When researching technology for people with disabilities in Germany, I became aware of a high number of websites celebrating startups that create assistive tech. First, I was enthusiastic about the innovative technology at hand. However, my mood changed when I came across an article about an electric wheelchair that allows its user to climb stairs. Although I am still fascinated by the technology behind the chair, I have a feeling this wheelchair is not solving the root cause but more so, the symptoms of the problem.
Apart from the fact that half of my family wear glasses due to bad eyesight, I don’t have any other friends or family with impairments. Even the oldest family member, my grandma, seems more like a 45-year old in her mental and physical abilities (luckily). I guess the lack of my family’s and friend’s affection in this topic is the main reason I have, until now, not been very familiar with the accessibility situation in Germany.
When researching on the topic, I came across what I thought would be a very positive example of how a city can be made accessible to tourists with disabilities. Hannover, a city in the north of Germany, has worked hard to make the old part of the city accessible for (almost) everyone. The accessibility measures include audio guides for the visually impaired, braille descriptions, special e-scooters for people with mobility impairments and an app that shows the user nearby benches, toilets and accessible food places.
Compared to the first example of the stair-climbing wheelchair, the city of Hannover shows how the environment can be changed to remove barriers for people with disabilities. Remember: if the environment does not impose disadvantages upon people, there is no such thing as disability.
The story of farmers with disabilities in the US which was part of this week’s reading list inspired me to research the situation of farmers living with disabilities in Germany. Unfortunately, I could not find any information about assistive technologies for disabled farmers. However, I found multiple articles talking about the technologies used by farmers to seed plants, feed their animals and milk cows. Drones, for example, are used by 1 out of 10 farmers in Germany to evaluate the state of their fields. Although the progress in farming technologies does not seem to focus on farmers with disabilities, it is something that those with disabilities will surely be able to benefit from.
Looking for people with disabilities who share their experiences about living in Germany, I came across two blogs by German activists who fight for inclusion. In one of the articles, Raul Krauthausen criticises the policy-making in Germany: he explains that people with disabilities are not enough included in the government decisions that will affect them, once in place.
In one of his blog posts, the other activist Christian Grosch mentions the unfortunate “wheelchair situation” of users that were given their wheelchairs from their insurer. Officially, these wheelchairs are “owned” by the insurer and are just “lent” to the user. In the case of electric wheelchairs, more and more insurers try to avoid costs by requiring people with disabilities to complete complex tests to evaluate whether they are physically and mentally able to control the electric wheelchair.
My overall impression is that the German government is aiming to improve the inclusion of people with disabilities with policies such as the “Federal Participation Law” in 2016 and by supporting young companies that explore new assistive technologies. However, the participation law and other measures are criticised for making the disabled less independent and policies often don’t reflect their needs accordingly.
While the development of new technologies is an invaluable source of innovation for the future of accessibility, Germany should first concern itself with underlying questions such as what disability is and where it comes from / who creates it. Answers should be found together with people with disabilities, following an action plan informed by the viewpoints of the affected.
Also, here’s a link to a TED talk I found very interesting – see yourself where technology can take us in the future!