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Tag: Disabilities

  • Uber Has a New Option for the Elderly and Disabled

    Uber Has a New Option for the Elderly and Disabled

    Uber is testing a new ride option that caters to the elderly and the disabled.

    It’s called UberASSIST, and it’s launching in Los Angeles.

    “At Uber, we strive to create transportation options that fit everyone’s needs. Today we are announcing a new option that will allow riders needing an extra hand to request safe and reliable rides at the tap of a button — uberASSIST,” says the company in a blog post. “uberASSIST is designed to provide additional assistance to members of the senior and disability communities. Driver-partners are specifically trained by Open Doors Organization to assist riders into vehicles and can accommodate folding wheelchairs, walkers, and scooters.”

    According to Open Doors, it’s dedicated to “creating a society in which persons with disabilities have the same consumer opportunities as non-disabled persons. ODO strives to teach businesses how to succeed in the disability market while at the same time empowering people with disabilities.”

    According to Uber, uberASSIST’s cost is the same as uberX, and will appear on your Uber app when you enter the ASSIST code into your promotions section.

    This is an interesting move from Uber, which has faced lawsuits in recent months over its treatment of disabled riders.

    Uber has said that it “was built to expand access to safe, reliable transportation options for all, including users with visual impairments and other disabilities,” and that it “seeks to make transportation options available to all individuals.” But the cruz of Uber’s argument against the aforementioned lawsuits involved the we’re just a technology company defense. As Fortune puts it, “Uber argues that as a technology company, it is not subject to laws regulating public transit and other transportation providers, such as the ADA, or required to provide accessible vehicles or accommodations.”

  • Rhode Island Settles Mental Disability Segregation Claims

    The U.S. Department of Justice today announced that the state of Rhode Island has agreed to the terms of a settlement meant to tackle the issue of discrimination in the state. The U.S. had claimed that Rhode Island was violating the rights of the mentally disabled in the state.

    According to the terms of the agreement, 2,000 Rhode Islanders with intellectual and developmental disabilities will now have the opportunity to work in normal job settings rather than in segregated workshops or day programs. In addition, 1,250 students with intellectual and developmental disabilities will receive mentoring, internships, and other services to help them transition from school to the broader Rhode Island workforce. The agreement redirects money over the next 10 years from the segregated programs to more integrated services in normal job settings.

    “Today’s agreement will make Rhode Island a national leader in the movement to bring people with disabilities out of segregated work settings and into typical jobs in the community at competitive pay,” said Jocelyn Samuels, acting assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department. “As Rhode Island implements the agreement over the next ten years, it will make a dramatic difference in the lives of people with disabilities, businesses, and communities across the state. We congratulate Governor Chafee and state officials for signing this agreement, as we believe that Rhode Island will be a model for the nation with respect to integrated employment for people with disabilities.”

    The claims against Rhode Island stem from an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) investigation into Rhode Island’s day program for citizens with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The investigation found that the state’s program violated the ADA by being too segregated. Persons who were part of the program were often found to work in environments with little outside contact and were paid an average wage of only $2.21 per hour. The investigation also found that students with mental disabilities had too few choices for more integrated work opportunities.

    Image via Thinkstock

  • Computer Scientists Developing Sign Language Translator

    Computer scientists in Scotland are developing technology that can translate sign language into text through a simple webcam. The technology, which has the potential to run on variety of camera-enabled digital devices, could be a big help to speech-impaired users trying to communicate, especially with members of the non-signing world.

    A full-fledged version of the software, called Portable Sign Language Translator (PSLT), is being developed by Technabling Ltd. (that’s Tech-nabling, not Techa-bling, btw), an offshoot of Aberdeen University specializing in technological solutions to physical and mental disabilities. PSLT aims to help young learners with speech difficulties, to empower mobility- and speech-challenged users to issue commands to their appliances and devices, and to allow people with speech difficulties to customize their language settings to a variety of regional variations and personal preferences.

    “The aim of the technology is to empower sign language users by enabling them to overcome the communication challenges they can experience, through portable technology,” says Technabling’s Director Dr. Ernesto Compatangelo, via The Scotsman. “The user signs into a standard camera integrated into a laptop, netbook, Smartphone or other portable device such as a tablet. Their signs are immediately translated into text which can be read by the person they are conversing with.”

    The technology will be portable, flexible, and customizable, stresses the company (although they spelled the latter with an “s”). When completed, PSLT will be released as an app for a variety of smart phones, tablets, and computers running Linux or Windows (provided they have a camera). It will be available for use with a variety of sign languages, including British Sign Language, Makaton, Technabling’s own Customisable Sign Language, and others (including ASL). Users will also be able to customize the app to a variety of jargon and idiosyncratic sign preferences.

    Not only will the camera help consumers use technology in their native language, it will also enable them to communicate in public in the absence of a speaking translator. Technabling also mentions that PSLT will benefit independent sign language learners. In the absence of a trained, fluent teacher, the software will be able to provide immediate feedback to learners, helping them make sure they are learning to sign correctly.

    Photo Source: PhysOrg.