Breakthroughs in Assistive Technologies: Unveiling New Opportunities

National Disability Employment Awareness Month -III

Breakthroughs in Assistive Technologies: Unveiling New Opportunities

Technology is advancing rapidly, revolutionizing the workforce and opening up new possibilities for people with disabilities. These remarkable technologies are just the cusp of what is to come, and heralds a future where everyone can contribute their best work. - BY James Hsu

Advances in technology are making workplaces more accessible and inclusive. Some are refinements of assistive technologies that have been around for a while. Others are newer technologies, like artificial intelligence, that are far from achieving their full capabilities. For people with disabilities, these technologies represent opportunities to join workforces and share their creativity and innovation. For those without disabilities, the technologies can increase productivity by streamlining workflows and promoting collaboration. Everyone wins with the emerging powerful assistive technologies.

Smart and Getting Smarter

One of the first upgrade areas is basic devices. Many daily use tools that have rudimentary “smart” capabilities are getting upgrades, and this new tech is making life easier for everyone. Personal wearables, interactive tools, and more are all getting an intelligence boost.

Take glasses. Starting with the simple pair of glasses, emerging technology is gaining the attention of developers in the assistive technologies industry. Technology developers have worked on wearable smart glasses for several years, but progress was slow. Then, in October 2023, researchers reported that they had developed a smart glass system to help blind people and people with poor vision recognize objects in their environment. The glasses use an “acoustic touch” feature. Echolocation bounces sound off objects to make them recognizable and reachable. Video conferencing tools that include captioning services are also assisting people with disabilities. Amy Wood, Manager, Accessible Events & Real Estate/Travel for Salesforce, is completely deaf in one ear and 98% deaf in the other ear. A hearing aid leaves her struggling to process higher-pitched sounds and voices. “There's a huge benefit to having everything captioned. It’s a really great way to be more inviting to the d/Deaf community. If I see captions on something, I'm immediately going to watch it to see what it's about.” (Note: the small d in d/Deaf refers to hearing loss.) Salesforce has identified specific roles for making meetings and events more accessible, including making an interpreting and captioning program available. It is the ability to interpret that adds a new layer of functionality.

For people with neuromuscular mobility issues, GlassOuse developed a hands-free mouse alternative. Think about the employment restrictions likely if unable to use a mouse or access the internet because of physical disabilities. The hands-free mouse alternative is a lightweight computer worn like glasses with sensors tracking head movements. A connection is made to assistive devices with a USB or Bluetooth. The sensors interpret the movements and produce on-screen cursor actions. Users can click, scroll, and drag with head movements or use a bite-click button. This technology enables the use of cell phones and apps, internet access, and utilization of computer and laptop work programs.

There are so many technologies today that are improving digital accessibility for employees. Visually impaired employees can use screen readers like Job Access with Speech (JAWS) and NonVisual Desktop Access (NVDA) to convert screen text into Braille or speech. Dragon NaturallySpeaking enables individuals with mobility impairments to control their computers and dictate text through voice commands. Crystal Preston-Watson is a Senior Digital Accessibility Analyst at Salesforce and said, “Just give me a screen reader or give me speech-to-text software, and I'll do the same work. It's really not a big ask.” She has found that some employers saying that technology costs too much are using it as an excuse to hide that they believe people with disabilities are not as productive.

The Promise of Artificial Intelligence as a Co-Pilot
Many advances in technologies are making workplaces more accessible: screen readers and magnifiers, voice recognition software, remote collaboration tools, and adaptive and customizable devices. Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) offer new ways to break down accessibility barriers for training. Approximately 39% of companies are using the technologies for training.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning arguably hold the most promise for delivering sophisticated assistance to people with disabilities. Generative AI already supports some of the technologies mentioned, like reading out text. However, it has enormous potential to increase inclusivity and accessibility for people with disabilities holding jobs.

Laurie Henneborn has multiple sclerosis and is the Managing Director at Accenture Research. The research suggests that up to 40% of work time will be AI-assisted in the coming years as AI advances to understand language better and can converse. Henneborn writes, “In my own life, living with multiple sclerosis, I can already see the potential of what such a “copilot” could offer those of us working and living with disabilities — whether finding and securing employment, providing information to help us interpret situations more accurately, or, similarly, offering guidance as we take part in varied tasks that involve language.”

What is needed to ensure the technology is developed in a way that genuinely supports accessibility and inclusivity? Henneborn discusses the need for developers to be knowledgeable in human-centric design principles because disability is nuanced and diverse. As AI advances, she explains, there are some features to include to make it truly beneficial for people with disabilities. Voice-enabled interfaces are one and should support people with a broad range of disabilities. The example given is Google’s Dialogflow with built-in integration with Google Cloud Speech-to-Text API for chatbots that support voice-enabled input. Another example of AI at work is the Be My Eyes Virtual Volunteer, powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4 language model, which allows users to send images to the virtual volunteer, who then answers questions about the image.

Henneborn writes, “AI-powered tools such as ChatGPT are invaluable to communicate effectively and access information efficiently. It becomes a supportive companion whether I need help organizing my thoughts or retrieving vital details. Its iterative and responsive nature helps me navigate through moments of cognitive uncertainty, or “brain fog,” assisting me to fully engage in conversations and tasks that would otherwise be overwhelming. It helps me maintain my productivity and independence…”

Celebrating Technology
This discussion is a celebration of the excellent and exciting work that engineers, technologists, and others are doing to harness technology for the good of people. With pervasive technology, it is easy to forget that each new development represents hard work and innovative thinking. What is particularly exciting is that people with disabilities work on these projects, offering input that reflects their life experiences. Matching technology to needs is essential to progress. Developers and users alike emphasize the importance of continuous improvement, user feedback, and integrating accessibility features from the ground up. As these technologies evolve, they hold the promise of creating more equitable opportunities for all individuals, regardless of their abilities.