The use of innovative assistive technology (AT) has been there since the primitive times, when wooden crutches and braces were used as supportive devices for men and women. Modern assistive devices are a far cry from their ancient counterparts and use scientific advancements to benefit the disabled and the elderly. At workplace, these prove to be highly useful in helping employees carry out their daily duties as normally as possible. At present, this type of technology is also being used to hire workforce in an innovative manner. Find out how this is becoming possible.
Hiring People With Visual Problems
With the help of visual aids, people with low vision or partial blindness are being made more capable for jobs that demand the use of other organs, such as that of hearing or touch. Many of the call centers are employing people with visual disabilities and using specially designed platforms to help them work as call center executives. This is helping tap a workforce that was never given much importance earlier, and creating new doors for employment for visually challenged people.
Hiring People With Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a painful condition resulting from nerve compression in the carpal tunnel, the passage of the wrist through which flexor muscles and nerves pass. It is marked by fatigue and discomfort in the fingers and hands, and is characterized by numbness, tingling or burning sensations. Special type of ergonomic office chair is being used for such patients, consisting of ergonomic keyboard, adjustable keyboard tray, speech recognition typing software and dual monitors. Typing documents, reports and notes can be easier and less painful for the wrists with the help of these devices. With this kind of innovative assistive technology even people with other types of disabilities, which make extended work difficult for them, can derive a lot of benefit.
Recruiting People With Hearing or Vision Issues
Those with hearing or vision issues can experience problems in moving about and can trip or fall while working or moving about in the workplace. The use of motion sensor technology can prevent this from occurring. Many disability-friendly offices and companies are also using GPS to provide workers with the opportunity to get exact details of their location. This helps them to avoid potentially hazardous situations and come back home safely after work. The availability and use of assistive devices is encouraging more and more disabled people to join the workforce and work as normally as possible.
Simplifying Office Tasks
People with disabilities of the nerve or spinal cord are often unable to sit for long before the computer and work for extended hours. Intel has joined hands with Stephen Hawking, the famous English theoretical physicist. It is working to update the communication system he has been using for the last 10 years and make it faster and more streamlined, thus making email writing, web browsing and other simple tasks twice faster. The same type of innovative assistive technology is going to be used for disabled individuals working in offices in the near future.
