The Future of Accessibility: A New Role of AI-Powered Technology for People with Disabilities

There have been many recent advance- ments in technology, but many overlook the emerging AI-powered possibilities related to ac- cessibility. Recently, there has been breakthrough innovation when figuring out how to incorporate AI into assistive technology. Not only is there more technology available than ever, but there is also more opportunity to improve and produce tools that can assist and create more independence for disabled people. Assistive technologies like screen-readers, captions, and voice recognition have only been improving in accuracy with the incorporation of more AI-powered technology.

AI can also offer personalized support, like predictive text or language processing tools to those with disabilities that make it difficult for them to communicate, or offering assistance to people with limited mobility through the ability

to control devices with voice recognition. As- sistive technology being created specifically for people with certain disabilities is a crucial aspect of advancing the field, but sometimes, technology designed for general assistance and functionality can be used in more inclusive ways. Recently, one of the most controversial items on the technology market has made an extreme positive impact on the blind community with a design catered spe- cifically towards creating independence for those with limited or impaired eyesight.

The AI glasses made in a collaboration between Meta and Ray-Ban include features such as camera and video access through the glasses, as well as audio feature that allow users to take calls, listen to music, or hear Meta AI responses through the open-ear style speakers.The process is completely hands free and meant to be discreet & stylish. Members of the blind community have found new ways to utilize the eyewear to create more independence and accessibility for theirselves. “The glasses make my life easier,” said Emeline Lakrout who was declared legally blind at 8 years old

in an interview with CBS. The original design is centered around the ability to film and interact with the world using the AI-powered technology, but Meta placed many more accessible features within the design of the glasses. Users can connect the glasses to the “Be My Eyes” app, a software that helps visually impaired users with recognizing objects & completing tasks in real time. The glasses also have OCR (optimal character recognition) that can read text information aloud. These features are extremely innovative and potentially helpful to the visually impaired community; however, the glass- es are relatively new and still a “work in progress” according to Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind.

While the glasses may not be at their full potential in accessibility yet, the existing features do make an impact and will hopefully be further improved upon in the future to help create inclusive environ- ments for even more disabled communities. There are many more recently developed assistive technologies that have made a positive impact on many disabled communities, and most were improved or enhanced with the use of AI.

The Xander Glasses by Xander are another design of AI-powered glasses, however, these are designed to help hearing impaired individuals by displaying captions on the lenses that reflect conversations in real time. The projection of the captions onto the lenses is discreet and designed to allow users to maintain eye contact in discussions while reading the captions simultaneously. There are a few more examples of recently developed/improved assistive technologies, one being the Smart Glove by Neofect, which is designed to help individuals who have experienced injuries or neurological conditions that create difficulties relating to hand func- tion. The gloves can help these people to regain their hand function using a sensor that tracks hand movements. The data is used to create real time rehabilitation exercises, seen via an app, for the individual to engage in. Another example of an enhanced assistive technology is the Oticon More hearing aid. This hearing aid is one of the most innovative on the market so far, using AI to improve the processing of speech so users don’t have to put as much energy into listening. The aid is designed to mimic the way the brain naturally processes sound, and even adapts to different environments, offering clear sound even in noisy settings. These recent innovations, as well as the assistive features of the Meta AI glasses illustrate how AI can be used to create independence for disabled individuals and offer more inclusive options when it comes to assistive technology.