How IoT Breaks Barriers for People with Disabilities

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Disabled people still face many barriers in everyday life. While the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) aimed to ameliorate some of these barriers, a lot of American institutions are still not accessible by those with disabilities, resulting in an unfair expectation of ableist standards even for those who are not able.

However, the digital age has been of use in areas where legislation has failed. The Internet of Things (IoT), in particular, has been aided in breaking barriers for people with disabilities. Here, we will look at how the IoT does this.

Disability and Barriers

First, let us understand what legally categorizes a person as disabled. According to Social Security rules, a person is disabled if he/she is no longer able to do the work they did before if Social Security decides that the person cannot adjust to other work because of medical conditions, and if the disability has lasted or is expected to last for a year or to result in death. Social Security uses a 5-step process to gauge whether a person meets this “strict definition of disability.”

For example, earning more than $1000 a month, or the ability to adjust to other skills that might earn employment generally disqualifies a person from the claim of disability. On the other hand “severe” conditions that fall under the purview of the Social Security Administration’s list of medical conditions, or inability to do work one did before, may strengthen the claim of disability.

People with disabilities are constantly faced with barriers. The World Health Organization describes barriers as factors that limit functioning. These range from physical barriers to attitudinal barriers, communication barriers to policy barriers, and more.

The Digital Divide

Although often overlooked, there is also a significant digital divide between individuals with disabilities and those without. According to a survey conducted by Pew Research Center in 2016, disabled Americans are three times more likely than those without disabilities to report that they never go online. One of the contributing factors could be that websites are not always created for equal access.

Web accessibility is defined as “the inclusive practice of ensuring equal access to content on the World Wide Web of people with physical disabilities, and socio-economic restrictions”. Web accessibility is important for a number of reasons, the primary of which is its provision of equal opportunity for users. For disabled people especially, being able to seamlessly access content on the web can be life-changing, allowing for improved opportunities in education, healthcare, and employment.

Furthermore, as established by a 2017 court case, websites are considered public spaces. The ADA requires all public places to be accessible to people with disabilities. However, because of ADA’s failure to list technical standards, there have been multiple lawsuits claiming that some of the websites are not suited for those disabilities. With this in mind, web accessibility has become a highly prioritized subject for technology developers. Thus, it is imperative that both websites and IoT devices are user-friendly for all individuals. Some of the things web owners can do to improve inclusivity are using tabular data, labeled design of forms, accurate description of links, making websites readable by using high-contrast colors, doing away with automatic media files, captioning videos and allowing keyboard navigation.

The IoT’s Role in Breaking Barriers

The IoT, when utilized correctly, can open up innovative opportunities for people with disabilities through the availability of connected technology. Let’s take a look at some of its applications in this regard:

Mobility Assistance

An article by the Thales Group details a few IoT-enabled technological advances that help people with disabilities overcome mobility issues. For instance, consider Crosswalk, an assistive app-based in the Netherlands. Downloadable on smartphones, Crosswalk allows disabled pedestrians to alert the traffic lights and request extra time for crossing over. A user may choose from four kinds of settings according to their mobility. This IoT product demonstrates excellent interoperability by simultaneously interacting with GPS and the software of traffic lights.

Developments like these aid in breaking down transportation barriers that are faced by disabled individuals, allowing them to reach public transport hubs and make mobility more accessible. Secondly, IoT-enabled developments like this allow disabled individuals to temporarily overcome the current lack of adaptive and assistive infrastructure and policy by providing individuals with a viable alternative.

Reading One’s Surroundings

IoT and AI combined can help disabled individuals better read and understand their surroundings. This is especially useful for those who are visually impaired. Consider Microsoft’s Seeing AI app, designed for visually challenged people to learn about their immediate surroundings. The artificial intelligence programmed app can direct walkers away from crowded junctions and can even inform people about what others around them are expressing facially.

A similar technology called Cloud Vision API has been introduced by Google for developers to create apps and devices that have recognition and classification features. The artificial ‘sight’ of the app will greatly help users understand and contextualize physical situations in their surroundings. The ability to better read one’s surroundings can help disabled individuals overcome the many communication barriers they face. These developments promote better understanding and can be of much use to those with visual, auditory, and cognitive disabilities.

Improving Autonomy

IoTin the form of smart devices are of much use in helping disabled individuals become more autonomous. Smart homes including connected speakers, refrigerators, ovens, and thermostats help disabled individuals have more control of their daily actions, and can be programmed to suit a specific user’s needs. IoT technology also provides for wearables like smartwatches that translate content including emails and texts into Braille or read the same aloud. By improving autonomy, IoT is helping disabled individuals overcome both social barriers and attitudinal barriers, and allowing them to improve their general quality of life through the provision of accessible and useful equipment.

Innovative new developments in this field include smart insoles by Ducere Technologies, an insertable insole that uses vibrations to ease navigation. Other firms are also experimenting with new solutions, such as wearable devices that work like radar, and bone-conducting technology to assist navigation. These developments are helpful in overcoming physical barriers that disabled individuals face, such as stairs that may prevent someone from entering a building, or curbs that could otherwise prevent a disabled individual from using the sidewalk.

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People with disabilities greatly suffer because of the many physical and social barriers they face. From dropping out of school and increased violence on children, to unequal employment and income, the stigma attached to disability continues to be manifested through the glaring gap in available opportunities for disabled individuals. Today, the digital age and the IoT tries to break down some of these barriers. In time, the hope is that technology will assist in overcoming a larger portion of challenges faced by disabled individuals, resulting in improved autonomy and equal opportunity and access.

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