ARVR POLICY CONFERENCE TO DISCUSS ACCESSIBILITY AND PRIVACY IN THE AUGMENTED WORKPLACE
Washington, D.C. – XRA and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) will host the sixth annual AR/VR Policy Conference in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, September 24, 2026, bringing together policymakers, industry leaders, and experts to examine the most pressing issues shaping immersive technology.
A featured panel, “The Augmented Workplace: Balancing Accessibility, Workplace Opportunity, and Bystander Privacy,” will explore how AI-powered wearables are opening new doors for workers with disabilities, enhancing on-the-job productivity, and creating more accessible workplace environments. The panel will also address concerns regarding the always-on cameras and sensors of these devices and their effect on the privacy of bystanders who can be recorded, identified, or analyzed without their knowledge or consent.
Reflecting on recent 2025-2026 EEOC guidance regarding wearables, panelists will discuss how to implement “Privacy by Design”, as well as explore technical and policy solutions such as the standardization of “active recording” indicators and how to handle data minimization in sensitive environments. This session seeks to move beyond the “privacy vs. access” binary to find a framework that protects everyone in frame.
