Innovation increases capability
Technological innovation is the major driver for labour productivity growth.
New technology, particularly Information and Communication Technology is removing many of the traditional barriers for disabled people in the workforce. At the same time technology originally developed for disabled people has potential to enable every individual to be more productive and avoid potentially disabling conditions.
Who could benefit from accessible technology?
- 44% of computer users use some form of accessible technology but most do not use the full array of accessibility options. [i]
- 62% of adults would be more productive if they made use of commonly available software access features originally designed for disabled people. [ii]
- 103.4 million working age Americans would benefit from using accessible technology.
This group is made up of 25% of people who have severe difficulties using computers and would be ‘very likely' to benefit from accessible technology. A further 37% who have mild difficulties would also be ‘likely' to benefit. "
No difficulties/ Minimal difficulties are Not likely to benefit = 37%[iii]
| Impairment | Likely to benefit from accessible technology | Very likely to benefit | Total % (Base: US 18 - 64 yr olds) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visual | 27.4% | 18.5% | 45.9% |
|
Dexterity |
31.7% |
12.0% |
43.7% |
|
Hearing |
32.0% |
4.3% |
36.3% |
|
Cognitive |
29.7% |
3.8% |
33.5% |
|
Speech |
4.3% |
1.9% |
6.2% |
The proportion of severe impairments, increase with age. Many or most of the individuals who have mild difficulties and impairments do not self identify as having an impairment or disability.[iv]
Making use of available technology
Technology to enable productivity for disabled people exists but not enough managers know about it. Managers who have experience of implementing adjustments are positive about the contribution disabled employees make the business.
A recent survey of HR managers in the US revealed:
- Only 16% were familiar with screen readers
- Only 13% were familiar with guidance on website accessibility
- Nearly half reported having made alterations to make a computer accessible for an employee with a disability
- 65% of adaptations made were for individuals with visual impairments.
Experience of having made accommodations led to a more positive view of the ability of disabled people to use computers and lower view of the impact of barriers to use.[v]
As the US population ages, more US workers and computer users will notice changes in their abilities and experience difficulties and impairments. At the same time, older US workers will remain in the workforce long past previously expected retirement ages. Maintaining productivity among US workers - regardless of abilities, difficulties and impairments - will become an increasingly vital economic issue for US businesses as the population continues to age. [vi]
How Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Can Connect the Disabled (Article from Business Week magazine)
Internet-based telephone communications holds great promise for allowing people with visual impairments to communicate more easily and become more productive.
- VoIP integrates the phone, voice mail, audio conferencing, e-mail, instant messaging, and Web applications like Microsoft Outlook and is very cheap to implement
- Audible caller ID enables people with visual impairments to screen calls
- Voicemail can be converted to email - a huge benefit for people with hearing impairments
- VoIP could be used as a means to provide ‘reasonable adjustments[vii]
Bertelsmann
A system that announces incoming e-mails by vibrating and flashing lights, a standing wheelchair that allows people to reach folders high up on shelves, group-wide efforts that serve to educate people with disabilities as well as their colleagues and supervisors: Bertelsmann AG's Office for Employees with Severe Disabilities has come up with plenty of creative ideas in recent years to make life at work easier for employees with disabilities and to inform them about their rights.
The European Commission report "Business Benefits of Diversity - Proven Methods at the Workplace" highlights the procedures that Bertelsmann AG has developed to successfully overcome the difficulties that people with disabilities encounter in workaday life.
"Some companies like Bertelsmann have developed unique, practical methods that are helpful for work and life in general. They benefit people with disabilities in their work environment in particular, but are also available to [wider] society."
Bertelsmann AG has established itself "at the head of a high-profile campaign to heighten sensitivity and counteract negative attitudes towards people with disabilities at the workplace."[viii]
www.bertelsmann.com
More information about using IT to make adjustments for disabled employees and boost productivity
Sources
[i] Accessible Technology in Computing, 2004.
[ii] "The Wide Range of Abilities and its Impact on Computer Technology", Microsoft & Forrester research, 2003
[iii] "The Wide Range of Abilities and its Impact on Computer Technology", Microsoft & Forrester research, 2003
[iv] "The Wide Range of Abilities and its Impact on Computer Technology", Microsoft & Forrester research, 2003
[v] Survey of 813 Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) members, 2002, Bruyere, Erickson, VanLooy, Cornell, Information technology and the workplace: Implications for Persons with Disabilities, ILR 2005.
[vi] Accessible Technology in Computing, 2004.
[vii] http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2005/prod_092805.html
[viii] "Exemplary: EU Commission Commends Bertelsmann For Integration Of Employees With Disabilities", "Business Benefits of Diversity - Proven Methods at the Workplace," Brussels/Gütersloh, 12/06/2005.