Engineering At Its Finest - Adding Accessibility Options

Every machine capable of enriching our lives is work of someone's ingenuity. Everything from a simple pencil to a plane. But before any new product becomes acceptable by masses, it has to be refined. Made so simple that an end user can use it. That's exactly when an idea becomes an innovation. I was always of the view that a new technology reaches its potential when it starts contributing to entertainment of the masses. But a step further would be to make technology and machines accessible to people with disabilities. That's the perfection.

Social infrastructure should specially be build; keeping disabled in mind. Why all the extra cost and effort someone may ask. My answer would be, what if all this results in some disabled reaching to even 10% of Mr. Hawking's stature. That will repay all the extra cost and effort.

Following are some examples I would like to share with all.

The Beeps in Buses

Right. We all hate that loud sound of a bus horn but these are buttons inside the buses which produces a beep sound. It can be helpful for someone who has speaking disabilities.


Metro Walk

Delhi Metro gets full marks when I evaluate it on these grounds. They have lifts for disabled. But what is worth noticing is the yellow strip which is layered on top of the floor. These are the blind lines. Notice the pattern over it. A blind person with a stick can easily follow them.


Let's build products which are accessible to all and start asking for accessibility options in ones which are already build. These features can also be of use to normal people. For e.g the beep buttons can make people act more civilized. Children can be asked to follow yellow strips, so they can stay away from crowded areas. Similarly, every new accessibility feature added may also benefit normal users in some way..