Smart cities could be lousy to live in if you have a disability | MIT Technology Review

Smart cities could be lousy to live in if you have a disability
Cities sometimes fail to make sure the technologies they adopt are accessible to everyone. Activists and startups are working to change that.

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January 9, 2019

SAIMAN CHOWSaiman Chow

Victor Pineda travels the world to make speeches and advise governments on urban planning and development. But when he encounters a touch-screen kiosk, he’s stymied. For people like him, who use wheelchairs and have limited use of their hands and arms, displays like these are a barrier rather than a convenience.

It’s a problem that’s only getting worse as cities adopt such terminals to substitute for human cashiers and receptionists. “If a kiosk is the only way I can buy a train ticket or pay for a service or get information, I’m excluded from that,” says Pineda, who heads the consulting group World Enabled.

People with disabilities affecting mobility, vision, hearing, and cognitive function often move to cities to take advantage of their comprehensive transit systems and social services. But US law doesn’t specify how municipalities should design and implement digital services for disabled people. As a result, cities sometimes adopt new technologies that can end up causing, [...]

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