Oracle is committed to creating accessible technologies and products that enhance the overall workplace environment and contribute to the productivity of our employees, customers, and users. Oracle’s leadership in accessibility standards and industry consortia enable us to drive innovations in global web accessibility and create accessible products for our customers. The Oracle Accessibility Program defines the corporate standards for accessibility, and develops materials for employees so that they can successfully create products that meet those standards.
In 2024, Oracle established a collaboration with the European Disability Forum (EDF) with the aim to raise awareness on key accessibility standards and support the accessibility community. The first joint activity between Oracle and EDF in 2024 included an online webinar that discussed how standards improve accessibility in ICT and can support the implementation of accessibility legislation. EDF has published a blog post on that webinar.
On September 11, 2025, EDF hosted an online fireside chat with Oracle to discuss the practical implementation of accessibility in ICT products and services. The contribution of artificial intelligence (AI) to accessibility was also discussed. Conclusions from the event have been published by EDF.
Catherine Naughton, Executive Director, European Disability Forum, said:
“EDF welcomes the collaboration with Oracle in raising awareness about ICT accessibility standards. We appreciate Oracle’s commitment to creating increasingly accessible technologies and products for the workplace, and hope that businesses and disability organisations like ours keep working together towards a more inclusive and accessible society.”
Heather VanCura, Vice President, External Standards and Community Engagement at Oracle, said:
“The collaboration with the European Disability Forum supports our vision on accessibility that is built on collaboration, innovation, and standardization. Through the collaboration we are able to understand the requirements from a diverse set of accessibility stakeholders and provide solutions to the broadest range of our customers.”
In partnership with accessibility professional organizations such as EDF, Oracle amplifies the impact for all persons globally. Oracle relies on these organizations and their members to understand requirements from a wide range of existing and potential Oracle customers. Cooperating with organizations of persons with disabilities and accessibility experts brings significant added value, including authentic user insights, better product design, and continuous improvement, in addition to demonstrating an ongoing commitment to social responsibility. These partnerships facilitate ongoing feedback and testing, fostering continuous improvement in accessibility initiatives. In short, accessibility requires ongoing commitment, training, collaboration, and responsiveness across Oracle.
Successfully implementing accessibility in Oracle requires a comprehensive, sustained approach that goes beyond technical fixes or compliance checklists. Key ingredients for success include leadership support and prioritization, clear accessibility policies and standards, cross-functional collaboration, employee training on accessibility best practices, involvement of people with disabilities in feedback and testing, regular monitoring and testing for accessibility, and processes for continuous improvement and feedback.
Artificial intelligence can remove barriers for persons with disabilities, such as Oracle’s OCI AI Speech Service, a cloud-based service that provides artificial intelligence-powered voice capabilities including speech recognition (converting spoken words into text) and text-to-speech (converting written text into natural-sounding spoken audio). These services are commonly used in applications like voice assistants, call centers, virtual agents, and accessibility tools.
Oracle’s commitment to accessibility is part of our broader commitment to building standards-based products that help customers reduce complexity and get the most out of their existing technology investments. Oracle builds products that are used daily by millions of people across dozens of industries in countries worldwide, on standards developed by international organizations and industry consortia. In addition to standards organizations, Oracle is both a contributor and leader in open-source communities – we are a supporting member of the Linux Foundation, Cloud Native Computing Foundation, Eclipse Foundation, and the Java Community Process program, among others. Oracle participates actively in more than 100 standards-setting organizations and more than 300 technical committees, and thousands of our employees are actively engaged in standards or open-source projects.
The collaboration with EDF shows Oracle’s commitment to accessibility. Cooperating with organizations of persons with disabilities and accessibility experts brings significant added value, and Oracle’s OCI AI Speech Service is a prime example of the way artificial intelligence can remove barriers for persons with disabilities. More information about Oracle’s work on standards and accessibility can be found on the sections of Oracle’s website dedicated to Oracle’s Accessibility Program and Standards at Oracle.