MANILA, Philippines — Who is the best assistant that a person can ever have these days?

They are not actually human beings. Rather, they are all the technology-driven gadgets that commit to humanity a better, easier life.

Assistive technologies also allow persons with disabilities (PWDs) to do things that they find difficult to accomplish. More companies now are producing gadgets that help ease PWDs physical, mental and other disabilities.

Students and Campuses Bulletin gives a rundown of today’s most advanced technology that help PWDs accomplish tasks, making their integration in society a lot more seamless.

The exoskeleton

The exoskeleton may seem like it came straight from a science fiction film but the technology is now used to help PWDs. An exoskeleton is a mobile battery-powered robotic frame a person can wear to enhance mobility. This is also called a powered armor, as the same technology is also being developed by the military. The first recorded development of this robotic machine was in the 1960s. Today, exoskeletons are also being developed for the paraplegic. Recently, a student from the University of California at Berkley in the United States was able to march for his graduation with the use of an exoskeleton. The machine was developed by Homayoon Kazerooni, a mechanical engineering professor and his engineering research team at the university. They aim to develop these robotic assistance machines to improve mobility among paraplegics.

Text-to-speech

Text-to-speech technology or speech synthesis is more famously known as the voice of Stephen Hawking. Text inputs through keyboards can be translated to speech. The hardware that the famous physicist uses enables him to communicate. Moreover, the technology’s software form allows blind people and those with reading disabilities to listen to written words through a computer. For the visually-impaired, there are now different software programs that allow them to use the computers and mobile phones. They can “read” emails and text messages through these text-to-speech software programs that convert texts to speech. Some of these computer software applications include Kurzweil 3000 and TextHelp Systems. These programs can also help other people with learning disabilities like dyslexia, literacy difficulties, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and other learning disabilities. In the Philippines, the Resources for the Blind, Inc. offers computer training for the visually-impaired using similar software.

Speech recognition system

This is the opposite of text-to-speech. Speech recognition programs allow the user to convert his/her speech to text. This is especially helpful to people with physical disability like for amputees. Programs such as Dragon NaturallySpeaking automatically converts recorded voice into text.

Voice action for Android phones

This built-in program allows the user to send text messages, emails, search for websites, call, get directions, etc. only controlling it by speaking. This is especially helpful to those having trouble using the keypad due to disabilities.

Touch screens and trackballs

Touch screens may not be specifically made for PWD but it is in fact helpful to special children especially children with autism (CWA). Since it is easier for them to process information through visual cues, they can easily navigate a computer screen through touch, replacing the traditional mouse, which can often be difficult for them. Another replacement to the traditional mouse is the trackball. It is a computer mouse-like device with a big ball in the middle that rolls in any direction. If a touch screen is unavailable, the trackball can be easily used to navigate on the computer more accurately.

Closed captioning

Aside from hearing aids, there are several assistive technologies for the hearing-impaired. One of which is closed captioning. Although this is not as technologically-advanced as the others, closed captioning is a helpful tool for the hearing-impaired. It lets television viewing for them a lot easier. Television signals are supposed to have embedded captions for videos, using a decoder, viewers can choose to have captions on their television shows. Sadly, it is only available in the US and Europe and has not been employed in the Philippines. A bill has been filed in the Senate for many years now, authored by several senators. The recent bill was passed by Senator Bong Revilla requiring news programs on free TV to have closed captions to better information access among deaf Filipinos.

Mobile applications

Mobile phones and tablets have been great tools in providing new assistive technologies. Several applications have been developed to specifically answer the needs of disabled persons. One of these applications is the LookTel Money Reader. It utilizes the camera of the mobile phone and can scan and recognize money and translate it through speech. It can as well recognize packaged goods, CDs, DVDs, and medication bottles, and landmarks. Available on the iPhone, this technology can only recognize US currency. There is also the Sign Smith ASL Essential, an iPhone app that has 100 signs that allows the user to learn sign language. Another is the iSpectrum, also for the iPhone, recognizes and identifies colors, an essential tool for colorblinds.

Audio books

Aside from Braille, visually-impaired individuals can also use audio books for their literature needs. This can also be used by people with behavioral disorder such as ADHD. It allows them to focus and help improve reading comprehension and fluency.