Role of AI for disabled people

From mobility wheelchairs to cochlear implants, technology has recently provided opportunities for individuals with physical limitations. With expanded capabilities and broader accessibility, AI will begin to strengthen such endeavors in the coming years. At over one billion people worldwide with physical disabilities, there is still plenty of work that remains to be undertaken to tap into the huge upcoming market demands.

Universal design, or the practice of introducing new products with individuals of diverse abilities in mind, has made great strides towards assuring that innovation is approachable to us all. Getting technology more inclusive in practice assists individuals with or without limitations and contributes to overall innovation. Video captioning, for instance, was designed in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), but it is now broadly applied by individuals who can’t listen to the sound of videos or movies.

I would like to throw some light on real-life examples of AI that are helping such people daily, both personally and professionally.

Communication:

In a society where everyone is becoming more tech-savvy and adapting themselves towards the upcoming technologies, it is becoming more and more difficult for specially-abled people, interact with their loved ones or friends on a daily basis. And because of the emergence of social media and our overdependence on the internet, this situation is becoming more prevalent these days. On the contrary, technologies of artificial intelligence leave no one behind. AI, for the most part, is built in an inclusive manner, which comes under the guidelines of Responsible AI. Therefore, such solutions are the ideal examples to benefit people with disabilities. And in the modern era, a lot of innovation has been going around to make AI more approachable to the common people,

For Visually impaired or blind people, an AI accelerated screen reader directly integrated on phones, is very helpful as this technology not only reads the text but can also describe images or app icons for them to imagine more clearly. Voiceovers for smartphones also allow users to get the most out of their phones. More advanced AI solutions include voice assistants, which allow visually challenged or blind people to navigate their devices using only their voices. These voice assistants are also helpful for people with reduced dexterity.

AI powered transcription apps can be very useful for deaf people. Ava is an AI-powered quick transcription app that transcribes a group’s conversation in real-time. Its algorithm incorporates punctuation, the speaker’s name, and relevant words from a dictionary. A simple technique for those with hearing impairments or difficulties to engage themselves in and follow a conversation with multiple people without having to lip-read. Other solutions for ease of communication includes

· IFTTT is a specialized application mostly catering towards people with limited dexterity. This app helps particular users in using all the smartphones features without difficulties. One of the highlighting functionalities is that it can combine with other apps to perform specific tasks like sending a tweet, posting of Facebook, reading emails automatically.

· CAPTCHAs, which could be difficult for individuals with visual limitations to recognize, can be substituted with face recognition leveraging AI software.

· A voice-recognition technology like Google’s Project Euphonia permits individuals that have difficulties communicating to use the internet through gestures and voice commands, among many other aspects.

Mobility and traveling

Mobility is one of the most common difficulties for people with impairments to overcome. It is indeed difficult for people using wheelchairs to navigate the city on their own because they always have to be cautious of any lowered pavements or restrooms. People with disabilities must meticulously plan every journey they take. Fortunately, a variety of AI-based navigation apps can assist individuals in gaining greater autonomy and spontaneity when traveling around. Some great technologies include Google Maps, Moovit, Wheelmap, etc.

· Among the most extensively utilized GPS software on the globe is Google Maps. People with visual impairments or who use wheelchairs can organize their journey ahead of schedule and see their itinerary as well as the most appropriate mode of transportation. There is an added feature called the “wheelchair accessible” option that allows users to discover ramps and lifts across the entire city. In addition, the “accessible places” application allows the user to learn more about the layout of a lot of sites, such as the entrance, parking spots, bathrooms, and seating areas. Such features can also be used to locate the entrance of a building which is of great help for people with visual impairments.

· For folks that take public transportation, Moovit is a useful app. It delivers real-time traffic information and has proven to be useful for those with vision impairments when voice announcements are not available, such as on the bus.

· Evelity, the first indoor navigation software designed specifically for individuals with disabilities. The most impressive feature of this software includes in capability to readily find a route through complicated subway networks, commercial malls, colleges, and universities, regardless of their profile.

· A Self-driving car (also known as autonomous or driverless automobiles) is one the most sophisticated examples that are being implemented daily. It is an advanced solution for the mobility of people with physical disabilities. Regardless of users’ limitations, self-driving cars can assist anyone in moving independently without any human intervention.

Living independently

Artificial intelligence can be deployed to any domain and, as a result, can improve conditions even in their own homes. Notable innovations like Virtual assistants can help anyone, but it is especially useful for people with impairments. Any domestic appliances can be interconnected, permitting a blind person to start the microwave by simply calling Alexa, or a person with difficulties adapting, to decrease or increase the ambient temperature by voice command. A smart connected home can save a human being’s life in exceptional cases. If a disabled person falls, a pre-programmed mechanism can summon aid. As a result, handicapped people can live alone by the assurance that they will be safeguarded even when something goes horribly wrong. Artificial intelligence innovations can help individuals gain more independence and feel more relaxed in their own surroundings. AI surpasses the standard of accessibility.

These are just a few of the AI technologies that are being utilized to improve the lives of people with disabilities. As AI is an emerging technology, many more solutions are still being created by startups as well as huge organizations like Google and Microsoft. We can only imagine what the future holds for us in this domain and what sort of innovation we might witness due to its growing market. Artificial intelligence can do wonders if it is implemented according to proper guidelines for a good purpose, but it doesn’t take much effort for things to go the other way around. So future innovators must ensure that the solutions they are trying to come up with only benefits the society without having any other consequences.