As healthcare increasingly relies on digital tools, the Independence Blue Cross (IBX) Foundation is helping expand access to digital accessibility training and career pathways through support for the American Foundation for the Blind’s (AFB) Regional Digital Accessibility Bootcamp, an intensive internship program pilot.
The Foundation recently joined AFB leadership, AFB Bootcamp interns, and students at the Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Chester, Pa., to highlight the program’s impact.
Supported through the Foundation’s Community Health Institute, AFB’s pilot is the organization’s first regional cohort model and its first to focus on healthcare. The program brings together students with and without disabilities, including students who are blind or have low vision, from colleges and universities across the region for hands-on accessibility training. Building on AFB’s established digital accessibility internship program, the initiative is designed to cultivate a collaborative pipeline of professionals prepared to advance accessible healthcare technology and inclusive design. At the Chester event, cohort members shared their bootcamp experiences, discussed advancements in digital accessibility, and highlighted pathways to higher education and careers for students who are blind or visually impaired.
“We’re proud to support innovative programs that prepare the next generation of leaders while helping ensure healthcare technology is accessible to everyone,” said Heather Major, president of the Independence Blue Cross Foundation. “As healthcare becomes increasingly digital, initiatives like this one play an important role in building the workforce needed to improve health outcomes across our communities.”
“The future of accessibility depends on investing in the next generation of innovators who understand how inclusive design can improve lives,” said Eric Bridges, CEO of the American Foundation for the Blind. “Through this program, students gain hands-on experience addressing real-world challenges while collaborating with peers through our new regional cohort model. We are grateful to the Independence Blue Cross Foundation for supporting this important work.”
The IBX Foundation Community Health Institute is catalyzing community health initiatives for regional impact and national scale. The Institute funds medical education and care models that are improving health outcomes: transforming medical education for a stronger and better prepared physician workforce and advancing community care innovation through new ideas and technologies in health and social care.
