The Role of Technology in Enhancing Disability And Access Products
The role of technology in the lives of those who are disabled continues to grow daily. Innovations in disability and access products are paving the way for a future where the disabled live lives free from barriers that do not affect those who are not disabled. These products and systems make life more accessible and fairer for those who must work through the challenge of their disability every day.
What Are Disability And Access Products?
According to Anglia Lifts a stairlift and home lift company based in Peterborough “Disability and access products is an umbrella term that encompasses all products that aid anyone who is disabled to access the world more easily.“ This includes wheelchairs, automatic doors, prosthetics, hearing and speech aids, and many more products.
As our understanding of how these disabilities affect people’s lives deepens and how new technologies can be used to increase their level of comfort and access, new and exciting innovations continue to be developed.
How Does Assistive Technology Help Those with Disabilities?
Reads Text and Coursework for Visually or Reading Impaired Persons
For some, regular courses are not an option. Coursework can now be done remotely (for those with mobility disabilities) and with a variety of aids to allow those who are visually or reading impaired to take the courses just as any other student would. Technologies that can read text and dictate the coursework allow this to happen.
Virtual Keyboards Allow Disabled People to Access the Internet and Type
Virtual keyboards can be used by accessing eye-track systems that use eye movement to control keyboard actions. This can be very helpful for those with very limited or no access to their hands, such as accident victims or paraplegics.
Turns Text to Braille
For the visually impaired, courses and text can be turned into braille on a moveable, pin-driven system that turns text from a screen to a braille tablet that a user has at their desk or in their hands. For blind students, this has been a game changer.
These are only a few of the technologies that have been deployed in the search for a more accessible and fairer world. As AI-driven technologies continue to be developed, you can be sure that there will be more innovative and creative solutions to disability and access products in the near future.
Who Benefits from Disability & Access Products Enhanced by Technology?
The list of those who benefit from disability and access products that are enhanced by technology is long and grows every day. As the tech gets better, so do the solutions it can provide, giving more disabled people better access to the world which was once behind certain barriers. Who benefits from these new technologies?
Visually Impaired
From the completely blind to those that are only partially visually impaired, these new technologies open a world of opportunity in the academic world and the professional world, as well as in the recreational space.
People with Physical Disabilities
Physical disabilities are harder to overcome with technological breakthroughs but there is progress being made in designing new and easier-to-use equipment that would make access to the internet and other computer-based media simpler and more effective.
Hearing Impaired
Better software leads to better hearing aids and increased computing power helps to translate the spoken word to either text or braille, helping the hearing impaired to fully experience the world around them.
Learning Impaired
These technologies can help to find better ways to teach those with learning impairments, giving them a better shot at living a well-adjusted and normal life.
