The Tech Policy Press Podcast Centering Disability Rights in US Tech Policy 35 Years After ADA
Jul 24, 2025
Maitreya Shah is the Director of Technology Policy at AAPD, advocating for the rights of people with disabilities. Ariana Aboulafia leads the Disability Rights and Technology Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology, focusing on equitable tech policies. Cynthia Bennett is a research scientist at Google, examining AI ethics and representation. They discuss the 35th anniversary of the ADA, the challenges of algorithmic bias, and the crucial need for collaboration in tech development to enhance accessibility and inclusion for disabled individuals.
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ADA's Digital Accessibility Challenge
- The ADA's examples focus on physical public places, making digital accessibility legally challenging.
- Courts struggle to apply ADA protections to websites and virtual spaces created after the law's passage.
AI's New Disability Biases
- AI-generated content about disabilities can perpetuate harmful stereotypes and misinformation.
- Existing accessibility guidelines don't yet address unpredictable AI outputs that affect disabled users.
Algorithmic Hiring Bias Example
- A disabled job applicant was repeatedly rejected by an automated platform, showing potential algorithmic bias.
- The issue goes beyond accessibility to the core of inclusion, privacy, and justice in tech.