Everybody knows about the great scientist late Stephen Hawking. The entire world knows his achievements well. But very few people know that Hawking was diagnosed with an early-onset slow-progressing form of motor neurone disease that gradually, over decades, paralysed him. Not just that, but with time, he even lost his speech. How did such a person achieve so much in his lifetime with such a major impediment? To many people’s surprise, it was AI who helped him in managing his disabilities smoothly. He used a device that monitored his cheek reflexes to control his computer. He also used a program called Equalizer to select letters, words, and phrases from a computer screen. An open-source program used AI to analyze his writing and suggest words as he typed.
Stephen Hawking passed away in 2018 and AI has seen major advancements post that. Today AI is a tool that can assist individuals in managing their disabilities and making sure they use their capabilities to the fullest without feeling left behind.
Role of AI in improving accessibility for the disabled
When we discuss AI tools that help people overcome their disabilities, we can mainly divide them into two kinds:
- Firstly, tools that are specially designed for such people.
- Secondly, general tools that are built inclusively to help people with disabilities.
There are many ways in which AI can help people in managing their disabilities:
- Improves the accessibility of disabled people to the outer world: Many AI tools remove barriers between people with disabilities and what they want or need to do. For example, AI-powered speech recognition software can help people with mobility issues move around or control devices. Also, prosthetics and exoskeletons may use AI to be more responsive.
- AI for the hearing/speech impaired: AI can provide real-time translation in sign language or text during video calls, which may assist individuals with a hearing impairment.
- AI for the visually impaired: For visually impaired individuals, AI-powered applications can be powerful tools, with some applications being able to describe the world around their users verbally, read text aloud, recognise individuals’ faces and even identify currency notes.
- Supports communication: AI helps translate thoughts and feelings into words, even if the person using it communicates differently. Think of things like predictive text and language processing tools, which can generate speech from text or symbols.
- Offers personalized support: AI learning materials, monitoring software, and other options can adapt to a user’s needs in real-time, providing specific assistance as per the needs of users. For example, smart wearable devices can monitor vital signs and alert users or caregivers in case of emergencies.
Popular AI tools for people with disabilities
- ChatGPT: Uses AI to scan sources on the web and generate responses based on your request.
- Microsoft Seeing AI: Uses AI to describe people, text, and objects. This program can read printed text in real-time, identify currency, and recognize friends and their emotions. Use your phone to scan barcodes, read text, and more.
- Voiceitt: Designed for people with non-standard speech. Voiceitt uses AI to learn and adapt to your speech patterns so you can communicate easily.
- WheelMap: Uses AI to map and share information about wheelchair-accessible spaces.
- Predictable: Uses AI to predict text and phrases, which helps people with conditions like ALS or cerebral palsy communicate.
Challenges that AI might create for people with disabilities
Developers design any AI tool using large sets of data. At the design and training stages, machine learning algorithms normally identify patterns and regularities in the datasets and give results. An AI model that is not developed in a manner that is mindful of the accessibility needs of different types of disability, or does not have appropriate data relating to such individuals in its dataset, may be at a higher risk of discriminating against them.
Some AI tools feature complex graphical user interfaces and navigation structures that focus on visual aesthetics, or rely heavily on visual content without providing alternative text descriptions or audio narratives. Such content and structures can be inaccessible to visually impaired users.
As to the employment field, AI-driven aptitude or personality tests, used as part of the selection process, may potentially disadvantage disabled candidates compared with abled candidates. For example, if visually impaired candidates cannot access the test platforms with their screen readers.
AI is opening up new possibilities for people with disabilities. It makes daily life easier and more accessible. With ongoing advancements, we can expect even greater improvements in the future. Using AI for managing disabilities means creating a world where everyone, regardless of ability, has the opportunity to thrive and succeed.
