Artificial Intelligence (AI) is significantly improving accessibility for people with disabilities by providing innovative solutions that help overcome barriers in everyday life. These technologies open up new opportunities for people with hearing, vision, motor and cognitive impairments, providing a more level playing field for participation in various aspects of society such as work, education and leisure.
One prominent example of using AI to improve accessibility is speech recognition. For the hearing impaired, technologies such as voice assistants and real-time captioning systems help translate speech into text. Programs that use AI for automatic transcription make information accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing people by allowing them to participate in a conversation, watch a video, or listen to a lecture. Systems such as Google Live Transcribe or Ava are able to provide accurate and fast real-time captioning, making communication more accessible.
For people with visual impairments, AI provides many solutions, such as text recognition (OCR) systems that can turn printed and handwritten texts into audio format, as well as describe images and environmental objects. Computer vision-based technologies can recognize elements of the environment, such as road signs, obstacles or faces, and voice information to users. Apps like Microsoft’s Seeing AI or Be My Eyes help blind and visually impaired people navigate their surroundings by providing them with information about what’s going on around them through voice prompts.
For people with limited motor skills, AI can offer adaptive input technologies. Systems such as eye control or voice commands allow people to control devices without using traditional keyboard or mouse input. Gesture control programs, for example, can recognize hand or finger movements to execute commands, giving users with limited motor skills access to computers, smartphones and other technologies.
AI is also helping to improve the psychological and cognitive health of people with disabilities. Systems that use machine learning can adapt to individual needs, helping with learning and social inclusion. For example, apps that support people with autism can use AI technologies to create personalized learning experiences that match the pace and needs of the user.
AI is also helping to create inclusive interfaces and software that automatically adapts to the user’s needs, for example by changing fonts, contrast and screen sizes. This is particularly important for people with different types of disabilities, such as dyscalculia (number perception disorders) or dyslexia, as the technology can help make content more accessible and understandable.
Thus, artificial intelligence is a huge help in improving accessibility for people with disabilities, giving them more opportunities to participate in society. With the advancement of technology and its implementation in different areas of life, AI opens up new horizons for creating a more inclusive and accessible world.