Today, I’m writing from Houston, at the annual convention of the National Federation of the Blind – an event I attended for the first time 26 years ago in New Orleans. Then, I was a bright-eyed national scholarship winner, amazed in my teenage years at the people I met who embodied the limitless possibilities of the employment, education, and empowerment of blind Americans. One of those individuals is now my husband, “Ali” (Chris) Foster. This blog post is a collaboration between the two of us because he is the geeky techie among us who is giddy about new discoveries and technological ingenuity!

The spirit of imagination and innovation that propelled inclusion which I experienced then continues to power this year’s high-octane gathering. Take, for instance, the NFB’s role in the development of self-driving cars. I watched with cautious optimism the video about how a blind person could perhaps – not so futuristically – take total and independent control of getting from one far-away destination to the next without delays on public transportation or Uber.

While those delays may affect more than blind people, our freedom of movement has been particularly restricted – not just by inaccessible technological or architectural structures but also the attitudinal barriers signaling how “it just isn’t safe” for blind people to go it alone. Autonomous vehicles could open up limitless possibilities of liberation for us and for many more minoritized populations, especially those minoritized by socioeconomic challenges and the financial inability to buy a car.

Waymo’s partnership with the NFB is a model of inclusion, as they continue to develop their products with disability – and specifically blindness – in mind. Organizations that collaborate with stakeholders who are affected by their actions embody the true definition of inclusion.

But with new discoveries come unanticipated challenges and complexities. NFB President Mark Riccobono was quick to gush about autonomous vehicles. Research suggests fully autonomous vehicles have demonstrated that they can react and make decisions under many driving conditions. However, a recent article raises a valid concern: while the AI which powers autonomous cars is intelligent in its own right, is it capable of countering the retained biases of its developers? What about those conditions that test the ethics of the human heart and human brain? How might and should a fully autonomous vehicle react?

Imagine the trolley problem: you’re riding in a trolley without functioning brakes, headed toward two tracks from which you can choose. On the current track stand five people who would certainly be injured and could be killed if the trolley continues on its path. You have access to a switch that would make the trolley change to the other track, but another individual stands there. That person will certainly be killed if the switch is activated. What should the trolley car do?

One hopes an autonomous car would never have to make such a decision, but the question must still be asked. Even with assistance, blind people from history to the present have always had some agency when traveling near or far. When a vehicle is piloted by a machine, is that agency gone? Whose responsibility is it if the vehicle hits a dark-skinned pedestrian? How would a blind person be able to control for bias or mistakes in the artificial intelligence powering the autonomous vehicle?

My husband and I agreed we would like to try riding in a fully autonomous vehicle. We feel, given the unknowns, we would likely be most comfortable utilizing a vehicle closer to home, especially in a more populated urban area with clear pedestrian crossings and in a range where we would likely have to travel predictable routes with shorter distances.

However, we’re queasy about driving between Las Vegas, Nevada and Bakersfield, California, a longer distance in which much of the terrain is through desert and some mountains. What would we do if there were a mechanical failure or an accident? Would we be able and equally equipped to react as much as any reasonable person with sight operating an autonomous vehicle? What clues would the artificial intelligence powering the vehicle give us, and what controls would we have that are innate to our ethics, intelligence, and judgment?

My husband and I do not reject technological innovation or imagination. We are excited that the NFB is working with companies and collaborators to power the changes that will transform our lives. But as we welcome these transformations, we also take a moment to ponder the work remaining to ensure that equity and inclusion are components that enhance accessibility. And that’s why we’re staunch advocates of intersectional identities informing the creation of products and services, including autonomous vehicles and machine learning broadly.

What are your thoughts on autonomous vehicles? Are you wary, or excited to see what they become? Tell me in the comments or on social media. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Until next time!