Lesley Anderson

New devices, aged care and people with disabilities

Do a WebQuest research exercise on how features such as voice commands, large letters etc
provide access to others or how smart devices connected via bluetooth or WiFi to the Internet
improve the nature of caring or improve the lifestyle for those with disabilities or in need of aged care.

Many innovations and inventions in technology have been originally devised or developed as assistive technology - that is, technology designed to aid accessibility for users who are disabled, and then gone on to be integrated into day-to-day technology  to be available and beneficial to all users. For able bodied users, the technology improvements make life somewhat easier - for disabled users they may well make seemingly impossible tasks become a reality.
By changing and broadening the methods available for people to interact with it, assistive technology promotes personal independence by enabling people to perform tasks that they perhaps could not previously have accomplished.
Speech or voice recognition technology is one such development. Speech control has improved accessibilty an allowed interaction with computers or computer controlled devices, by many individuals who may not have otherwise been able to do so. Physically challenged, visually impaired and mobility impaired people have found benefit from being able to work with controlling units by using their own voice, rather than the standard input devices  normally available to them, such as alphabetic or numerical keyboards, dials, switches, computer mice, buttons, etc.
Valuable use of speech recognition technology has also added greater efficiency across many tasks performed by able bodied people.  Transcription of paper work is an excellent example of this, where  software has been specifically designed in an effort to increase productivity whilst reducing time spent on the paperwork, record-keeping, etc. in many business fields using a speech to text system.
Day to day use of speech recognition technology is becoming less like something found in science fiction and more like an every day facility.  Its use has made technology, associated with assisting the disabled, to become ‘mainstreamed’ as we see voice controlled home automation systems, navigation systems, vehicle control units and mobile phones being developed for our use.