Problems & Populations Being Addressed

Information and communication technologies are advancing at an ever-increasing rate, and are rapidly being incorporated in every aspect of life.  Individuals throughout the world, in both developed and developing countries are finding that, while they may have been able to ignore or avoid technology in the past, the use of technology is rapidly becoming a necessity.  As a result, those who cannot access and use technologies are increasingly being put at a distinct economic, social, and educational disadvantage in comparison to those who do have access.  In many places, even daily living activities now require access to and use of technology.

For many people with disabilities, access to technology is required for them to read, write, talk or be productive.

Some of the key issues that the Raising the Floor Initiative seeks to address include:

1) Cost vs. Personal Resources

People who do not have disabilities have many options for getting access to mainstream information and communication technologies (ICT).  For those with resources a new computer loaded with software with free updates can be purchased for a few hundred dollars, will last for five years and can be used to access a vast array of information and services on the web. 

Those who cannot afford a computer, can use one at a friend’s house - or use one of the many computers that societies provide free of charge to ensure availability of this important resource for all (e.g., at public schools, public libraries, community centers etc.).

For those who can afford cell phone service - cell phones are also increasingly providing functionality that was once only available via computer.  In some parts of the world, a cell phone is more practical and affordable than a PC and Internet connection.

In contrast, many individuals with disabilities are not able to access information and communication technology without expensive assistive devices and technologies (AT).  People who have reading disabilities may need text readers, highlighters, or visual tracking aids. Individuals who are blind may need screen readers. People with language, learning, and cognitive disabilities may need software to simplify presentation or provide language assists. The cost of the special adaptive software needed can far exceed the cost of the mainstream technology, and the adaptive software may have a limited shelf life before upgrades are needed.  For example - the computer that cost a few hundred dollars above, and that lasted for five years, may not be usable unless the person can afford an adaptive interface that costs more than a thousand dollars and lasts less than a year before it needs to be upgraded to keep working with the rapid evolution of mainstream software and content.  Even when efforts are made in public settings to provide assistive technology to enable access, the cost of such specialized technology usually limits the number of places it can be found and the number of disabilities that are addressed.

In many countries we provide free public libraries because we feel that information should be freely available to all.  We provide free public education because we feel that education should be available for all.  In a similar manner, we must commit to providing people with disabilities at least the basic access features needed to enable equal access to the vast amount of information, services, and communities that are available online to everyone else if they are to be able to compete and participate in the rapidly evolving global society.

Tommy can access the computer at his local community center but his friend Li who has a learning disability cannot because, the assistive technology needed by his friend to use the computer is not on the computer.

Marie is blind.  She can buy a used computer, but cannot afford the screen reader she needs to allow her to use it to access the web sites she needs.

Ti lives in Africa and cannot access the books he needs because he has dyslexia, cannot read the print version, and cannot afford an ebook reader for the free electronic versions (nor afford a computer to run free software readers).

2)  Computing is evolving toward being virtual and ubiquitous

Computing is evolving and moving away from the workstation or personal computer model.  More and more computing is moving onto and into the network.  It is already possible for users to have all of their software and storage virtual so that they can log in anywhere on any computer and be "at their workstation, using their software.”   Over time, computing and computer services will blend even more into our environments until computing will become like electricity: always around us and always available to us.  We will access computing and computer services on the variety of screens and devices we find about us, or - if we have the money and necessary resources - in the devices we carry with us.

Those who need access features in order to use these ubiquitous technologies will need those features to be built into the networks, as well.  And those users who cannot afford personal technologies - and therefore must rely on public technologies, will need to have the access features available to them in a similarly public (free) and ubiquitous manner.  Otherwise they will only be able to observe others using the ubiquitous computing resources all about them. People with disabilities have been left behind whenever technology changes.  And the direction computers are heading will leave more of them further behind unless new approaches to addressing these problems are found.

3)  Ability to keep pace with mainstream technological advances

Even those who can afford AT (or have AT purchased for them) are finding the costs increasingly prohibitive.    While the normal path of technology has been continually decreasing costs and increasing functionality, AT has not followed the same trajectory.  A large reason for the high cost for special assistive technologies is the cost for trying to keep pace with the capabilities and interfaces of the mainstream technologies.  Both the mainstream products themselves and the technologies used to create the mainstream interfaces are advancing at such a rapid rate that it is very difficult for assistive technology manufacturers to keep up. It is both difficult and time consuming (expensive) for them to:

• continually update their core to work with the continually changing mainstream technologies
• keep writing new interface routines to handle changes in mainstream product interfaces, so that they can be presented in a form appropriate to individuals with all of the different types, degrees and combinations of sensory, physical and cognitive disabilities: and
• do the customization of their assistive technologies to work with the myriad of new customer specific applications

Unfortunately much of this work is duplicated within companies working on similar assistive technologies, since different companies use different (non-shared) core routines and libraries that must all be maintained and updated as mainstream technologies change.  These costs not only keep the cost of the assistive technologies high, but also reduce the ability of the companies to develop new and better interfaces for a wide range of disabilities.  Time that could be spent innovating and improving is spent in the duplicated treadmill of updates for compatibility with the mainstream technologies. The magnitude of the load (and the limited technical teams in the assistive technology companies) can also introduce a delay for many companies, espeically smaller ones, between the time new mainstream technologies are introduced and the time when the updated assistive technologies are available.  For people whose jobs and productivity depend on being able to access the technologies introduced on the Web or in their jobs, this can be a severe problem for their productivity and their perceived value in the workplace.

We have now reached a critical point where the technologies are advancing at such a rate that even the largest assistive technology companies strive to keep pace.  And smaller companies can’t catch up or even get started because the time, effort and expense are so great.  In both cases, much innovation is lost.

Concord Inc. (a startup) has an interface that could work with individuals with cognitive, language and learning disabilities but it only works with simple Web pages because it is too difficult and expensive for the company to create a sophisticated-enough software core to handle the more advanced pages now appearing all over the web.

GIANT assistive technology corp. spends so much of their time just keeping up with the mainstream software advances and updates that it is unable to respond to many of the user requests for new features and capabilities or to really innovate. As a result their products look much the same from year to year - except the old versions don't work with new mainstream software.

The growing gap between mainstream and assistive technology is creating tension between the mainstream market and users who must rely on assistive technologies.  Mainstream developers do not want to delay progress or restrict innovation and their customers have come to expect a continuous and unrestricted flow of new technologies and products.  End-users who rely on adaptive technologies do not want to slow down innovation either but they also do not want to be left behind or to have access only much later or at increasing costs.

Policy makers and societies are currently left with the untenable choice of either slowing down progress which can potentially benefit all in order to allow assistive technologies to keep up or leaving people behind who need assistive technologies for access, especially those who cannot afford the 'latest version of the best (and most expensive) technology.

What is needed

A new model is needed, that will supplement existing systems to accomplish the following:

• Raise the floor of technology available to those with few resources - so that they can have effective access to the same technologies as everyone else - without having to slow down or hinder mainstream technology progress.
• Provide support to AT vendors, regardless of company size, in keeping up with new technologies.  This will allow vendors to better keep pace and to have sufficient resources to innovate.
• Move the assistive/adaptive technology field from a workstation/PC approach toward a ubiquitous accessible model that will be needed in the near future.