Apple Celebrates the Determination and Sacrifice That Is Shared by All Athletes, with or without Disabilities

Apple's latest accessibility-focused short film sends a powerful and timely message of equity in the world of athletics. The film was directed by Derek Cianfrance (Sound of Metal, Blue Valentine) and documents eight incredible athletes competing in a four-stage, real-time relay race. Apple’s film celebrates the grit, determination and sacrifice that is shared by all athletes, with or without disabilities.

While competition between athletes with and without disabilities is common, it’s rarely portrayed on screen. “The Relay” dives into the real lives of eight incredible athletes as they train to compete alongside a non-disabled counterpart in a four-stage relay and spotlights Apple’s strong belief that accessibility is a basic human right. The film aims to raise awareness about the innovative accessibility features created by Apple, and how this technology is being used to create a more equitable playing field for everyone.

The film stars highly competitive athletes from around the world, some of whom are contenders for the global stage in Los Angeles in 2028. The lineup includes a cyclist with an upper limb difference, a wheelchair racer, a low-vision swimmer, and a blade runner. 

Accessibility is one of Apple’s core values and has been built into Apple products for almost 40 years. Whether you’re a sprinter, wheelchair racer, track cyclist, or swimmer, features like the Workout app on Apple Watch, Sleep metrics, and daily exercise goals — along with the ability to record and analyse your performance on iPad and Mac — ensure all athletes have the tools they need to train and compete at their best. 

Additional features like Point and Speak on iPhone for users with low vision, and AssistiveTouch, which allows those with upper-limb differences to use Apple Watch one-handed, further empower adaptive athletes to excel equally. 

Accessibility Features on Apple Devices:

• Spoken Content on iPhone: Reads text out loud for blind and low-vision users, helpful for reading Sleep metrics and other text.
• AssistiveTouch on Apple Watch: Enables users with upper-limb differences to operate the Apple Watch without touching the screen, useful for silencing alarms, navigating apps, and making selections.
• Magnifier + Point and Speak on iPhone: Allows blind and low-vision users to point at text on nearby physical objects and have it read aloud, useful for identifying swim lanes.
• Wheelchair Workouts on the Workout app for Apple Watch: Provides two unique options for wheelchair users to track their workouts: Outdoor Wheelchair Walk Pace and Outdoor Wheelchair Run Pace.
• The film also features third-party apps like the GoSwim app, which helps swimmers analyse their technique on iPad, MATLAB on Mac for visualising aerodynamic data, and the my i-limb app for iPhone from Össur, which allows users to control the grip of their bionic prosthetics.

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