ICT Accessibility Testing Symposium

The ICT Accessibility Testing Symposium took place Monday May 16 to Wednesday May 18, 2022, online. Find out more at 2022ict.org.

Opening Keynote

Experiences as a Test Driver: The Blind Driver Challenge and its impact on technology, accessibility, and new possibilities for independence;

May 16th, 2022.
11:00 AM Eastern Time, 15:00 UTC.

This Keynote Speech was a free broadcast event provided by the organizers of the ICT Accessibility Testing Symposium. Opening remarks from the conference chairs began at 11am ET on May 16th, 2022, and were followed by Mark Riccobono’s keynote speech. The session was due to end at 12:15 ET. Find the full conference program at the ICT 2022 website.

Mark Riccobono, President, National Federation of the Blind

The Blind Driver Challenge is the commitment to pursuing the development of innovative nonvisual interfaces that might be used to empower blind people with the information necessary to drive. On January 29, 2011, our NFB Blind Driver Challenge™ demonstration of the prototype nonvisual interface that makes it possible for a blind person to independently drive a car made history at 11:30 a.m. EST, preceding the Rolex 24 at the Daytona International Speedway. Mark Riccobono became the first blind driver by independently driving 1.5 miles of the road course at Daytona in a demonstration that included avoiding static and dynamic obstacles, driving a number of turns and straight aways, and passing another vehicle.

In 2022, NFB collaborated with Dan Parker to build and operate a car to attempt to break the Guinness Book World Record for the “Fastest Speed for a Car Driven Blindfolded”, which was achieved at 211.043 miles per hour on Thursday, March 31.