The National Academy of Inventors named Chieko Asakawa to its 2023 Class of Fellows, recognizing her impactful accessibility technology innovations.
On March 31, 2023, the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) announced Chieko Asakawa's inclusion in its 2023 Class of Fellows, one of the highest professional distinctions accorded to academic inventors.
Election to NAI Fellow status recognizes individuals whose patented inventions have made a tangible impact on the welfare of society, quality of life, and economic development, and who have demonstrated a spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions.
The honor acknowledged Asakawa's extensive patent portfolio in accessible computing, spanning from her foundational Home Page Reader patents through her later work on AI-driven navigation aids, and situated her among an elite international community of inventor-scholars.
Her selection as an NAI Fellow reflected continued recognition, well into the 2020s, of her sustained impact on the field of accessibility engineering — a career that by this point spanned nearly four decades, from her early work at IBM Research–Tokyo through her professorship and research at Carnegie Mellon University and her leadership role in Japan's technology and science institutions.