Baby Boomers May Drive Accessibility
By Darby Patterson
The millions in America who navigate the world with a physical disability are poised to receive a lot of company over the next 20 years. The Baby Boomer generation is about to flood the population and promises to create a future in which centenarians are not at all unusual. With increased longevity comes more frequent occurrence of disabilities, thus demanding increased attention to making accessible technology more widely available.
Consider that, in 1950 there were 3,000 centenarians in the U.S. Today that number has risen to an estimated 55,000. By 2050, experts anticipate there will be 1 million centenarians and many more people in their 80s and 90s. Most often, advancing age brings some form of disability such hearing loss, mobility issues, and diminished eyesight. In addition, old age frequently brings a host of concerns about independence as well as a new dependence on certain pharmaceuticals to maintain health.
These issues are greatly impacted by having access to the wonders of technology. In 10 to 20 years, the Baby Boomer generation will be populated with folks who are not afraid of technology, can use computers and believe that ‘smart’ technologies are a necessity. Telemedicine that links people to health care remotely, medications that can be monitored by counter-top systems, video feeds that allow family and medical workers to communicate with people in their homes will be common.
Since tomorrow’s Baby Boomers will be experienced users of the Internet and mobile technology, there will be a greater need for the private sector to step up efforts to make devices accessible to people whose hands no longer work like those of a nimble 30-year-old’s and can’t see 6 pt. type on a screen. Information needs to be available in a variety of formats such as audio, visual and tactile.
Why should industry step up to this challenge when it hasn’t responded to the immediate needs of the disabilities community? The Baby Boomer generation is the largest generation of Americans ever born. They arrive on the scene just as advances in medicine make healthy longevity a new option for people. Today, the average life span for a woman born in 2009 is 79 years and about 72 for men. In 1776, life expectancy was a mere 36 years. Imagine what 20 more years will bring to longevity, particularly when people will stay healthy longer. Simply stated, the Baby Boomer generation is a market. Business invests in markets. Consequently, the arrival of the Boomers may get the attention of the private sector in an unprecedented way.
Consider that 10 years ago “smart houses” were mostly tucked away in experimental labs hosted by tech giants such as IBM and Microsoft. Today, communities across America are home to enclaves of smart homes where heating, cooling, lights and entertainment systems are controlled by remote technology. Sensors built into counters and refrigerators read prescription labels and help track medications. Seniors use the Internet to communicate with their health care providers.
As industry recognizes the potential of this new market and responds, accessible technology will become increasing available to everyone – costs will go down as adoption goes up. Perhaps it’s time for disability groups to join forces with the Baby Boomers to create a mutually beneficial future. There is, after all, strength in numbers!
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