Chancey Fleet: Dark Patterns in Accessibility Tech

In her talk, Data & Society Fellow Chancey Fleet describes “the state of non-visual access to everyday digital interactions” as an area that deeply needs and deserves more attention and exploration by those working in tech. Such “encoded inhospitality” is not intended to cause harm. Rather, most of these “dark patterns” within our everyday technology are developed and designed without insight from the blind community.

Chancey Fleet, a Brooklyn-based accessibility advocate, coordinates technology education programs at the New York Public Library’s Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library. Chancey was recognized as a 2017 Library Journal Mover and Shaker. She writes and presents to disability rights groups, policy-makers, and professionals about the intersections of disability and technology. During her fellowship, she advanced public understanding of and explored best practices for visual interpreter services as well as other technologies for accessibility whose implications resonate with the broader global conversations about digital equity, data ethics, and privacy. She proudly serves as the Vice President of the National Federation of the Blind of New York.