Successful commercialization of AT is partly dependent upon the availability of good data for understanding the needs of existing and potential users. There are major gaps in AT research due to the lack of data on the population of individuals with disabilities. While data is collected by the U.S. Bureau of the Census, the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics, and the World Health Organization at an international level, it is too broad to accurately analyze the market demand for AT devices and services, to understand the need for accessibility improvements, and the purchasing patterns of people who use or could benefit from AT. The lack of more specific data contributes to higher AT costs.

The Task Force recommends that a national survey be conducted to better analyze the needs of the consumer population at large for AT, as well as the need for accessibility features in mainstream products and services. Market research needs to be conducted and made readily available that addresses purchasing patterns characteristic of AT consumers and effective tactics for targeting this growing market.

Additionally, R&D funding needs to be increased and directed toward accessibility features and services that could be built into mass market products. R&D funding also needs to be targeted for developing next generation AT and UD, and technology transfer to encourage faster integration of innovations in other fields that could benefit people with disabilities. Compared to other R&D investments in technology by the federal government, funding to support R&D to increase the independence of people with disabilities, including aging, is a small fraction of one percent of the total U.S. R&D budget. Leadership in the federal government is needed to create incentives for companies, universities and nonprofit organizations to perform high-risk R&D for AT and AMT that improves the quality of life for individuals with disabilities, enables independence, and provides substantial economic benefits to the U.S. economy.

Excerpt from Wireless for the Disabled

‘‘The wireless explosion has made cell phones, personal digital assistants, and other devices ubiquitous and has changed the way people communicate and work. It also offers the possibility of changing the lives of disabled people, by helping them overcome or cope with their impairments. The 25 researchers at the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Mobile Wireless Technologies for Persons with Disabilities at the Georgia Institute for Technology have made it their mission to realize that possibility. The center is designing wireless aids that target a variety of disabilities, including mobility, vision, and hearing impairments. The researchers use off-the-shelf components to build these systems ‘so that they’re affordable and available,’ says John Peifer, the center’s codirector. The center is also trying to influence wireless device manufacturers to make their existing products more accessible to people with disabilities and to adopt new applications with the needs of the disabled in mind. ‘Mobile wireless is going to be a big part of the future. There’s a concern that people with disabilities would be left out,’ says Peifer.’’

MIT’s Magazine of Innovation
TECHNOLOGY REVIEW
December 2003/January 2004
www.technologyreview.com