Tech for good: what’s new?

A recent conference hosted by the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) dedicated one of its four panel discussions to inclusion, involving people with disability, and technology.It was hoped that discussions could help bring understanding to what needs to be done for people with a disability, particularly when it comes to ‘inclusive’ design — making products and services available for everyone.Earlier this year Microsoft got on board with this tech for good movement that supports disabled gamers. It started off with the Inclusive Technologies Lab, a space with a ‘gaming for everyone’ goal that works to help change the assumptions about what accessibility really means for people.The release of the Xbox adaptive controllerfully supports this movement. Microsoft has given gamers with disabilities and accessibly issues the opportunity to get stuck into their games without having anything hold them back.From customised touch panels to USB-C foot paddle interaction and analogue sticks you can control with your breath, this controller has opened up a lot of opportunities for gaming communities. They are Windows 10 adaptive and don't require any additional setup, so getting online to play takes no time at all.Technology has changed so many aspects of our lives, but sometimes it’s hard to know what the good and the bad changes are. So, hats off to Microsoft for giving us a reason to feel positive about the future of tech… We hope other tech giants follow suit!