5 Ways Tech Can Help Disabled Employees
Technology is amazing. It has helped us to send people to the moon and transformed our personal lies beyond our wildest beliefs, allowing us to free up more time for leisure and achieving our goals. So, it is hardly surprising that technology can transform the workplace for disabled employees too.
We do a lot to help disabled employees from installing Sheridan lifts that can help them to access the workplace to making adjustments to the office space that will help them to work more comfortably, but there are some very impressive ways that tech can help make things even better for disabled employees as you will see below.
1. Screen magnifiers
Screen and document magnifiers are a great invention that enables employees who have sight impairment to be able to more comfortably read the information on their screens. There was a time when people with such disabilities would have been unable to work in office-based computer-facing roles, but thanks to screen magnifiers, this is no longer the case. Employees can enlarge the screen as much as they want to see their work and for such a simple idea, it can be totally transformative.
2. Screen readers
Similarly, screen readers, which read the text and output it in the form of the spoken word, have made it possible for employees who are totally blind to be able to use computers in the office too. This is amazing because blind people would once have been much more limited in the roles they could accept than they are now, all thanks to modern technology.
3. Ergonomic keyboards and adapted trackers
Many people with disabilities struggle to use standard keyboards, mice and trackers, which are often not designed with people who have a lower level of manual dexterity in mind. These days, you can get, not only ergonomic keyboards that are more comfortable to use, but also mice and trackerballs that are larger, have projecting buttons or have been designed specifically for use by people with a wide range of conditions, making it possible for many more people to use them.
4. Speech recognition software
Speech recognition software enables you to dictate the words you would normally type when working, which means a wide range of professions from being a writer to working as a PA have been opened up to people who do not have the ability to type at all. Dragon NaturallySpeaking is probably the best-known of these software packages, but even Google Docs has its own basic voice typing function which is great for disabled people who cannot use a keyboard at all.
5. Accessible web design
Accessible web design is becoming a more important part of the web every day and it means more people who might not have been able to access websites and online documents can now do so.
As you can see, tech can be totally transformative for employees who might otherwise have struggled in the workplace, so whether you run a business or just work for one, do not overlook the part that tech can play in making everyone’s working lives better.
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