Accessibility initiatives at Sony
Accessibility initiatives at Sony
Our purpose is to "Fill the world with emotion, through the power of creativity and technology." At Sony, we're promoting inclusive design*1 and other initiatives to improve accessibility and to create a future shared by everyone.
- *1Inclusive design is an approach that obtains new insights into designs for all by ensuring that the needs of a wide range of users are understood and included.
Promoting accessibility and related educational activities
Sony promotes accessibility as a key part of its sustainability efforts throughout the Sony Group. Under the Senior Executive in charge of Sustainability, a team charged with promoting accessibility and inclusive design across the Group stands at the core of cooperative efforts with people responsible for boosting accessibility in the business units. Sony has established a globally consistent set of achievement standards and systems and is using them as the basis for continuous improvements in accessibility. To deepen employee understanding of accessibility, moreover, Sony conducts e-learning courses at major Sony Group companies and inclusive design workshops where employees work in teams with people with disabilities to conduct fieldwork, identify issues, and generate ideas.
Every May on Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) *2 lectures and events are held throughout the Sony Group to deepen understanding of accessibility.
- *2A day to talk, think and learn about accessibility and people with accessibility needs
Employee-driven activities
The Sony Group has an Employee Resources Group that works to enhance accessibility. Groups of employees take the initiative in providing support for employees with disabilities and regularly disseminate information on accessibility. For example, a team of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) employees in the U.S. and Europe played a central role in developing ABLE - Inclusive Language Guide that incorporates a wider range of perspectives. Sony Europe also held Accessibility Empathy Lab experience events at various workplaces. Through the use of simulation tools, participants’ mobility or vision were artificially reduced to allow a deeper understanding of the challenges faced, with demonstrations to show how technology can support people living with disabilities.
Promoting inclusive design
We promote inclusive design to ensure that more customers can use our products and services. For example, the Screen Reader function for digital cameras and the Access™ controller for PS5® were created by working together with employees and users with disabilities to study products and services and reflect their opinions in them.
Sony also incorporates these initiatives into the commercialization process to ensure that they are implemented not just in certain products and services, but in common throughout the Group. Employees with various disabilities registered in an internal monitor program provide feedback on products and services in the development stage and support the implementation of inclusive design.
Connecting with diverse customers
Exhibits at accessibility-related events in each region provide opportunities to improve Sony products and services through interactions with customers.
CSUN 2024 the explanatory staffEvent Initiatives
Sony drives initiatives to make our internal and external events accessible to as many participants as possible. For example, in response to requests from shareholders in the past, since 2016, "Notice of the Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders" on the Shareholders' Meeting webpage supports screen reader function so it can be understood by persons who are blind or with low vision. On the day of the Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders, in addition to the existing seating for users with wheelchair, we provide audio description of the contents of the slides projected on the screen at the venue through infrared receiver to participants who are blind or with low vision. We also provide summary transcription and sign language interpretation to shareholders who are deaf or hard of hearing in person, with similar support to people who are participating online.
Additionally, when exhibiting at domestic and global events related to accessibility, we ensure sufficient space for wheelchair access.
At CEATEC 2023, we had staff on hand, including sign language interpreters, to ensure our exhibits were considerate of visitors and provided support and reasonable adjustments when needed.
Collaborative Initiatives
Sony also cooperates with other companies in the area of accessibility. Sony participates in the "With My Eyes" project to bring "difficult to see" into "clearer sight" for people with low vision. As a supporting company, Sony works to enable people with low vision to take video and still images with their own eyes by attaching QD Laser, Inc. laser retinal projection devices to Sony's cameras. In partnership with WS Audiology, we have also entered the over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aid business in the U.S. market, providing people with hearing impairments and people who have hearing problems with products that can be comfortably adjusted to their own hearing needs.
Industry-wide initiatives
Our efforts towards improving accessibility through industry-wide standardization
Sony Europe serves as the chair of the Human Factor Committee, a committee under the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) (*3) that establishes European standards for ICT products and services. It produces the standards and guidelines related to usability and accessibility of systems, products and services. Sony Europe also serves as chair of TC 100, a committee under the international standardization organization (IEC) (*4), and leads the development of standards for accessibility related to audio-visual products and services and multimedia.
In 2024, a Sony Europe employee was granted "Thomas A. Edison Award" by IEC in recognition of outstanding achievements and contributions to IEC committee operations and the development and promotion of IEC standards.
- *3ETSI: European Telecommunications Standards Institute. It is a European Standards Organization (ESO). ETSI is recognized European standards body dealing with telecommunications, broadcasting and other electronic communications networks and services.
- *4IEC: International Electrotechnical Commission. An organization that prepares and publishes international standards for electrical and electronic technologies, made up of representatives from each participating country's national committee.
The Valuable 500
In December 2019, Sony joined The Valuable 500, an international initiative to help promote participation by individuals with disabilities so that they can demonstrate their latent potential to bring value to business, society, and the economy. From amongst the 500 signatories, Sony was selected as one of the Iconic Partner that will play a leading role in their country, region and industry.
Working to Enhance Sony Website Accessibility
Sony has established the Sony Group Web Accessibility Policy which sets forth the accessibility standards and compliance requirements for all Sony Group Companies’ websites. With the use of websites and other digital platforms continuing to rise, the policy seeks to ensure that Sony Group companies’ websites are designed and developed in a way that is accessible to all, including members of the disabled community and the elderly. Sony Group’s web accessibility requirements are aligned with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
Sony has been working with companies within the Sony Group in implementing the web accessibility policy and conducting checks to ensure compliance of our websites. Sony is also actively working towards providing more accessible video content that includes captions, transcripts and audio description.
To promote these efforts, Sony has regularly conducted a range of web accessibility training targeting different roles in the organization and will continue to do so in the future.
List of Awards
Examples of award-winning accessibility activities.
To find more about Sony group's initiatives on accessibility and disability inclusion, click here.
