Technology has impacted the world tremendously. People are able to live almost double as long due to advances in medical technology. Life has been made simpler because of computers and cell phones that allow the unlimited access to the World Wide Web.
Technology is now making life simpler for people with disabilities. Not only do prosthetic limbs help those who have lost vital body parts due to accidents, war, or illness, technology is helping people with medical disabilities as well.
For decades, assistive technology has been available for developmentally disabled people but it is less than high tech and expensive.
However, Apple’s iPad is beginning to change the lives of many. Applications are available to help with communication barriers that developmentally disabled people face.
AssistiveWare’s Proloquo2Go app allows the user to tap pictures and the machine then recites the word associated with the picture. Tapping more than one picture pieces the words together and creates a sentence.
Machines used before the iPad could cost up to $8,00. The application that can be bought on the iPad costs around $200. People using the iPad do not feel as though they are different to others because the iPad is now commonly used in schools across the nation for various reasons.
People coping with disabilities struggle with daily tasks that other people do not face. This technology has made life simpler and will continue to aid developmentally disabled people for years beyond.
Technology will continue to impact the world and the people who live in it. It is society’s job to embrace these new technologies and use it for the better.