How Do Computers Help Disabled People?

Computers have done a great deal to allow individuals with physical or mental disabilities to participate fuller life. Computers can help disabled people in many different areas of life including working, reading, and communicating.

Working

• Computers allow people to work from home or other remote locations. This is ideal for individuals with physical disabilities, which hinder their mobility, but also individuals with psychological disabilities, such as agoraphobia. Being able to work from home allows helps individuals with short-term disabilities, such as those which could result from a car accident or other physical injury.

Reading for the Visually Impaired

• There are computer programs designed to read information out loud for individuals who are either blind or have significant visual impairments. This includes text from computer files or the internet, but also from other sources. These programs can read mail, newspaper, and magazine articles that are scanned into the computer.

Communication

• Computers help disabled people to communicate with others in two very specific ways. First, is through the access to the Internet. For people with disabilities that limit their mobility, access to email, social networking sites, and other forms of communication like instant messenger allows them to stay in connect with others. Secondly, individuals who are unable to communicate through speech can communicate through a computer. There are programs, which allow people to type in what they want to say, and the computer will repeat it audibly.