It’s that time of the year where we reflect on the successes and achievements of the past twelve months. Here at Stark, that means we’re looking back at 2023 and celebrating all the progress we’ve collectively made on our quest for a more inclusive world. And wow, what a year it was!

The 2023 Stark Accessibility Year in Review report is jam-packed with major achievements and successful progress across 6 categories: Gaming, Politics, Entertainment, Technology, Workplace, and the Stark Community.

And for those of you who’ve been impatiently waiting, there’s also a new Stark Award winner in 2023! Make sure to read on and head to the report to see who it is.

Let’s dive into the highlights

This year, just like most areas of technology, AI has had a major impact on accessibility. We believe that as AI technologies become more widely available, product makers will be able to use the powers of this paradigm-changing technology to remove existing barriers for people with disabilities.

Gaming

Gaming remains an area where lots of accessibility innovation is happening. This year’s report features great work from Sony Playstation, Microsoft Xbox, and Nintendo. It’s no coincidence that last year the 2022 Stark Award went to the award-winning game “Harlow”. And we’re sure we’ll see more accessibility innovation in gaming in 2024.

AI and Accessibility

As said at the beginning, AI is driving some major advances in health tech as well as assistive technology. From brain implants that help people who were previously paralyzed walk again, to generating a personal voice people can use on their iPhones to communicate with others. It’s exciting how people with disabilities will benefit from these new technologies as users. What’s more, we love seeing how AI-powered multimodal interfaces make it easier for any person to be an innovator and creator themselves to build the world they envision.

Policy and Regulations

While many more companies are embracing inclusive design and accessibility as a core part of their product development philosophy, we’re still seeing many companies not making the necessary investments. Accessibility is a human right, and we’re encouraged to see new regulations being proposed, existing ones updated, and deadlines for compliance being set by many countries around the world.

Celebrating progress

We’re thrilled to see all the ways in which makers, activists, community members, and politicians are driving progress in creating products, services, and overall conditions that make the world more inclusive, equitable, and accessible for everyone. Our work will never be done but it’s encouraging and makes us optimistic to see the accelerating advancements that technology is enabling. 

Now, what are you waiting for? Go check out and share the 2023 Year in Review report, and let us know what your accessibility highlights were this year!