There are an estimated 54 million Americans alone that are considered to be physically or mentally disabled. In other words 19 percent of the American population who have a hard time wandering the byways of the Internet and technology.
AbledBody is a new consumer tech focused site geared towards this segment and officially launched Thursday. The site covers not just hardware and software of interested to the disabled community but also carries information on how the disabled can modify general gear to make it more accessible to them. As well it will cover news of trends and gadgets that can help the disabled at work and at home. The site will also post sourced news, personal commentary and contributors’ expert opinions.
Editor in chief Suzanne Robitaille–who lost her hearing at age 4 due to meningitis and now has a cochlear implant–has covered disability topics for The Wall Street Journal and is the author of a forthcoming book, “The Illustrated Guide to Assistive Technology.” Other stories currently appearing on AbledBody cover a new touch technique that lets blind consumers use smartphones; Bookshare rebuilding its talking books library; and a new Apple iPhone app that manages diabetes.
The site isn’t just about informing the disabled about their options, but also about the growing disability market. Many companies make their money on health care products, and disabilities are a big part of that. AbledBody tracks the innovations from both sides, which is interesting.
Source: Crave Blog – CNET News
This is a great addition to the tech blogosphere and one we all should make sure to pass around as we all probably have some-one close to us who suffers from one type of disability or another.
