- Apple has a new video for the International Day of People with Disabilities
- It is not your typical accessibility video.
- Highlights a wide range of Apple’s accessibility features.
They’re not “brave,” “remarkable,” or “inspiring,” but I think it’s safe to say that the students with disabilities who participated in Apple’s latest International Day of People with Disabilities film (December 3) produced an extraordinary, moving video, reminding us that they are just people—messy, wonderful people.
Throughout the video—which, naturally, highlights all the accessibility features Apple offers across its entire product line, including Magnifier on macOS, Braille Access, Assistive Touch on Apple Watch, Live Captions, and more—we see students use tools like gestures on the Apple Watch and Name Recognition (text alerts when the phone detects someone calling their name) to connect with other students and study both in and out of the classroom.
Despite the message, it is difficult not to be moved by the often joyful moments contained in the video. These students with disabilities, ranging from vision to hearing and mobility to missing limbs, sing, dance, navigate campus life, and demonstrate that they are not trying to be special, but simply want to do what everyone else does. Taking advantage of Apple’s accessibility tools certainly helps. But there is more than that.
Look
While the video, directed by Kim Gehrig, is a firm reminder that none of these young people are trying to be inspirational, perhaps they are providing some examples of strong self-determination. The young woman who draws with an Apple Pencil on an iPad using her toes (see above) is doing what she loves and is not trying to demonstrate any special ability, at least not beyond her impressive drawing skills.
Ultimately, accessibility tools are not about improving capabilities; it’s about ensuring that students like them can experience learning, creativity, and socialization in the same way as students without disabilities.
It’s a strong message, uplifting, occasionally funny, and perhaps a depiction of the disabled we haven’t seen before.
As they say in the video, “
“I’m only notable because everyone else is.”
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