“As we think about the hiring of people with disabilities, it’s so much connected to ensuring that all of their digital content is fully accessible so that they can do their job,” says Matt Ater, vice president, Vispero

WorkingNation sat down with Ater at the 2023 Disability:IN Conference in Orlando.

He says stereotypes contribute to underemployment among the community. “One is that we face every day in terms of people with disabilities – can we do the job? We live in a world of stereotypes. That’s really hard to get away from that.”

Ater continues, “Part of it is the fact that the employer or the people that are doing the hiring don’t understand what the capabilities of that person are. We make automatic assumptions. I’m never going to be someone who drives a car, so they’re probably not going to hire me to drive a bus, fly an airplane, things of that nature. But if I was hired by an airline company, does it mean I can’t be a call center agent? Does it mean I can’t be a manager?”

He explains the work of Vispero. “We make technology so blind people can work. That includes things like screen reading technology, low vision devices, braille devices that allow someone like myself to make print big enough or be able to feel the print that’s on the computer screen with digital braille, talking computers, things of that nature.”

He says, “Then the other side of the business is an accessibility firm who helps companies solve accessibility issues for both employees of their company or for customers of their companies. That includes their websites, their mobile apps, the applications the employees use all day, the self-service kiosks, whatever it may be.”

Learn more about Vispero.