Mobile Ability: The Transformational Impact of Wireless Innovation for People with Disabilities | Mobile Future

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In each of our modern lives, broadband holds a pivotal key to enhancing economic opportunities, expanding access to education, improving our health and participating in civil society. Nowhere is this potential more powerfully on display than at the intersection of broadband and mobility.

And, arguably no community has put this nearly limitless potential to more transformational use in their daily lives than the 1 in 5 Americans who, today, are living with disabilities.

This paper examines the progress being made through advancements in mobile devices and services to enhance quality of life and inclusiveness for Americans with disabilities. This intersection of mobile innovation and broadband technologies is unleashing tremendous opportunity for people with disabilities in the areas of employment, health care, education and emergency response.

Additionally, the paper explores next generation technologies and the future of mobile innovation in this area.
Key Innovations

* For the nation’s 37 million adults who experience trouble hearing, a new wireless system developed at the Georgia Tech Research Institute offers those with hearing difficulties the ability to caption events in real-time. The device translates spoken words into text and displays it on a screen.

* For those who have difficulty seeing, new mobile apps can use smartphone cameras to scan labels and announce the contents of grocery items, their nutrition labels, and even pill bottles. When merged with GPS technology, these apps can liberate the visually impaired by giving them step-by-step directions through their smartphone.

* For the 6 to 8 million Americans who have problems speaking, there are many low- or no-cost communications apps available for their cell phone. There’s voice output software that conveys typed messages; downloadable text-to-speech software can be an effective, less-costly alternative to speech devices covered by private insurance and Medicare.

The report also points out several key areas where policymakers can make a difference. They include:

* Freeing up more spectrum,
* Removing bariers like high taxes and fees on communications services,
* Encouraging collaboration between innovators and the disability community,
* Supporting efforts to modernize local 911 infastructures.

The report also points to several key areas where policymakers can make a difference. The most pressing need is to free up more spectrum to accommodate growing demand. Other recommendations include removing economic barriers like high taxes and fees on communications services; leading by example by expanding online footprints for government agencies and making resources more accessible to mobile users; encouraging collaboration between innovators and the disability community; and supporting efforts to modernize local 911 infrastructure.

With the release of its National Broadband Plan and subsequent report on broadband for people with disabilities, the Federal Communications Commission is signaling its own commitment to encouraging these life-changing innovations. At this important juncture, we offer this paper to help inform both great products and meaningful policy.

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