Disabled Caribbeans Find Freedom in Technology

There is still need for better educational opportunities, housing, medical care, and everything that is extended to other citizens in the Caribbean. Credit: BigstockBy Jewel FraserPORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Mar 23 2017 (IPS)Visually impaired Kerryn Gunness is excited about the possibilities offered by a new free app that would serve as his eyes and enable people like him to enjoy greater independence.The Personal Universal Communicator (PUC) app is part of a new generation of cheaper assistive technologies making their way onto the market which allow people with disabilities to use technology that was formerly too expensive, but provided them with greater independence."We want to ensure that our citizens are able to make effective use of technology to transform their lives. People with disabilities are part of that." --CTU Secretary General Bernadette Lewis. Gunness had the opportunity to do a test run of the app with its accompanying Internet-based Video Assistance Service (VAS) as part of a pilot project being launched by the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), under the umbrella of its ICT for People with Disabilities initiative. Regional statistics suggest that about five per cent of the populations in the Caribbean have a disability.With this app, Gunness said, “I am able to be independent, manage my affairs, feel comfortable just like my sighted peers.”Consultant to the CTU, Trevor Prevatt, explained to IPS, “The service is a VAS. It is built on the capability...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: Global & Universal Authors: Tags: Featured Headlines Health Latin America & the Caribbean Poverty & SDGs Disabilities ICT Source Type: news