The Use of Information Technology to Create a Better Workplace for Individuals with Disabilities

The disabilities market consists of 750,000,000 people worldwide and is growing rapidly. About 20% of the population of the Unites States is disabled; 25% of the population of the European Union is disabled. Moreover, every demographer is predicting that there will be huge labor shortages in many countries in the near future. It is crucial for firms to find ways to hire more disabled employees since, for one thing, they can be the engine for generating and developing new product ideas for this important group. The diversity we seek to achieve in the workplace includes not only gender and ethnic background, but disability as well. Computer and information technology has made it increasingly easy for disabled people to join the workforce. This paper describes how computer technology can play a role in accomplishing this goal. It examines new and existing technology that can be used to accommodate individuals with particular disabilities, specifically, visual impairment, hearing impairment, speech impairment, learning disabilities, autism, mobility impairment, the elderly, and those with mental health problems. In many cases, promising examples of possible future assistive technology are presented