Using Technology to Make the Lives of Specially-Abled Easier

Understanding the Layers of Disability

Now, before we can get into any details of how technology and disability can be interconnected, it is imperative that we understand that disability is not a singular term, there are several types of disabilities and each differently abled person might be different from the other.

• Physical disability: If a person has lost a limb or is born without one, if there are issues related to movement or coordination.
• Visual impairment: Either there is complete loss of vision or partial loss, or there could be significant visual impairment that cannot be restored to normalcy.
• Hearing impairment: Partial or complete loss of hearing, which leads to problems related to understanding speech and sound.
• Speech disabilities: Difficulty in producing speech sounds or having language-related disorders, which create challenges in understating or using certain words, affecting communication.
• Intellectual disabilities: Learning disabilities or barriers in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior.

There are also psychosocial disabilities that can cause mental or behavioural issues as well as disabilities that arise due to chronic diseases.

What are the Key Problems that New Technology for Differently Abled Persons Could Solve

Because there are problems that are being faced by people with disabilities, there is a need for technology and other methods of support to come into play. Let's take a quick look at the major problems that people with disabilities tend to face in India:

• Accessibility: From public transportation to local buildings to public spaces, there are several places that are not wheelchair or disability friendly, thus making the differently abled dependent on others for movement.
• Education: Access to quality education for differently-abled individuals is often limited. There might be very few specialized schools and regular schools are often not as inclusive as they should be. All this tends to hinder their academic and social development.
• Social stigma: For no fault of their own, differently abled people are often stigmatized; they are seen with fear, pity, or disdain, while what they need are support and empathy. This stigma can often lead to isolation, discrimination, and a lack of social acceptance, all of which can lead to mental pressures and a feeling of inferiority.
• Financial challenges: There are several differently-abled individuals and their families who face financial difficulties because they are not able to handle the medical expenses, there is a severe lack of employment opportunities and there are also several additional costs associated with disability, such as the need to invest in a wheelchair or hearing aid etc.
• Employment barriers: This is perhaps where differently-abled people face the maximum discrimination - there are several prejudices, a lack of empathy, and a general sense of misinformation about differently-abled people.
• Medical assistance: Although the medical services of the country are improving, the overall healthcare for differently abled people still leaves much to be desired. Most public healthcare organizations might not be able to offer the new technology for specially-abled persons that they might require. There are also gaps in the process of rehabilitation and physical therapy that could help improve their condition.

How Can Technology for Differently Abled Persons Actually Help?

Technology and innovation have the power to significantly enhance the lives of differently-abled individuals. Science can provide solutions that can help improve accessibility, communication, and mobility and offer them overall independence. There are several ways in which technology for the specially-abled people can help:

• Mobility solutions: From wheelchairs that have advanced controls to smart canes that are fitted with GPS and sensors to wearable robotic devices that can allow people mobility, there are multiple solutions these days.
• Assistive devices: As the term suggests, these are devices that would provide assistance in a specific manner - it could be in the form of braille displays, hearing devices or technology that converts text to speech.
• Communication aids: These days, there are sign language interpreters as well as devices that can generate speech using non-verbal commands.

Access to digital content needs to increase and there is no denying that technology can play a huge role in improving the learning methods and conditions of students with disabilities.

NGOs Coming Up with Assistance and Innovative Project Ideas for Specially Abled Persons

Although there might not be many NGOs that are able to assist the differently abled with brand-new technology, there are several who are making efforts to offer them support and make them more capable of living their lives independently. From trying to create sustainable livelihood options to offering skill development classes, there is much that these NGOs are working towards.

• Deepalaya: Through their Sambhav Project, Deepalaya has been working hard at bringing people with disabilities into the mainstream, particularly children, with physical and mental issues. They teach children how to perform daily activities on their own, while also giving them basic education. Their team includes special educators, speech therapists, and occupational therapists to help these children become independent and confident.
• Tamana: Tamana was created with the sole purpose of rehabilitating people who have one or more disabilities and is one of the few organizations that has been granted Special Consultative Status by the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Their aim is to foster not just social but also economic independence in those with physical or mental disabilities. They run academic programs, vocational training, and therapeutic interventions as well.
• Sambhav Foundation: Although the Sambhav Foundation works with women and youth as well, their flagship program has to be their Saadhya School, which is an initiative meant to help persons with disabilities, allowing them to create sustainable lives for themselves. Their work aims at making such people self-reliant and ready to face the future and using the skills they learn at this school, they are able to work in mainstream industries as well.
• TRRAIN: The Trust for Retailers and Retail Associates of India is one of the prominent NGOs in the domain of employment support for people with disability. Their Pankh program works towards the creation of sustainable livelihood opportunities with people who have physical disabilities and tries to create job opportunities in the retail sector. Through their training program, close to 25000 people have been able to get proper employment.
• Mitti Social Initiatives Foundation: This foundation runs a chain of cafes that employ adults who have physical or intellectual disabilities and provides them with on-the-job training. Their aim is not only to offer employment opportunities to differently-abled people but also to create an awareness about inclusion. Their cafes are run inside reputed institutions like Wells Fargo, Infosys, Accenture, and Wipro.
• Subhiksha Voluntary Organization: This team was formed by a group of qualified social workers, who had a singular aim – to support people with disabilities. They also wanted to work with children with disabilities, giving them an equal chance of earning a proper education. They are a group that understands that opportunities need to be given to everyone, irrespective of their physical or intellectual barriers.
• Maya Care Foundation: Based out of Pune, this organization has a presence in 47 cities across the country and 4 cities in the United Kingdom. Through training and mentoring programs, they are able to prepare people with disabilities to become helpers to the elderly. This one program is able to take care of 2 issues at the same time - someone who can take care of the elderly and offer them company and assistance, as well as offering a way to lead a life of purpose for those with disabilities.

When you come to Give Discover, you will see that we have provided a platform to several organisations that are working towards creating a more sustainable future for the specially-abled.