One of the best ways to improve the lives of people with disabilities is by leveraging advanced technologies like Artificial Intelligence. There is a wide range of smart devices in the industry that have been supporting people with sight loss and other physical disabilities.

The route planning software, ranging from robotic arms and prosthetic limbs, has made a significant breakthrough in utilising Artificial Intelligence in the lives of people with disabilities. The dependency of human life on cutting-edge technology is reaching more rapidly, even people with disabilities. The currently ruling technological trends have become the most preferred amongst those people who need assistance and help due to any form of disability.  

A more inclusive approach 

Technology has been opening doors for individuals with disabilities, from motorised scooters to hearing aids, for a long time. Whatever the disability, issues related to vision, hearing, mental health, learning, cognition, or mobility can be permanent, temporary, or even situational. Hence, designing new products with different levels of abilities in mind, a concept called inclusive design has gone a long way in making sure that technology works for everyone. 

Building a widely accessible design also benefits those without a disability. It is said that one of the first typewriters sprung from the creator’s desire for his blind friend to be able to write more vividly. Alexander Graham Bell’s mother, who was deaf, is said to be the reason for the invention of the telephone, which came from his work with the deaf community.  

The arrival of audiobooks was also a significant approach for blind people who wished to enjoy literature. The method of video captioning was invented to make the video content compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Still, it is regularly relied on by anyone watching the video when they can’t listen to the audio.  

Developing such new tools can assist the majority of people with disabilities and integrate that segment of our population that has often been left out of daily life activities and job opportunities. According to WHO, there are 1.3 billion people with disabilities globally, which equates to 1 in 6 people who identify with a disability.  

These AI tools are already standouts 

There is a plethora of content-creating generative AI tools like ChatGPT that are influencing how we create using the technology. All the developers need to consider is being accountable for the multiple input modalities in order to ensure they are usable by a wide variety of users around the world. One of the applications of such principle is when ChatGPT rolled out a new feature of customisation in July, that considers custom instructions for all conversations moving forward. This will help the users not to repeat their preferences or information in every conversation, which enables the models to effectively reverberate the different contexts and unique needs of each individual.  

ChatGPT has recently included microphone support on its website, and other third-party apps like BingAI have also allowed the use of ChatGPT with voice. AI is expected to be more vital in empowering users with disabilities to move towards a more contextual and interactive user experience. In order to understand the broader context of a user and their intent, AI models should be trained on all kinds of human experiences, including people with disabilities.  

As per reports, 56% of products designed with some kind of disability in mind are helping all types of users. For instance, developers are using GPT-4 integrated technology to write code. This will help developers with motor disabilities by minimising repetitive steps like adding multiple parentheses while writing code.  

GitHub Copilot enables developers with cognitive disabilities to write code more effectively. Copilot offers scaffolding for new code and languages to support users by not forcing them to remember all the different functions. For example, suppose a developer is attempting to write a function in a computer language that they are unfamiliar with. In that case, Copilot is useful with its in-context suggestions that support their tasks through learning structures. The system will eventually adapt to the developer’s personal coding style and is an ideal way to learn new languages.  

Beme.AI is another example, which combines wearable technology with AI that benefits people with autism to thrive through well-being, development tracking and analytics. This app is also extendable to various healthcare and fitness use cases like Fitbit and Apple Watch that utilise sleep-tracking data for health-related insights. 

Furthermore, IWill is one of the first digital mental health startups in India that aims to bring an AI-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBI) model in English and Hindi through their IWill Care project. Such initiatives have a significant impact today, as mental health support is valuable for all.  

• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214785321052330
• https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/startups/people/accessibility-inclusion-ai-for-people-with-disabilities/articleshow/104032520.cms
• https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/people-with-disabilities-use-ai-to-improve-their-lives/
• Photo by Nathan Anderson on Unsplash