Laura doesn’t like technology very much, in fact, when you talk to her, she quickly gives you an update on the inaccessibility of everything related to it for people with disabilities.
Not even voice assistants like Siri or Alexa they eventually convinced her, and that they seemed like the perfect solution for her visual diversity (or as she puts it, for the blind).
Attention ! : In this article, the concepts of functional diversity or disability will be used depending on how these people call themselves; and in the case of entities or foundations, how they appoint their users, respecting their decision in each case.
That said, we return with Laura, nicknamed Mora and goal in life, until the end of the thesis, researcher at the University of Zaragoza.
She believes that, even if this digital universe seemed predestined to improve the lives of people with disabilities, the truth is that it is still far from being fully accessible and inclusive for them: “Technologies were not designed for people with functional diversity. They were created and then applied to people with functional diversity. As a result, these technologies have taken longer to reach us.
However, she herself admits that smartphone It has become “one more extension of the body” which, with its Braille line and voice assistant, manages to guide her where she needs to go. He jokes about his relationship with Siri: “for example, it’s very good for me to comment Siri, hey Siri, I think I got lost and didn’t cross the street I was supposed to cross”. And then Siri confirms or disproves her doubt, helping to guide Laura’s path.
Footer: Laura uses her mobile phone through touch and sound. Photo: Rocio Duran Hermosilla
Amazon and iPhone: ready for the blind?
Laura admits that she hasn’t used the smart speakers. However, she stresses that, even if she does not use this type of device, the technology must be as accessible as possible for everyone: “Even if after everyone does what they want, they use it ( technology) or not. The important thing is to be able to choose “to be in or not to be in”.
Something similar explains Gabriel Sánchez, technician of Full inclusiona Spanish association that deals with people with intellectual disabilities, which is committed to making technology centered on people, that is, looking for what
In this sense, Laura says that one of her friends, also blind, uses Alexa in her daily life: “My friend told me that she uses Alexa and that, thanks to her, we can register for an activity, for example. In addition, my friend explains to me that in the morning she asks him to tell her the news, something that would take a lot more time with a touch cell phone or with a computer”.
Laura, who speaks like a machine gun, direct, quick and without compassion, points the finger One of the keys to why technology does not fully penetrate the population with functional diversity: the economic divide. “There is a class bias, not everyone can buy a iPhonewho is the most accessible for the blind, and not everyone can automate their accommodation”.
It is enough to consult the official Apple website to understand why Laura thinks that the iPhone is one of the best-prepared mobiles for people with visual impairments. Cuenta con funciones específicas como Voice Over (un lector de pantalla que te dice exactamente lo que se ve en la pantalla de tu dispositivo) or Voice Over con Braille (describe también tu pantalla, pero en Braille en vez de con voz), entre otras many things.
However, the lack of economic resources will be the leitmotif of this article, since all the people interviewed ended up talking, in one way or another, about the difficulties in accessing employment, aid or subsidies from authorities for people with disabilities. After all, to be able to use this technology, you have to buy it and to buy it you need money (and quite a bit).
A virtual assistant for people with disabilities
Without losing sight of the economic gap, some entities have already become aware of the infinite possibilities offered by new technologies. For this reason, with more or less means and on many occasions thanks to the voluntary work of the developers, they try to offer their users applications that support them in their daily lives.
This is the example of the computer engineer specializing in Artificial Intelligence, Paul Almajanowho collaborates on a voluntary basis with the Full Inclusion entity to create a virtual assistant adapted to these people with intellectual disabilities. Although it is still in the early stages of development, it does indicate what it will consist of.
“The assistant will be personalized to each user to help him in his daily tasks. In additi on, it will be an empathetic assistant, being able to adapt to the person according to his mood. This will also motivate the user to follow sound instructions”, explains this engineer who, even before asking the first question, warned of the difficulty of finding funding to carry out this type of technology.
Thus, he points out that despite the fact that people with intellectual disabilities also use digital devices in their daily lives, There is no virtual assistant (or other type of application) on the Spanish market that is suitable for them.
One of the main intentions of this virtual assistant for people with disabilities is to make them feel much more independent. Gabriel explains that a person who receives support from a application You will feel much more empowered than if you received support from another natural person. If we put ourselves in their shoes, you yourself will feel much more empowered by looking up something on Google rather than asking someone else.
Adapt technology or make it accessible from scratch?
“Sometimes, he explains, you can’t adapt a technology, but what you can, thanks to cognitive accessibility, is adapt the instructions of the technology itself.” And the Full Inclusion team was desperately immersed in this task when the pandemic entered our lives.
If they wanted to continue their workshops, activities and sessions, they had to make comprehensible applications such as Zoom for people with intellectual disabilities. So, they released easy-to-read guides so anyone who wanted to participate could tune in from home.
Another pioneering project of this entity is the creation of the application Create accessible spaces to analyze whether buildings or large events are accessible to people with intellectual disabilities. David Lasaga, is responsible for this project which, from Aragon, Europe, is already exported to other Spanish communities.
Footer: This application is not only accessible, it also allows you to register your opinion without mediation. Photo: Total inclusion.
With this application, which is for the moment reserved for internal use by entities that work with people with intellectual disabilities, users can easily assess whether the space has posters, clear indications or if it is comfortable for them to move there. Thus, they have collaborated with town halls, with banking entities or with hospitals.
Check your health from your mobile
Another organization that has also jumped on the technology bandwagon is the DFA Foundation, which has promoted a pilot project that uses the big data monitor the health of its users.
One of its users is César Belsué who lives surrounded by technology. And it is that between his mechanical chair that helps him get up, his Smart TV, his watch with telephone assistance, his computer and his mobile phone, he has the world at his fingertips despite his 66% disability and his reduced mobility.
Footer: Thanks to this app, your doctor can follow up on a day-to-day basis without having to come to the health center as often. Photo: Rocío Durán Hermosilla.
If we focus on your health, through the app you can control your blood pressure, blood sugar and weight. For him, the fact that his cell phone is able to monitor his weak points allows him to live peacefully and not have to resort to the health system so often: “It would be interesting for the Spanish health system to include these technologies. We would be much more controlled and less hospitalized. What he lost with so many devices would be gained in fewer hospitalizations.
And he adds: “Preventive medicine is the basis. I have been sick for 28 years, the first years I was hospitalized, if I had had these technological supports, perhaps I would have been less so”.
The watch you wear on your wrist and your smartphone They activated a system of remote assistance and with several GPS devices that are placed in your house, they complete the protection of your health. César repeats it constantly, technology has brought him “peace of mind”.
Footer: If César encounters a problem during one of his walks, all he has to do is press the clock or activate a button on his mobile for someone to contact him. Photo: Rocío Durán Hermosilla.
What are the most popular apps among people with disabilities?
But it’s not all about work and health, so the question of what apps used by the vast majority of respondents are clear: social networks! And it is that being able to talk with your friends, laugh at memes, follow the latest viral video, flirt or meet new people is equally important for everyone.
favorite and more accessible it’s for everyone WhatsApp but also Facebook oh instagram. Amanixer social workers, Laura Aranda and Isabel Toroassure that WhatsApp “works by strengthening support networks”, something essential to achieve the empowerment of people with disabilities.
In this sense, Laura Moya reminds us that Instagram is also accessible to blind people, but for this we need the rest of us to do our part by describing what appears in the image in the text option alternative.
To do this, there is a function on Instagram, as you can see in the image, which allows you to include a description of the photo you have posted. This descriptive text can be written by you or be generated automatically.
Footer: In the advanced settings section of Instagram, you can describe your image so that it reaches even more people.
However, it is clear that if you buy a smart speaker otherwise, Laura Moya is clear: “Technology is very good but there are things that technology does not do”.
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