UserWay Uses Siri's Voice to Promote Web Accessibility

UserWay, a web accessibility company, has launched a campaign featuring the voice actor behind Apple's Siri virtual assistant to raise areness about web accessibility.

The UserWay campaign features Susan Bennett, the voice behind Siri. Bennett walks through a neighborhood assisting individuals with different tasks, like directions and calorie information, as Siri would. However, Bennett explains that she is limited in her ability to help people with disabilities due to inaccessible websites. The video finishes with Bennett calling on websites to make use of the UserWay artificial intelligence-powered widget to create a more inclusive web.

UserWay's widget uses AI to identify accessibility issues on websites and automatically alters the code in real time to resolve them. The widget also offers various opt-in usability and accessibility enhancements, like increased color contrast, text size adjustments, and an onboard screen reader.

"We are always looking for new ways to creatively promote accessibility," UserWay's founder and CEO, Allon Mason, said in a statement. "Working with Susan felt like the right move. Not only is she a voice that everyone knows, but Siri is also one of the most helpful tools when it comes to web accessibility. Voice activation is a huge aid for so many people navigating websites that we felt compelled to include her in our narrative."

"I feel honored to be included in such an important project, Bennett said in a statement. "UserWay is bringing light to an issue most people aren't even aware of. Being Siri made me the doorway to online services for millions of people, and I am excited to raise my unique voice and open those doors further, particularly to people with disabilities."