolutionizing how people get around, learn, communicate, work, play sports, travel, and so much more,” said Alan Schwarz, Forbes Assistant Managing Editor. “Their impact on people’s lives is monumental – and will only be getting more so soon.”
To determine who to include, Forbes conducted more than 400 interviews and sought feedback from an expert advisory board. “Emphasis was placed on breadth of true impact across the widest landscape,” Forbes said in an article about the new list. It described KITE as a place where products are “put through the wringer by the people they’re actually designed for (as well as more than 200 scientists and graduate students).”
KITE is one of only six Canadian organizations on the list. The others from Canada are AccessNow, Trexo Robotics, Humanware, Fable and All Access Life.
In an accompanying feature story, Forbes highlighted “the curb-cut effect,” where changes meant to help disabled people, such as curb cuts or inventions like electric toothbrushes, end up being helpful to people without disabilities as well. Several prominent companies are promoting that kind of universal design on the Accessible 100 list, including Procter & Gamble and Apple.
It also shared the business potential in this area. “Accessibility has been an ignored space from investment capital,” Paul Kent, managing partner of the Disabled Life Alliance, said in the piece. “It’s been thought of as a small market, which is ridiculous. There’s a massive return associated with this.”