Google Ireland opens the doors to its first dedicated Accessibility Discovery Centre to drive R&D in accessible technology
March 2024: Google opened a dedicated accessibility space where Google engineers, researchers and wider product teams will focus on driving new innovation in accessible technology to help to remove some of the barriers that people with disabilities face everyday.
Attended the first tour of the Accessibility Discovery Centre
The ‘Accessibility Discovery Centre’ has been built in consultation with local partners including Neurodiversity Ringsend, Irishtown & Pearse Street, Neurodiversity Ireland, Spinal Injuries Ireland, ADHD Ireland, the National Disability Authority, Fighting Blindness and Google’s internal Disability Alliance employee resource group. Not only a workshop for research and product development, the centre will be a space for cross-industry learning, sharing information and building greater understanding and empathy among the accessibility community.
The centre will also facilitate tours to increase awareness of the power of technology to empower those with disabilities. These tours will include real life examples of new technologies empowering people with disabilities via a series of interactive zones and gaming zones that bring to life the ways people with disabilities interact with technology. The opening is also an acknowledgement that there is much more to do to meet people’s ever changing needs, allowing Google to learn from and partner with accessibility and disability communities to keep improving and innovating for users.
Pictured also: Rachel Rooney, Coordinator of the Ringsend Community Services forum, Eileen Nalty, Youth Worker at Talk About Youth Project, St Andrews, Liz Watson and Doloris Wilson visited the centre to learn more about the various accessibility technologies.
Marine Skills Training Programme Graduation
Minister Paschal Donohoe presented certificates to the graduates of the Marine Skills.
