Do advancements in technology benefit or hinder the disabled community? Well, just as for the nondisabled community, technology can be both good, bad, and neutral for disabled people—often all at the same time. Though the “tech revolution” has reshaped modern living for many of us, there was a time when changes in technology posed more challenges than benefits for people with disabilities. “U.S. adults with a disability are less likely than those without a disability to say they own a desktop or laptop computer (62% vs. 81%) or a smartphone (72% vs. 88%),” noted the Pew Research Center as recently as 2023.
Fortunately, there are now new assistive and accessible technologies making the world more inclusive for those with visual, hearing, and physical disabilities. New advancements in screen readers, braille devices, text-to-speech, and other areas have improved the lives of many disabled people.
Here are some of the most exciting advancements in technology for people with disabilities, as well as some thoughts on what the future may hold.
When a technology is “accessible,” it means it is available to all without any additional device needed—such as a built-in screen reader or a read-aloud feature on a computer or smartphone. An “assistive” technology, on the other hand, requires an additional device (like a braille reader, prosthetic, or hearing aid) to be used—for example, a braille reader can be used for input or output and then hooked up to word-processing software. Accessible technologies are powerful in their ability to let disabled people connect in any circumstance or any technology, but sometimes assistive devices are also needed.
Assistive technologies such as screen readers and text-to-speech technologies have done wonders for making digital information accessible to those who are blind or have low vision. Now, there are so many options that it can almost be hard to make a choice! The American Foundation for the Blind offers this breakdown on the many different types of screen readers for all sorts of operating systems and devices. These include programs like Job Access with Speech (JAWS), BRLTTY, COBRA, Dolphin ScreenReader or GuideConnect, EyePal, and many more. All screen readers offer a host of other options for people with low visibility, such as the ability to magnify or brighten the screen. Many of them have tools to search or scan pages to find what you are looking for, whether it’s a string of text or color. It’s important to make sure you do your research to make sure the screen reading software is compatible with your current operating system and fits your particular needs.
Accessible technologies are also included in devices; most operating systems and programs offer basic audible descriptions and keyboard navigation options without the user needing to download anything. Many of these are built into phones and just need to be turned on. For Apple this is called VoiceOver, and for Android it’s TalkBack. Microsoft Narrator is the name of Microsoft Windows’ screen reader, which is built into Windows 10 and 11.. You can use these programs for basic web searches, emails, PDFs, iTunes, and more.
One in six people has some form of hearing loss in the United States, and 70 million people across the world are deaf. Hearing aids are the most common assistive device for those with a hearing disability.
However, it can also be beneficial to offer live call transcriptions or closed captions during a meeting (some people might have a particular preference), and to record videos of meetings on Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Employing hearing-accessible technology can make it easier for those with hearing loss or other neurodivergent issues to use more than one sense to take in information and communicate.
As Microsoft’s lead accessibility evangelist, Hector Minto says in his course “Digital Accessibility for the Modern Workplace”: “Every video saved to Microsoft Stream from Teams is auto-captioned. Even if the meeting wasn’t live-captioned in the moment, attendees can go back to the meeting afterwards and access the video captions.” Check out Minto’s course for the range of accessibility options available via Microsoft’s software programs and others.
A screenshot from a video call shows auto-captions and font options.
There are a host of physical disabilities that can impact technology use. Spinal injuries, muscular dystrophy, tremors, and more can all impact one’s ability to use a computer or technology. In this case, there are assistive technologies such as keyboard shortcuts and voice dictation that provide users with the control they need.
As we mentioned in April in our blog post on outdoor accessibility, Ian Mackay uses a mouth-controlled power wheelchair. Many paralyzed people who use powered wheelchairs might need one with alternative access controls to use something other than their hands. There are now a host of options like chairs that can be controlled using one’s head, chin, or mouth (sometimes called sip-and-puff controls).
We have now entered the age of not just the smartphone, but the smart home. Using Wi-Fi, you can control a variety of features in your house like locks, lights, security systems, and speakers. You can use smart plugs to connect to a smart phone or wireless network that then enables you to control lamps and other lights (whatever is connected to the outlet). There are
also smart dimmers and thermostats that allow you to control these devices from your phone or tablet without having to physically enter the room.
A picture of a smart
plug next to a smart
phone. Leviton
Smart Outlet.
Voice-activated controls via Amazon Alexa, Apple HomePods, Google Home, and others can also help one set timers and start listening to podcasts or music, and even turn on lights and adjust the heating.
While the benefits of technological accessibility have improved dramatically the last few years, too much technology—i.e., screen time—can also have a negative effect on our mental health. So be careful to monitor how much time you are spending on the computer. The good news is technology can also help with that! You can set quiet hours on your phone or computer for work texts or emails, and set timers for social media use. There are also apps like Calm or Headspace that can help with anxiety, stress, or sleep using meditation and calming sounds. And just remember, if you need a break from technology, get outside to check out some accessible trails!
Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha’s recent book “The Future Is Disabled: Prophecies, Love Notes, and Mourning Songs” explores how technology will affect the disabled community in the future. As Virginia Tech associate professor Ashley Shew says in a review of the book, “Making space for disabled people and disabled futures is necessary to truly face what lies before us. With climate change, for example, we should expect changing disease patterns (more tick-borne diseases like Lyme). With environmental racism, we already see higher rates of asthma and other chronic conditions (and this will continue). In the long tail of long Covid, we should expect long-term changes in a large segment of the population, similar to what we’ve seen with post-polio syndrome and with shingles following chicken pox.”
Both Piepzna-Samarasinha and Shew view the future as one in which technology cannot save us if we don’t also adjust our world and spaces for disabled people. However, if we listen to the expertise of people with disabilities, and make responsible decisions to harness technologies that help us, the world can be more livable for all.
Book Cover: The Future is
Disabled: Prophecies,
Love Notes, and Mourning
Songs by Leah Lakshmi
Piepzna-Samarasinha.