A World Without Disabilities

Duy Vo

SOC 272

Professor Ashley Johnson

11 March 2015

A World Without Disabilities

        In today’s society, people who have a disability have been distinguished as “different”.  Through physical appearances, it is easy to identify someone who has a disability whether it is the white cane used be a person who is blind, or a wheelchair that someone with paralysis uses to navigate their everyday life.  People with disabilities should not have to go through life being labeled as “different”.  They are just like every other person in the world.  Living everyday lives, working to put food on the table, and performing everyday tasks like a human being.

        In order to help dilute the problem, CEO Krispian Lawrence of Ducere Technologies has been working on wearable technology that allows people with disabilities, such as blindness, to have the same functions of the white cane, but without the physical appearance label.  “The cane has social significance. At the same time, it has two major defects: it can’t [guide] you from one place to another, and it can’t orient you.”  His company has developed “footwear that supplement the white cane by providing navigation and safety information through vibrations in the wearer’s feet.”  The shoes will be sold under a brand name called “Lechal”, which in Hindi means “take me there”.

        The shoes will have specific features that enable runners to monitor their pace, outdoorsmen to map new trails, and tourists to navigate unknown cities.  All of these features are useable without the need to check a smartphone.  As science and technology continue to advance, sensors become more powerful and all different body types will be attracted to these new advances.  The main attractions are the features that increase functionality to enhance senses, monitor health, and simplify interactions with the environment around them.  The hope with these devices is, as they integrate into everyday life, the views on people with disabilities and limitations will mold disappear or mold into a positive light.  

        Other sophistications appear in the areas of hearing, where a company called SoundHawk has created an in-ear device that enhances hearing, but is not a hearing aid.  The devices is designed to improve quality of life, because there is still a surplus of people who have trouble hearing, but are not impaired and require hearing aids.  To identify the difference, the company designed their product to be as unnoticeable as possible.  Other companies are also working on technology with built in sensors, such as shirts and watches, with the hopes of aiding in early signs of heart disease, diabetics, and sleep apnea.  The overall goal in these products and companies is to change how society as a whole views and understands disabilities.  “Will Seymour of the Future Foundation consulting group points out that wearable and mobile tech is already giving the disabled newfound freedom to communicate and navigate. Allowing someone to do more with their body is certainly a redefinition of what it means to have a disability”.

        In our Introduction to Disabilities Studies class, we have been discussing different ways and modes to help rid of the stigma of “disabled” in our society.  We have witnessed the negativity that certain populations of people associate with the term “disabled”, or even through physical appearances.  However, disabilities do not minimize a person’s ability to live a normal life and be a part of society.  People with disabilities are not limited and should not be treated any different than people without disabilities.  In order to do so, technology companies have started creating wearable technologies that still operate in the same functions as traditional aids, but reduce the label of the disability.

        By doing so, scientists and innovators have addressed the five different models of disabilities.  The first model, medical, has been addressed through eliminating the physical appearances of any aids that may be seen in public.  Traditionally, a person who is blind would use a white cane, which people would know of their disability.  Now, technology has allowed for them to wear shoes like everyone else that guides and aids their disability.  One would not know of the disability unless actually speaking to them.  There is no longer an objective, standardized measure that labels them as “disabled”.  

        Secondly, the environment model is drastically affected by this new technology.  People who used to be labeled by their canes or hearing aids, will no longer suffer from social and physical discrimination.  In society, they will not look “different” compared to the everyday person.  This drastic improvement will slowly eliminate the stereotype and stigma of disability.  Before, people could easily point out someone who has a disability, now there is no factor that distinguishes them from people without disabilities.