May 16, 2019
100 million of India’s population has some form of disability. For many of
them, accessing modern technology comes with a host of difficulties.
Today, 16 May, Global Accessibility Awareness Day, aims to
change that. Launched in 2015, this is a day that is meant to get people
thinking about how we can all improve digital access and inclusion for people
with disabilities.
So, what are some of the game changing innovations that have enabled digital
inclusion for people with disabilities? They don’t necessarily have to do
with a specific disability, or any disability for that matter. That’s the
question we put to a spectrum of people and this is what they had to say.
Vidya Menon – A Deaf teacher at vshesh,
an impact enterprise, she is passionate in encouraging deaf children to learn
many new things especially in education.
I would say smartphone because of easy communication though video call,
text messages and many things. If there’s any emergency, I could use
video call to find out about any situations. And also have clear
conversation with deaf people through video calls in quicker ways. This
made life easier especially in having conversation with others. – Vidya
Menon, Deaf Teacher, Vshesh
Amar Jain – A lawyer, Amar has an activist-like zeal in
advocating for inclusion in all aspects, especially financial. Being visually
impaired has not come in his way of being a passionate advocate.
“One of the things that has personally touched me and I have seen this
being used by many people is the natural language processing capabilities
that have enhanced over the years. I am especially talking about features
like Dictation, Voice Input, stuff like that. I have seen that even drivers,
maid servants – the so-called lower strata of society that is not so
well-educated- is able to use it with things like Google Maps and that’s
been a game changer. People who don’t know how to read and write can use
the natural language processing capabilities, use their voice and say “I
want to go to XYZ” for example. It has empowered even those who are
excluded from the technology ballgame. That, for me, has personally changed
the way we look at technology”.
Jasmina Khanna – This articulate senior systems engineer
with cerebral palsy is committed to promoting accessibility in spaces both
public and personal.
“The personal computer was of course a game changer in my life but there
were two other things that really changed the way I used technology. They
were the accessibility options available in built-in Windows operating system
and the track ball mouse that really helped me to make full use of
technology”.
Ruma Roka – Ruma, who is founder of Noida Deaf
Society, is committed to empowering deaf children and youth in the
space of education and employment.
“I think mobile phones and WhatsApp chats have opened up communication
channels for deaf people in the country. Video chats, images, and videos are
all accessible and used by the community from across the country. It has been
able to disseminate information to deaf people no matter where they are, as
long as he/she has an Android phone. And it is for free too…!!”
Abha Khetarpal – A counsellor for people with disabilities
and a disability rights activist, Abha writes extensively to create awareness
about disability among people with and without disabilities.
“E commerce and online banking have been a major breakthrough to provide
accessibility that allow users with disabilities to conduct financial
transactions via internet. Since there is a lack of physical accessibility,
consumers who have disabilities aren’t able to visit a bank to complete their
basic banking transactions. This innovation has helped in the financial
inclusion of persons with disabilities”.
Seema Lal – Co-founder of the well-known support group
TogetherWeCan, Seema is committed to bringing transparency
in children’s therapy and addressing the rights of people with disabilities.
“For Autism in particular, access to communicate one’s needs and express
emotions has been greatly transformed thanks to technology. A few that stand
out are:”
Source: https://newzhook.com/story/22264
