By John Keilman, TRIBUNE REPORTER
Technology is creating new opportunities for countless people with disabilities, and many of the latest gadgets were on display last week at a Schaumburg trade show. Some say these are mere forerunners of a larger revolution that is yet to come. They envision products designed so that anyone can use them, appliances that automatically detect a person’s needs and become more user-friendly, and a transformed Internet that welcomes the blind and developmentally disabled. “There are a lot of things people are exploring that can be game changers,” said Gregg Vanderheiden, a University of Wisconsin engineering professor who works on making technology accessible. Yet for all of technology’s promised advances, some worry that the cost will keep helpful devices out of many people’s reach. Others are concerned that governments, schools and institutions might think that high-tech gadgetry has relieved them of their responsibility to serve the disabled.
http://www.latimes.com/health/ct-met-disabled-tech-20101101,0,5650934.story
Share on Facebook