Digital Technology: Impact on People with Disabilities – Notes from the

Grassroots Independent Living Movement

Mike Oxford, Director Topeka Independent Living Resource

Center

Digital Technology: Impact on People with Disabilities – Notes from the Grassroots Independent

Living Movement

• Innovations in digital technology have a widespread, positive impact on independent living for people with disabilities

• Living the life one wants to live, free of discrimination, externally imposed and limiting boundaries

• Fundamentally, “independent living” means people with disabilities exercising control over decision making

Having and exercising civil rights Full community inclusion and participation Equality

• Digital Technology impacts the grassroots disability community in three broad areas:

Mobility – Both personal mobility and transportation related

Communication including dissemination and sharing of knowledge and interpersonal communication

Self awareness and personal responsibility

Digital Technology: Impact on People with Disabilities – Notes from the Grassroots Independent

Living Movement

Mobility:

• Ongoing advances in sip & puff triggers and switches, individually programmable joysticks, etc., have meant that more people with different and different kinds of disabilities can control their personal mobility instead of having to rely on a pusher

• Voice-activated systems demonstrate similar benefits

• This includes being safer and healthier by being able to control “lay-back” and adjustable footrest features

• Happier, healthier & more independent – changing positions reduces circulation and pressure problems, increases comfort

Digital Technology: Impact on People with Disabilities – Notes from the Grassroots Independent

Living Movement

Mobility, cont. • Use accessible transportation as needed more

independently• Operate personal, private vehicles

In particular, in rural/frontier areas, long commutes to routine and especially specialist health providers

Reduce reliance on & cost of having to have a third party

• Get around to appointments and between appointments in large facilities/complexes

Reduces reliance on & cost of having to have a third party

Digital Technology: Impact on People with Disabilities – Notes from the Grassroots Independent

Living Movement

Communication: • Voice to text / text to voice applications for folks that are blind /

have low vision Jaws, Dragon Dictate Smaller, lighter more portable devices

• Increasingly sophisticated, programmable, personalized “Liberators”/talk back communication devices

People with hard to understand, or no speech can speak for themselves in terms of symptoms, pain/comfort, fears, questions, etc.

Gender, type of voice, etc. “personalizations”, common phrases words, questions and so on are pre-programmable

More independent, more accurate, avoid third party confusion, mistakes, manipulation and abuse, extra costs

Digital Technology: Impact on People with Disabilities – Notes from the Grassroots Independent

Living Movement

Communication, cont.• Video-phone/video conferencing

• American Sign Language users (Deaf & hard of hearing)• ASL Interpreting• “Teams” as well as individuals can more comprehensively

interact • Distance hook-ups and monitoring of all sort of health issues

and symptoms• Incredibly important for folks that are isolated, especially in

rural/frontier areas• Environmental & assistive technology / household monitors

• Open close blinds, turn on/off lights & appliances• Monitor for wandering, eating, taking meds, etc.

• Handheld, wristwatch type devices • Alerts, reminders & warnings

Digital Technology: Impact on People with Disabilities – Notes from the Grassroots Independent

Living Movement

Communication, cont.

• Locate & “match” compatible in-home service & supports workforce Receive and share resumes, experience, training, references Ability to “share” or “borrow” another person’s worker Social networking between folks with similar needs and issues

• Receive and transmit reminders, appointment scheduling, updates Electronic timesheets & e-pay-cards in Medicaid Home and

Community-based Services

• Download & share all sorts of publications, studies, information important to maintaining and improving health & well-being

Increasingly smaller, more portable devices

Digital Technology: Impact on People with Disabilities – Notes from the Grassroots Independent

Living Movement

Improved self-awareness & responsibility

• Health can be self-monitored, evaluated , addressed Increase independence, increase feelings of control

• Individuals can communicate better, real-time input to providers

• Individuals more aware of symptoms Time of day Exacerbations Factors that my trigger increased symptoms

Digital Technology: Impact on People with Disabilities – Notes from the Grassroots Independent

Living Movement