Blind Engineer, Jordyn Castor, Explains Her Commitment to Improving Apple’s Famed Accessibility Platform

Apple has for long placed a great emphasis on developing technology that’s equally accessible by all — including those adversely affected by any sensory or motor disabilities. And, to that end, the Cupertino-company has invested heavily in the advancement of its iOS, OS X, and watchOS software platforms in an effort to accomplish this goal.

And while the fruits of Apple’s persistent efforts to expand access to the differently abled have been thoroughly enjoyed by many — including myself, we bet you didn’t know that one of the many driving forces behind the Silicon Valley tech-giant’s successful, and still progressing efforts, is actually a woman who’s completely blind from birth.

Indeed, allow us to introduce to you Jordyn Castor, who, as a recent Apple hire, is now one of Apple’s many talented software engineers. Her focus, you might be wondering, is helping Apple develop new technologies for implementation on the iOS, OS X, watchOS, and other platforms, so as to benefit the greater good of those less abled.

Castor had been using different accessibility tools for the majority of her life, however, her fascination with Apple products, in particular — as effective accessibility tools, began when she was gifted an iPad for her 17th birthday. She says she was so impressed that she could use it right out of the box, that the device single-handedly fueled her passion for technology to levels they’d never reached before.

“Everything just worked and was accessible just right out of the box,” Castor explained to Mashable. “That was something I had never experienced before.”

In a story that I honestly believe would make a great novel, Castor ultimately went on to study Engineering at Michigan State University; and, upon being hired by Apple as an intern following an early 2015 job fair, was almost immediately scooped up by the Cupertino-company to join its team as a full-time Engineer.

Castor explained in an exclusive interview with Mashable that she programs code using a combination of alphanumeric braille-based input methods. She also told Mashable that, while she thoroughly enjoys relying on Braille to read meeting agendas and notes — given that she can actually “see” the grammar, punctuation, and spelling of words, she nevertheless relies almost entirely on Apple’s VoiceOver feature when navigating her iPad for work or leisure.

Some of Castor’s recent work includes adding accessibility support to Apple’s all-new Swift Playgrounds app for iPad — which, as an app intended to teach a younger generation of people how to code, was unveiled at the Cupertino-company’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) last month.

Castor’s role at Apple will be a vital one moving forward — especially as the company continues to develop and expand upon its existing accessibility features, and as it gears up to release a slew of new ones this fall. Apple’s watchOS 3, for instance, will feature some new accessibility tools baked in — including the ability for users to receive vibration pattern-based notifications of the current time. And, on the desktop side of the spectrum, macOS Sierra will also feature its own Siri client — which is poised to greatly expand the potential for a user’s interaction with Mac via the sound of our voice.

You can check out Castor’s heartwarming interview: “Pursuing a Dream and Beating the Odds” below!