These are changing times, and the technology is driving the requirements. In order to progress, world cannot ignore the people with disabilities. World has come to know and understand after a long long time, that special people are a real asset, and their contributions to the world’s progress can only bring the gigantic success. That is why the hardware and software manufacturer cannot ignore the people with disabilities any more.
When the computer was born, the lives of countless persons with disabilities changed forever, and new technology sprang into being. This new technology quickly became known as “adaptive technology” or “assistive technology”. Adaptive or assistive technology is a device that enables persons with disabilities to work, study, live, or play independently.
Adaptive technologies like speech synthesizers to read information to a blind computer user have become now a default for any computer. Literally thousands of helpful life-expanding devices can be interfaced to personal computer platforms, and many cost less than the price of adding a new niche device to ease the communication.
The computer is a very passionate slave for the disable people. It is more than keyboard, mouse and a box for them. It’s an untiring partner of life at home, office or anywhere outside. Adaptive technologies and the continuous innovations in them are making computer more than ever useful for the special people.
The personal computer and adaptive technology go hand in hand and represent an electronic bill of rights for individuals with physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities. If you work in either the public or private sector, you must comply with the standards define by the de facto yet very influential and vigilant adaptive industry. The standards and procedures defined by this industry, which have become the part of computer and cyber laws all over the world, provide an accessible environment for the clients, customers, employees, workers and stake holders.
In the ever-changing Information Technology industry, products are hatched, born, live, and die almost every day. Same is the case with the IT products for the disable persons. Innovation and the advances in software and hardware are accomplishing wonders in this area, and the industry is really thriving, and the human-side of the technology is also more than visible than ever.
You should follow posts by Dr. Raman on Google’s official blog. It’s always surprising and inspiring that how people like Dr.Raman are utilizing the technologies created by Google for people are not like majority of us.