The focus of this category is on accessibility products, particularly those that are available online.
Accessibility refers to creating products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments usable by people with disabilities. It encompasses the ability to access and derive benefits from these systems or entities, explicitly focusing on enabling access for people with disabilities through assistive technology.
Assistive technology refers to devices that assist a person in completing a task that would otherwise be impossible. Examples include screen readers and assistive listening devices like hearing aids.
Adaptive technology refers to modifying or adapting existing devices or creating new uses for existing devices to enable a person to complete a task. Examples include the use of remote controls or the autocomplete feature in word processing programs to help people with mobility impairments to complete tasks.
Although digital tech drives much of today's technology, accessibility products go back a long time.
The earliest-known prosthetic dates back to around 950-710 BC in ancient Egypt. Made of wood and leather, it was found attached to a mummy. Moving forward to the steampunk era of the 15th through the 19th centuries, custom-designed limbs made of wood, metal, and leather featured geares, cranks, and springs. In more recent history, during World War II, advancements led to lighter materials like plastics and polycarbonate. Today, prosthetics continue to evolve with thought-controlled limbs and innovative technology.
The first wheelchair design dates back to the 6th century, as depicted in a Chinese engraving. However, the first practical wheelchair was built in 1595 for King Philip II of Spain, although it was not self-propelled. Stephen Farfler, a paraplegic watchmaker from Germany, invented the first self-propelled wheelchair in 1655.
Louis Braille designed his universal system for reading and writing in the early 1800s, allowing the blind and visually impaired to read and write. Perkins Brailler Typewriter, developed in 1951, allowed people to type in braille.
In the late 1800s, Alexander Graham Bell's technologies led to the development of the first pocket-sized hearing aid, improving aural benefits.
In the 1960s, sip and puff technology enabled quadriplegics and others to access everyday technology like wheelchairs, computers, and vehicles.
The 21st century has witnessed remarkable advances. Assistive technology now encompasses everything from mobility devices to screen magnification software. Originally designed for specific disabilities, products like OXO kitchen tools (for arthritis) and voice command devices (visual impairment) have found widespread popularity among those without disabilities due to their ease of use and accessibility.
Innovations like automated vehicles and drones hold promise for improving safety and increasing access for people with disabilities.
Assistive technology has come a long way, driven by a commitment to inclusivity and a desire to empower people with disabilities.
Vehicle modifications that can enhance vehicle accessibility include hand controls to allow drivers to accelerate and brake using their hands, ramps, and lifts to assist drivers who depend on wheelchairs or scooters, assistance straps to help in entering or exiting the car, amputee rings for drivers with below-elbow amputations, swivel seats to facilitate easier entry and exit, seat belt adjustments, and safety bars to provide stability during transfers.
Mobility devices include manual and electric wheelchairs, battery-operated scooters, walkers, canes, and crutches. Adaptive bikes and strollers can enable outdoor mobility. Gait trainers can support individuals learning to walk.
Developed by Microsoft, Seeing AI is an application that uses a phone's camera to identify people, objects, and handwriting. It audibly describes these elements for users with low or no vision. It can even describe the surrounding scene, including colors and brightness.
Pison's Wearable Device transfers neuromuscular signals from the skin to digital devices. It allows users to control technology using their minds, making it a potential game changer for everyone, even those without disabilities.
Moovemo is a wearable device that assists people with mobility challenges by providing real-time feedback on posture and movement.
Online shopping sites with a focus on accessibility products are the focus of this category.
Recommended Resources
The family-owned British business supplies wheelchair access ramps to domestic, commercial, industrial, and public-sector organizations throughout the United Kingdom. From its warehouse in Lancaster, the company promises deliveries within 24 hours, except for those ramps that must be made to order. Shoppers can browse their wheelchair ramps by use or by type, by portable wheelchair lifts, or by standalone step kits. Purchases may be made online. Brochures are available on request.
https://www.disabledaccessramps.net/
Discount Scooters is an independent mobility specialist supplier of affordable electric scooters, mobility scooters, and associated products. The company only supplies new parts and accessories, so all its replacement parts are genuine. Located in Dorchester, Dorset, England, the company offers free delivery on orders over £60, with same-day dispatch when ordered before 4:00 p.m. Other resources include user manuals, DVLA forms, a part identification service, and an informational blog.
https://discountscooters.co.uk/
Based in Nayland, Suffolk, England, the UK business provides a free service for people in the UK looking for a stairlift. Clients can submit their details to Stair Lift Experts and be rewarded with £50 worth of M&S vouchers. The company will liaise with trusted, reputable stairlift manufacturers on behalf of the client, requesting a technical survey of the client's staircase, free of charge, and arrange full quotations directly from the manufacturers. Reviews are provided.
https://www.stairliftexperts.co.uk/
Headquartered in Andover, Hampshire, Great Britain, Stannah Lifts Holdings provides elevators, escalators, and moving walkways and manufactures stairlifts and platform lists. In addition to its UK site, Stannah also has a US site. Stannah offers a range of lift products for various settings, including its commercial division, Stannah Lift Services, and Stannah Microlifts. Customer reviews, accreditations, partnerships, aftercare services, and contacts are featured.
https://www.stannah.com/
Carrying a line of medical supplies and mobility aids, USM places a particular emphasis on its mobility products. USM is one of the largest suppliers of medical and mobility products in the world, with more than 12,000 products. Its online shopping store displays helpful product descriptions, photographs, and prices. Customers can place orders online or call the company's Customer Care Experts to get help or ask questions about the products. Deliveries can be made anywhere in the United States.
https://www.usmedicalsupplies.com/
Webster is a major UK brand whose products are designed and manufactured to meet the standards of UK healthcare institutions. Webster wheelchairs have been supplied in the United Kingdom for fifteen years and have been used by more than one in five wheelchair users in the UK. Based in the UK, its products are shipped domestically to the UK mainland. Interested people can browse its catalog of wheelchairs, accessories, and parts, or view technical information and special offers.
https://websterwheelchairs.co.uk/
