How Smart Homes Help People with Disabilities

What are smart home devices?

You may have seen the term floating on advertisements or the popularity of the innovative technology. These products have neat features where they assist you on daily tasks, such as turning on/off the lights and providing you the latest news and information just by using your voice or a remote control. This is a great asset for people with disability or people who uses wheelchairs because they can receive the information right at their finger tips without having the need to maneuver themselves to the destination.

Smart home devices come in different shapes and sizes with different function. The home system has been a becoming a popular accessory to own. Some of the popular products are Amazon Echo and Alexa, Goolge Home, and Apple Homepod, that has built in speakers and voice command feature. With the voice command feature, you can ask the gadget to tell you the news, play music, control smart home devices, send and receive messages, smart alarm clock, and even call your friends and family. Every device has their own feature but they all provide valuable contributions to make life more convenient for people who use mobility aids or have disabilities.

 

 

 

 

In other cases, smart home devices do not have to be fancy and have abundant features to live in a convenient lifestyle. You can have one area of the house to have special features. Products are typically connected to your phone to command it from your phone and to receive notifications. Below are some products that you can install to make your living situation convenient.

 

Sky Bell HD Wi-Fi Video Doorbell

A modernized doorbell with a built in video camera that allows you to see who is in front of your door without getting up to go to the door.

 

Lutron Wireless Dimmer Lights

Control the brightness of the light by using a remote control. You can also turn off the lights by using the remote.

 

 

Ecobee4 Smart Thermostat

A smart thermostat that allows you to control and customized the temperature of your house with your smart phone or web. It has a built in Alexa speaker that allows you to use your voice to command the thermostat.

 

So how does it really help people with disabilities and people with wheelchairs?

Maneuvering around the house can be complicated for people, especially when you are using a wheelchair. If you want to turn off a light, you would have to maneuver yourself to the light switch to turn it off. Nowadays, if you purchase a smart home system or install a light switch system, you can turn off the light by using your phone or a remote control. This saves up time and energy. In other cases, safety is important for elders who want to live independently. There are alarm and security devices where you can install to the house that allows you to view who is at your front door, talk, and even alerts you thru your mobility device when there is a vistor.

In a way, smart home devices can be called as assistive technology. Different disabilities experience various kinds complications. A visually impaired individual who wants to locate a phone number is impossible. On the other hand individuals with mobility issues who wants do daily tasks, such as flipping on the  light switch or close their blinds for privacy, can be a struggle. Smart home devices turn the impossible to possible tasks.