1.3 billion people live with disability worldwide

Most products aren't designed with everyone in mind.

Access Insights embeds research directly inside the communities being left behind, creating alongside people with disabilities and older adults so that what gets built actually works for the people who need it most.

The gap we're closing

Accessibility begins with inclusion.

Products fail in the real world because they are validated in labs, not lives. People with disabilities are brought in at the end, as test subjects, not as cocreators. Older adults are ignored entirely. The result: technology that does not fit, is not adopted, and does not help.

We fix that by embedding research inside real communities, where the friction, the workarounds, and the genuine needs are visible from day one.

  • 1.3 billion people globally live with a significant disability.

  • 16 percent of the world's population are people with disabilities, the largest minority group.

  • 13 trillion dollars in spending power is held by people with disabilities and their networks.

  • 70 percent of assistive technologies are abandoned within the first year of use.

How we work

Every engagement puts people with disabilities and older adults at the center, not as passive participants, but as collaborators who shape what gets built and how.

  • Lived Experience Advisory

    Rapid insight sessions with real participants in authentic community settings. Fast, credible direction for product teams.

  • Co Design & Usability Sprints

    Multisession programs where participants co design, validating usability and surfacing friction before a product is built.

  • Longitudinal In Setting Pilots

    Extended pilots embedded inside residential and community environments, tracking adoption and real life integration over time.

  • Annual Research Retainers

    Priority Living Labs access bundled with multiple engagements across the year, built for teams with ongoing research programs.

  • Academic Research Partnerships

    Sponsored research and grant funded studies with full IRB support, real world participant access, and translational research infrastructure.

  • Co Development Spaces

    Opt in community environments where residents participate as collaborators from day one, shaping problem selection, design, and outcomes.

The people

Our team brings together disability rights pioneers, veterans in accessibility research and design, and community grounded technologists, united by a shared belief that the best innovation starts with lived experience.

  • Darryl Adams

    Founder

    AI and accessibility strategist focused on inclusive innovation and real world impact. Darryl helps organizations turn emerging technologies into practical solutions that improve how people live and work.

  • Lex Frieden

    Senior Advisor

    Chief architect of the ADA and a founder of the independent living movement; five decades shaping U.S. and international disability policy.

  • Richard Beckwith

    Research Fellow

    Research psychologist specializing in AI, disability, and aging, coauthor of foundational work separating aging research from accessibility.

  • Becky Chierichetti

    Design Research Lead

    UX researcher exploring AI, mixed reality, and accessibility at the boundary of physical and digital worlds.

  • Marco Beltman

    Research Fellow, Sensory Technology

    Principal engineer with a PhD in acoustics, 39 patents, and a volunteer raft guide opening rivers to people of all abilities.

  • Pete Denman

    Interaction Design Lead

    Designer who rebuilt Stephen Hawking's communication system, a wheelchair user channeling lived experience into inclusive design.

  • Susan Faulkner

    Research Director

    User experience researcher and leader with over 30 years of experience delivering high-impact results focused on accessibility.

Partner with us

If you design products for humans, your product touches the lives of people with disabilities. Inclusivity can make a profound difference in their lives and in your business. We can help you build with them; let's talk about how.

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