In addition to three decades of analyzing the future of the telecoms and its related technology and industries, Chris Lewis is now working with many stakeholders in the disability world to ensure that the estimated disabled billion people can get access to the digital lifestyle that many now consider a basic human right.
Registered blind from an early age, Chris has a foot in both camps and is a prime position to advise the telecoms, mobile, device and applications providers on making their products and services most accessible, as well as helping them understand the major economic potential of this enormous market.
Chris works with a variety of charities as well as the industry players to define accessibility into product development and life cycles. Recent projects include:
- GSMA: at the last 2 Mobile World Congresses in Barcelona, Chris presented and chaired workshops on accessibility and how it is developing from a mobile perspective
- Report on different aspects of accessibility, sponsored by Telefonica, addressing the broad economic and technology issues which will bring accessibility to the fore
- Workshops with mobile operators senior management on how accessibility is becoming a key identifiable and lucrative market to address
- White papers and articles on the role of accessibility and the Internet of Things (IOT) and how personalisation, smart cities all have a major disability angle
- Training of retail specialists for the mobile operators on how important accessibility is as a segment and how to approach and work with disabled people
As well as ongoing work with the Royal National Institute for Blind People (RNIB) and chairing the UK Vision 2020 strategy group Technology For Life (TFL), Chris has upcoming events with the Royal School of Medicine all linking the technology and disability markets.
Lewis Insight 