According toWHO, people with disabilities represent 16% of the world population.
They also find transportation 15 times more challenging than non-disabled individuals.
To this end, technology represents a beacon of hope as much as an invaluable tool.
Technology helps us overcome our limits.
Chacon Barbero joined theride-hailingscaleup in 2019 and is the person behind the accessibility menu of itsapp.
He is also amongst the few blind software engineers in Europe.
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I didnt know braille.
I didnt understand computers for blind people.
I didnt know anything about the blind world.
I had to understand and study everything.
I think at that moment, I set my mind for the rest of my life.
Technology helps us overcome our limits, he adds.
and And thats what he set out to do.
As a result, people with disabilities make fewer trips and travel shorter distances.
Disability isnt recognised by all of society yet.
Chacon Barbero shares an example from his experience with using taxi services.
I have to call a taxi company.
I hold on the call as Im waiting for the driver to arrive.
I waste time and money because there hasnt been direct communication between the driver and the user.
European startups are also getting active in the field.
Think of London-basedWayfindr, which helps vision impaired people travel independently using audio navigation.
OrNoteaboxwhose Button App enables users to press buttons such as those on pedestrian crossings through their smartphone.
Technology is the solution to many accessibility aspects.
Cabify presents another example of how technology can increase inclusiveness in ride-hailing services.
During the same year, Cabifys app became 100% accessible for blind people.
In 2020, the company launched its accessibility menu.
For users with a hearing impairment, the second accessibility option offers the possibility to chat instead of calling.
Now, this number exceeds 110,000 users worldwide.
Chacon Barbero says that non-disabled users have also activated the accessibility features as they feel they optimise the experience.
Accessibility is unknown, because disability is not recognised by all of society yet.
And thats the problem, he says.
He believes that the younger generations can drive change forward by further embracing individuals who are different and diverse.
The solution isnt only technology.
The solution is technology for people and with people.
Story byIoanna Lykiardopoulou
Ioanna is a writer at TNW.
With a background in the humanities, she has a soft spot for social impact-enabling technologies.
