Everyday technology that benefit people with disabilities
by Beth
Stevie Wonder and the panel
It’s pretty cool that so many companies make assistive devices and can come up with special technology for those of us who have disabilities, but what I think is really cool are devices and technology that we can use the same way average users do.
So I was very interested in reading an interview with Stephen Ewell, the executive director of the CTA Foundation (an organization launched by the Consumer Technology Association) about how people with disabilities can use some technologies that are the same as what everyone else uses. “Some people want a special device designed specifically for them,” Ewell told Power More, a news site with technology, business, and gadget-geek information from the Dell Inc. “But in many cases they don’t want a device that’s different from anyone else’s.”
Power More asked Ewell about everything from robots to wearables, virtual reality to automated driving. I must say, my ears really perked up when I heard him say that CTA Foundation gives out around a half- million dollars a year in grants to non-profits that work to help people with disabilities use technology.
The interview is done in layman’s language. For example, when Ewell was asked what noteworthy assistive technologies he saw at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show, he gave a simple answer: virtual reality. “When you look at the opportunity for particularly homebound individuals who aren’t able to leave their apartments or leave their homes on a regular basis that easily, I can see some really interesting opportunities to engage and see the world through the modern virtual reality.”
The interview really was interesting, and it gave me hope that I’ll be able to keep up with technology. Check it out.