As fully autonomous or self-driving vehicle technology (AVs) continues to evolve, the potential benefits of this technology are becoming more widely known. AVs have the potential to revolutionize transportation, making it safer, more efficient, and more accessible for everyone. Despite this promise there are wide ranging concerns that this technology is being designed in a manner that will render it largely inaccessible to those who may arguably benefit from it the most: persons with disabilities. Our efforts at Charter Dynamics are focused on understanding the needs of persons with visual disabilities as it relates to autonomous vehicles while working with OEMs and partner companies to design, prototype and bring to market more accessible self-driving vehicles.
Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are two emerging technologies that have the potential to revolutionize the way people interact with information. VR is a completely immersive experience that transports users into a digital world, while AR overlays digital information onto the real world. Both technologies have a wide range of applications, from gaming and entertainment to work and education. VR can be used to create realistic simulations for training purposes, while AR can be used to provide instructions or superimpose digital information on real-world objects. Though clearly a future-focused technology, current thinking around VR/AR is largely centered on supporting the visual senses; a shortcoming we believe is a significant barrier in creating a more accessible future. Accessible AR/VR may potentially function as assistive technology for persons with disabilities while opening new avenues for education, training, and entertainment.
Learn how we can help your company create more accessible AR/VR technology.
Orientation and Mobility (O&M) professionals teach people with low vision or blindness to use assistive technology for indoor and outdoor travel and navigation. Many off the shelf mobile devices, for instance, may now be configured with applications that effectively turn a traditional smartphone into an O&M device. There are also a wide range of more exotic O&M technologies that may be used by persons with visual disabilities for routine travel. We are skilled in understanding how to design and prototype a range of O&M technologies for blind and low vision users.
Social systems like Facebook, Intagram, Twitter, Tik Tok and others are used for a variety of reasons, including social interaction, for work purposes, gaming, or simple enjoyment. But while these systems are broadly used, for users who are blind or visually impaired using social networking sites absent a mobile device can be a challenging experience. Because SNS are designed to be largely visual, the technology and content of these systems simply does not in many cases support how disabled users utilize the internet in many instances. This is a worrying reality that may be improving with the growing ubiquity of more accessible mobile devices but that is still problematic for specific segments of the population. Accessible social systems may enable users with disabilities, who may have smaller real world social networks, to stay engaged and fully involved in modern society.
Learn how we can help you design a more accessible social system.
The rise of ridesharing services such as Uber and Lyft have been a game-changer for the transportation industry. By making it easier and more affordable to hail a ride, these companies have made it possible for people to ditch their personal vehicles in favor of shared transportation. This shift has the potential to reduce congestion, pollution, and energy consumption on a massive scale. For example, in New York City alone, ridesharing is responsible for taking 13,000 cars off the road each day. And as ridesharing becomes more popular, we can expect these numbers to increase. This movement towards Transportation as a Service (TaaS) has tremendous benefits for society at large but could have transformative benefits for persons with disabilities. Our research suggests that, to some degree, current services fall short in providing a truly usable and equitable experience for persons with a range of disabilities. Accessible TaaS may potentially transform the way in which persons with disabilities leverage personal mobility for social engagement, work, and their routine mobility needs.
Learn how we can help you design more efficient and usable TaaS applications.