This document discusses considerations for ensuring infrastructure in smart cities is accessible to people with disabilities. It notes that around 15% of the world's population lives with a disability, and accessibility must be considered in planning smart cities. Universal design principles that make infrastructure usable by all are recommended, such as accessible transportation, buildings, information and communication technologies. Involving people with disabilities in the planning and design process is key to creating inclusive infrastructure.

1. Smart Cities For People With Disabilities
Disability Considerations For Infrastructure In
Smart Cities

2. Smart Cities For People With Disabilities

3. Introduction
• Most of the world (according to some, over
75%) will live in cities by 2050.
• Recent progress in technology promises that
some of these cities will be smart cities,
utilizing sophisticated advancements to make
urban life more efficient.

4. Inclusive 3-D Urban Planning

5. Introduction
• Though a wide variety of environment,
political, and social concerns surrounds the
development of smart cities, disability access
remains a pressing concern when designing
these new urban centers.
• This sector of the population cannot be left
out of future discussions.

6. Disability Access Remains A Pressing Concern
When Designing These New Urban Centres

7. Introduction
• Around 15% of the world’s population, about 1
billion people, live with a disability; 80% of
these live in developing countries.
• Globally, the UN suggests that there are 285m
people who are blind, and 70m who are deaf,
but without clarity on what constitutes ‘blind’ or
‘deaf’, these numbers are unclear and it can be
assumed that there are many more whose
access to a quality life is precluded by visual or
hearing impairment.

8. Around 15% of the world’s population, about
1 billion people, live with a disability

9. Introduction
• Disabilities related to physical impairments
can range from difficulty in walking to the need
for assisted mobility, such as a wheelchair.
• Cognitive impairments range from learning
disabilities to dementia, with a recent survey by
the WHO indicating that between 76% and
85% of people living with serious mental
disorders in developing nations do not receive
treatment.

10. Introduction

11. Introduction
• The number or statistic is unimportant
however; the key issue is that anyone with
any disability should be included in
infrastructure design.
• Infrastructure needs to be made accessible
to all, with attention focused on what people
with disabilities can achieve, rather than
considering only what they might be unable
to achieve.

12. Infrastructure needs to be made
accessible to all

13. Introduction
• The DFID, Disability Framework “Leaving No
One Behind”, published in December 2017 sets out
the contribution programmes should make towards
making the world more accessible.
• The study has been structured as follows:

14. Disability Framework
“Leaving No One Behind”

15. • Rationale for considering disability in infrastructure:
• Areas and impact of infrastructure on people with diverse
disabilities in different sectoral settings.
• Best practices in project planning, engineering design and
implementation for DFID implementation partners:
• Examples of innovative partnership with the private
sector to address the inclusion of people with disabilities.
• Examples of ‘what works’ in terms of both project
implementation and output to increase inclusion and reduce
negative impacts which ‘locks’ disabled people out and does
more harm than good.
Introduction

16. Considering Disability In Infrastructure

17. Rationale for Inclusive Infrastructure
• Accessible infrastructure creates an
inclusive environment for people with
disabilities, allowing them to enjoy their
civil, cultural, political, social, and economic
rights and entitlements.

18. Accessible infrastructure creates an inclusive
environment for people with disabilities

19. Rationale for Inclusive Infrastructure
• Infrastructure is designed to support
society, with an impact on fundamental
social concerns, including wellbeing,
earnings, education and health.
• If it is inaccessible in any aspect, it can
exclude individuals or groups from society,
degrading quality of life and human rights,
ultimately demeaning of society itself.

20. Impact of Inaccessible Transport
Infrastructure
• Without accessible transportation, people with
disabilities are more likely to be excluded from
independent access to employment, education,
and healthcare facilities, and to social contact
and recreational activities.
• Disability is not just an issue of a small
minority within the general population; there
is a much larger population affected,
constrained or limited due to commitments to
people living with a disability.

21. Without accessible transportation, people with disabilities are
more likely to be excluded from independent access to
employment, education, and healthcare facilities

22. The Travel Chain – Components and
Continuity
• The ‘travel chain’ refers to all elements that make
up a journey, from starting point to destination,
including pedestrian access, vehicles, and transfer
points. If any link is inaccessible, the entire trip
becomes difficult
• Common Accessibility Issues In Transport
Infrastructure

23. The Travel Chain – Components and
Continuity

24. The Travel Chain – Components and
Continuity

25. The Travel Chain – Components and
Continuity

26. Pedestrian access Rail systems and ferries Bus rapid transit
systems
non-existent or poorly
maintained pavements;
size and height of the gaps between
vehicle floors and the platforms,
which may be different at every
station (making boarding and
alighting difficult);
Gap between the bus
floor and the ground at
bus stops
Inaccessible Overpasses
Or Underpasses;
space in vehicles for wheelchair
access and anchoring;
Limited bus numbers on
key routes
Crowded Pavements In
The Vicinity Of
Stations And Stops;
access to tracks at different levels
within stations;
Limited number of
accessible vehicles on
key routes
Physical Lack Of
Traffic Control;
inaccessible timetable information; Lack of information on
accessible routes and
timings for buses
Lack Of Aids At Street
Crossings For People With
Sensory Impairments;
visual environments needed to
accommodate people with visual
impairments and the elderly (e.g.
for example colour-contrasting
railings and lighting
Accessibility focused
only on new lines
Dangerous Local
Traffic Behaviours
Distances to accessible
bus routes

27. Non-existent Or Poorly Maintained
Pavements

28. Non-existent Or Poorly Maintained
Pavements

29. Physical Lack Of Traffic Control

30. Lack Of Aids At Street Crossings For People With
Sensory Impairments

31. Removing Barriers
• Universal design is increasingly being adopted in bus
and rail transit operations to address transport
infrastructure barriers,
• The most important universal design innovation is the low-
floor transit vehicle, adopted for heavy rail, light rail, trams,
and buses, providing almost-level access from curbs and
short-ramp access from street level.
• There is a growing global trend for the introduction of
low-floor buses into bus rapid transit systems.
• Accessible bus rapid transit systems (BRT) have been
constructed in Curitiba (Brazil); Bogota (Colombia); Quito
(Ecuador); Ahmedabad, New Delhi, Pune, Indore and
Jaipur, etc. (India); Dar es Salaam (Tanzania).

32. Universal design is increasingly being adopted in bus
and rail transit operations

33. Recommended guiding principles to ensure the
travel chain is complete for people with
disabilities
• 1. Planning and design approaches involving people with
disabilities;
• 2. Adequate monitoring and enforcement of existing
accessibility legislation;
• 3. Developing campaigns and educational programmes to
improve policies, practices and the use of services. Such as
posters informing passengers of priority seating;
• 4. Local knowledge contribution, such as locations for
pedestrian crossings on busy/dangerous streets;

34. Planning and design approaches involving
people with disabilities

35. Adequate monitoring and enforcement of
existing accessibility legislation

36. Developing campaigns and educational
programmes

37. Recommended guiding principles to ensure the
travel chain is complete for people with disabilities
• 5. Provisions for alternative forms of transport, such as separate
lanes and paths for tricycles, wheelchairs, bicycles, and scooters;
• 6. Affordable transport through subsidies for people with
disabilities; and
• 7. Education and training of all parties involved in transportation,
for instance:
• Managers need to understand their responsibilities and front-
line staff need to ensure customer care; and
• Key equipment, such as portable lifts require properly trained
attendants, as well as stopping vehicles in the right position
to allow use.

38. Provisions for alternative forms of
transport

39. Affordable Taxi Transport Subsidy

40. Impact of Inaccessible Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) Infrastructure
• With the world going on line, ICT accessibility, or
e-accessibility, has the potential to define social
inclusion of the future.
• Accessible ICT has three distinct features:
accessible design, availability and affordability.

41. Impact of Inaccessible Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) Infrastructure

42. Impact of Inaccessible Information and
Communication Technology (ICT)
Infrastructure
• The starting point is content; the information itself
needs to be accessible, understandable and useful.
• If a person does not understand the system, or
what they are being told, for whatever reason, it
makes that service inaccessible, irrespective of their
capabilities.
• However, the issue can be that much worse for
people with disabilities.

43. Considering accessibility, availability and
affordability, the guidelines for accessible ICT are:
• 1. Adopt policies on procurement which take into
consideration accessibility criteria;
• 2. Support the development of telephone-relay, sign-
language, and Braille services;
• 3. Incorporate accessibility features to ensure that people
with disabilities gain the same benefits as the wider
population; and
• 4. Support the education and training of persons with
disabilities to take advantage of ICT – including training to
ensure digital literacy and skills;

44. Adopt policies on procurement which take into
consideration accessibility criteria

45. Support the development of telephone-relay, sign-
language, and Braille services

46. Impact of Inaccessible Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) Infrastructure
• Just having the infrastructure will not fix the
problem; many places, including the UK, provide
the facilities to enable communication with disabled
people, but it is unused as the core issue behind
communication has not been addressed.
• Communication is not achieved unless the recipient
has understood, which points to the delivery of the
message and should be the basis for any decision
when considering technological solutions to
communication. In many cases, the most important
component is the patience and empathy of the person
providing the information.

47. Impact of Inaccessible Infrastructure: WASH
and Energy
• A lack of accessible WASH facilities is more
likely to affect admissions, retention and
dropout rates of girls with disabilities in
schools and vocational training institutions,
when compared to boys and non-disabled girls

48. A lack of accessible WASH facilities is more likely to affect
admissions, retention and dropout rates of girls with
disabilities in schools

49. Access to Electricity
• Electricity is an essential service. For people with
disability its beneficial properties are not limited to
light and heat; it also powers life-support equipment
and devices that provide mobility, communication
and independence.
• These include reading, writing, and speaking aids,
hearing aids, mobile and cordless telephones,
electronic door openers, motorised wheelchairs,
mobility scooters, portable lifts, etc.
• People with disabilities are often more likely to have
less income and therefore struggle to afford electricity
costs, requiring greater support.

50. Cheaper Fuel And Electricity For Disabled

51. Access to Electricity
• “To significantly reduce the risk of disadvantage, the
safety net must offer assistance that has some
relationship with current prices and be responsive to
people’s disability-related electricity needs.
• This will require energy rebates with needs-based,
rather than prescriptive, eligibility criteria.”
• Rebates are not sustainable, pointing to the need for
further research and other innovative tariff
structures. Though this issue falls within the remit of
social protection, it has relevance here as interventions
into affordable energy and electricity need to consider
how to ensure universal access.

52. Access to Electricity
• Indicators for monitoring and evaluation processes
to ensure projects are having the desired effects.
• Cost implications of inclusive design versus
retrofitting.
• Examples of where international inclusive standards
have been used as part of procurement policy.
• Mainstreaming disability considerations into
infrastructure programmes and policy decisions.
• Disability considerations – gender issues.
• Disability considerations in fragile and conflicted
affected states (FCAS) and regions.

53. Best practices in Project Planning,
Engineering Design
• Typical issues in Planning, Design and
Implementation
• Too often, accessibility is designed around
the un-impaired with concessions made for
those with disabilities.
• The lack of accessibility in infrastructure can
often be attributed to several factors,
including:

54. Best practices in Project Planning,
Engineering
• Inadequate knowledge: Decision makers often
fail to understand the implications of decision
making; attempts to prevent cycle access to
pavements at kerb ramps also restricts wheelchair
users;
• Inadequate Understanding: Decision makers
are often removed from users and do not have an
appreciation of challenges, risks or local context
faced by people with disabilities, to develop an
appropriate solution;

55. Decision makers often fail to understand the
implications of decision making

56. Best practices in Project Planning,
Engineering
• Lack of user input: People with disabilities and
reduced mobility are often not involved in the
design, planning and implementation process;
• Missed Opportunities: Planners and designers
often miss potential for added value to be gained
by ensuring access for people with disabilities.
Tactile floor indicators, such as tactile paving
stones, can be used to enhance the visual
impact, as well as improve access for persons
with visual impairment.

57. People with disabilities and reduced mobility are often
not involved in the design, planning and
implementation process

58. Universal Design – Guiding Principles
for Inclusion
• Universal design is design of products and
environments to be usable by people of all
ages and abilities to the greatest extent
possible without the need for adaptation or
specialised design.

59. Universal Design – Guiding Principles
for Inclusion

60. Universal Design – Guiding Principles
for Inclusion
• Use of universal design improves access to
infrastructure and creates an enabling environment
which benefits all, including people with reduced
mobility; people with temporary and permanent
mobility impairments due to age, medical
conditions, and latent diseases; families with young
children; unescorted children; persons with temporary
ailments such as fractures; pregnant women;
persons carrying heavy luggage; people with
communication problems, such as different
linguistic and ethnic groups like migrants and
tourists

61. Universal Design – Guiding Principles
for Inclusion

62. Universal Design – Guiding Principles
for Inclusion
• It can be applied to anything that is designed, be it a
vehicle, building, website, playground, piece of
furniture, toilet, or a consumer product such as a tap
handle.
• Universal design is increasingly being adopted in
bus and rail transit operations to address transport
infrastructure barriers. The most important
innovation has been the low-floor transit vehicle,
adopted for heavy rail, light rail, trams, and buses,
providing almost-level access from curbs and short-
ramp access from street level. There is growing global
trend for the introduction of low-floor buses into bus
rapid transit systems.

63. Universal Design – Guiding Principles for
Inclusion

64. Principles of Universal Design

65. Principles of Universal Design
• Principle 1: Equitable Use
• There is a market need for the design among users
with diverse abilities.
• Principle 2: Flexibility in Use
• The design is individualized to accommodate
personal preferences and abilities.
• Principle 3: Simple and Intuitive Use
• The design is relatively easy to use and
understand, regardless of the user's experience,
knowledge and communication abilities.

66. Principle 1: Equitable Use

67. Principle 2: Flexibility in Use

68. Principle 3: Simple and Intuitive Use

69. Principles of Universal Design
• Principle 4: Perceptible Information
• The design communicates (through verbal, audial, text,
pictorial etc.) information to the user, regardless of the user's
current environment, hearing or visual impairments.
• Principle 5: Tolerance for Error
• The design implements features for a reduced risk of harm or
consequences of accidental or unintended actions.
• Principle 6: Low Physical Effort
The design can be used efficiently and comfortably and with a
minimum of fatigue.

70. Principle 4: Perceptible Information

71. Principle 5: Tolerance for Error

72. Principle 6: Low Physical Effort

73. Principles of Universal Design
• Principle 7: Size and Space for Approach and Use
• The design considers an appropriate size and
space for users to access and use, regardless of
a user's limited mobility.
• This is not an exhausted list of principles to
follow but is a great starting point for
designers who are looking to implement
universal design into their field.

74. Principle 7: Size and Space for Approach and
Use

75. Other examples of universal design
include:
• 1. Portable lifts or manually folding ramps on all
transit vehicles;
• 2. Automated lifts, bridge-plates, and ramps to deal
with platform-level issues;
• 3. Raised pads at bus stops with ramp access,
making it easier for someone with a mobility
impairment to enter a bus, for visually impaired and
cognitively impaired individuals to find the stop, and
for improved safety of all those waiting for a bus ;
• 4. Real-time information on waiting times allowing
planning of journeys;

76. Portable lifts or manually folding ramps
on all transit vehicles

77. Raised pads at bus stops with ramp
access

78. Real-time information on waiting times
allowing planning of journeys

79. Other examples of universal design
include
• 5. Smart cards for fare collection, gates, and
ticketing, facilitating access and reducing journey
activities and time;
• 6. Visual and tactile warning systems at the edge of
platforms – or full safety barriers along the entire
platform;
• 7. Railings and posts painted in bright contrasting
colours;
• 8. Audible signs to help people with visual
impairments find gates and identify buses; and
• 9. Old single-level cars renovated to provide space
by removing existing seats or replacing them with
folding seats.

80. Smart cards for fare collection, gates, and
ticketing

81. Visual and tactile warning systems at the
edge of platforms

82. Railings and posts painted in bright
contrasting colours

83. Audible signs to help people with visual
impairments find gates

84. Universal Design – Guiding Principles
for Inclusion
• Access standards and universal design
innovations implemented in developed
countries are not always affordable or
appropriate in low-income and middle-income
countries.
• To provide accessible solutions requires
understanding of the issues and then creativity
in seeking a solution that is technically,
culturally and financially appropriate.

85. Universal Design – Guiding Principles for
Inclusion

86. Commitment to Address Accessibility
• Every project should outline its commitment to
accessibility:
• 1. Assign a senior member of staff (e.g. project
manager) responsibility for accessibility. It will be
her/his role to ensure and advocate that accessibility is
addressed at all stages of the project (e.g. design,
construction and handover),
• 2. Prepare a brief statement on how accessibility is
going to be addressed throughout the project, and
• 3. Put accessibility on the agenda throughout the
project.

87. Accessibility Standards
• Local or national codes, regulations or standards may
not be available, and in these instances, reference can
be made to international standards, such as the
International Standards Organisation published 'ISO
21542 - Building construction - Accessibility and
usability of the built environment' (ISO, 2011)15.
• In some cases, basic standard designs may not comply
with accessibility requirements. In such situations,
efforts should be made to enhance designs to improve
access, based on the nature of the facility and the
population to which it is catering.

88. Accessibility Standards

89. User Involvement and Technical Resource
• It is essential to involve and consult people with
disabilities (including women), as well as other potential
users and stakeholders because:
• 1. Users’ perspectives, combined with professional
expertise and technical guidance, are essential to ensure
that facilities and services are appropriate and provide value
for money;
• 2. Better understanding of the barriers faced by people
with disabilities helps mitigate against design-stage
obstacles, thereby avoiding the costly modifications;
• 3. Consultation promotes disability awareness within the
community, enhancing acceptance and integration

90. User Involvement and Technical Resource

91. User Involvement and Technical
Resource
• Safety, accessibility, reliability and
affordability (SARA) are four interlinked
factors that need to be assessed when
considering infrastructure location

92. User Involvement and Technical
Resource
• Safety is the first and foremost concern of
an individual regardless of age, sex,
disability or gender
• For example, locating a school near a busy market
place or high traffic road is hazardous , but remote
locations can create issues with access to help if
needed.

93. User Involvement and Technical
Resource
• Accessibility should enable individuals of all
abilities to access and use all parts of the
infrastructure system and facilities at all times
• This means considering environmental and
usage features (lighting, weather, footfall
numbers, transit times, floor services, signage,
etc.) in addition to access features (ramps, lifts,
tactile paving, etc.) that enables travel at all times
(adverse weather, at night, during rush hour, etc.);

94. User Involvement and Technical
Resource

95. User Involvement and Technical
Resource
• Reliability relates firstly to consistency
across all the elements of a journey, meaning
a person embarking on a trip must have
confidence that all parts of the journey,
including hard (i.e. infrastructure, vehicles)
and soft (on-time performance, delays) will be
accessible. This links closely to the whole trip
chain;

96. User Involvement and Technical
Resource
• Affordability is directly connected to safety and
accessibility. Time, effort and convenience are as
important as financial affordability. Persons with
disabilities often have lower incomes, and in
developing countries are often among the poorest.
• Therefore, high transport costs can be a barrier to
use, especially if they are required to pay extra for
transporting mobility aids

97. User Involvement and Technical
Resource

98. Fund Allocation
• Resources are often not allocated separately
for accessibility requirements during
planning, creating issues for project design
and implementation, leading to potential
compromises in quality and quantity.
• It is essential that universal accessibility is
not seen as an optional extra, but that costs to
achieve it are included from the outset

99. Operations, Maintenance and
Supervision
• The creation and maintenance of accessible
facilities go hand in hand with ensuring that
projects are fully accessible and usable
throughout their lifespan.

100. Monitoring and Evaluation Processes
• Accessibility in Building and Transport
Infrastructure: Indicators
• If an infrastructure project is to ensure
universal access, including for users with
disabilities, then it needs to incorporate
appropriate disability sensitive indicators.

101. Accessibility in Building and Transport
Infrastructure

102. Monitoring and Evaluation Processes
• 1. Measuring accessibility by considering the entire
journey chain, including travel links, information
provision, and all the processes involved (e.g. buying
tickets), rather than just mobility. If all users cannot
complete a journey within the design time, then the
design has not met the performance indicator;
• 2. Accessibility to all services by all users, including
people with disabilities at all times of the day,
considering specific accessibility constraints, such as
traffic congestion or financial costs;

103. Accessibility to all services by all users, including
people with disabilities at all times of the day

104. Monitoring and Evaluation Processes
• 3. Affordability, as defined by people with
disabilities and low incomes;
• 4. Qualitative factors such as user convenience,
comfort, affordability, security and consumer
preferences; and
• 5. Safety of users, for instance road safety of people
with disabilities, especially when crossing roads at
busy intersections, where timings for traffic lights may
be insufficient for a person with reduced mobility to
cross in time.
• The specific indicators can be used to measure
performance

105. Affordability, as defined by people with
disabilities

106. Procurement Process
• The procurement process is the method for delivering
accessible infrastructure, and is fundamental to
realising inclusive policy.
• Key attributes of procurement necessary to
achieve this include:

107. Procurement Process
• 1. Corruption free: if systems are not transparent and are
susceptible to corruption, then it will be difficult to deliver
any inclusive accessibility features;
• 2. Clear concise project brief: Accessibility requirements
should be clearly identified, not as inputs, but in terms of
performance of the end facility as universal accessibility;
• 3. Competent contractors: Contractors employed, whether
as primary, secondary or subsequent contractors should be
demonstrably competent in providing accessible
infrastructure. A Pre-Qualification Questionnaire process
can be used to ensure that only appropriately qualified
contractors are included in the full procurement;

108. Procurement Process
• 4. Monitoring: the procuring authority needs to
ensure that the contract requirements are being met,
that problems arising are discovered and dealt with in
proper time before they become too difficult to
modify and that appropriate solutions are agreed as
the arise;
• 5. Operation and maintenance costs: these must be
considered in the bidding process, as many projects
fail after completion, when appropriate maintenance
has not been considered, or is too expensive, time
consuming or complicated.

109. Mainstreaming Disability Considerations into
Infrastructure Programmes and Policy Decisions
• Interventions in other aspects of development can
provide opportunities for mainstreaming disability
considerations; accelerating urbanisation,
international events, natural and man-made disasters,
etc., all provide an opportunity to prompt growth in
infrastructure.
• This in turn provides opportunities to integrate
accessibility as an essential project component.

110. Mainstreaming Disability Considerations into
Infrastructure Programmes and Policy Decisions

111. Assistive Tech for People With
Disabilities
• Technology has always lent a helping hand for
people with disabilities such as visual impairment,
speech impairment, people with motion disabilities or
disorders etc.
• There are a lot of apps and gadgets that can help
ease the difficulties people with disability face on a
daily basis

112. Assistive Tech for People With Disabilities

113. A wheelchair that can climb stairs
• Scewo
• The start-up has built a wheelchair that can
be controlled through a Smartphone.
• It can tackle a range of terrains, and has special
rubber tracks for climbing stairs.

114. A wheelchair that can climb stairs
Scewo

115. A wheelchair that can climb stairs
Scewo

116. Assistive Tech for People With Disabilities
• A Robotic Exo-muscle Suit
• Wearable tech is also becoming more sophisticated.
• Zurich-based start-up MyoSwiss has developed an
exomuscle suit with a combination of robotics and
textiles.
• The robotic garment, weighing less than 5 kilograms
(11 pounds), adds a layer of muscle that supports
movements and provides stability to people with
mobility impairments. It uses sensors at the knee and
hip to detect movements the user wants to make and
helps accordingly.

117. A Robotic Exo-muscle Suit

118. Assistive Tech for People With Disabilities
• Smart walking stick
• Another technology that could transform lives is a
smart walking stick designed by engineers from
Young Guru Academy (YGA) in Turkey.
• The WeWalk stick has an ultrasonic sensor that
detects obstacles above chest level and uses
vibrations to warn the user. It can be paired with a
smart phone to help navigation, and is integrated with
a voice assistant and Google Maps.

119. We-Walk

120. We-Walk

121. Assistive Tech for People With
Disabilities
• Dot
• Dot is a wearable that is also the world’s first
Braille smart watch.
• Dot is a practical solution that is more affordable than
regular e-Braille devices which may cost thousands,
yet still works well for the blind. Dot helps the blind
access messages, tweets, even books anywhere and
at any time.

122. Dot
Braille smart watch

123. Assistive Tech for People With
Disabilities
• Talkitt
• Talkitt is an innovative application to help
people with speech and language disorders
to communicate with someone else.
• It will translate unintelligible pronunciation
into understandable speech so we can
understand what they meant to say, despite
the speech impediment.

124. Talkitt

125. Assistive Tech for People With
Disabilities
• Sesame Phone
• Mobile phone may have become a common
need for everyone, including persons with
disabilities.
• But regular phones are not equipped for the needs
of people with limited mobility and who find it
difficult to operate a normal phone. Introducing
Sesame Phone, a touch-free smart phone
designed for people with disabilities.

126. Sesame Phone

127. Assistive Tech for People With
Disabilities
• This phone is designed to be used with small
head movements, tracked by its front-facing
camera. So you can access all the features of a
smart phone, without even touching this device.
• Gestures are recognized as if you were using a
finger to operate it: swipe, browse, play and
more. Voice control is also added to provide a
real hands-free experience on the phones.

128. Sesame Phone

129. Assistive Tech for People With
Disabilities
• Be My Eyes
• By My Eyes is a super-cool application that helps blind
people “see” the world.
• It works by making a network that connects the
blind with volunteers from around the world. It is an
easy way to ask for help for simple tasks like checking
on the expiry date on a milk carton.
• Volunteers will receive notifications or requests for
help, and if they are too busy, the app can find
someone else to step in and help. Each request will
trigger a video call to volunteers so they can help the
user.

130. Be My Eyes

131. Assistive Tech for People With
Disabilities
• Axs Map
• For people without disabilities, wheelchair ramps
and wheelchair-accessible restrooms are not things
they notice. Many public sites are also not equipped
with these facilities. This is a source of inconvenience
to those who require a wheelchair to move around.
• AXS Map is a crowd sourced map that carries
information about wheelchair-accessible ramps and
restrooms in public places such as restaurants, hotels,
shopping malls and more. The map also carries
information about how well-designed these facilities
are with the help of star ratings

132. Axs Map

133. Assistive Tech for People With
Disabilities
• Bluetooth Audio Cues
• In Melbourne, Australia, an eight-month pilot
scheme is currently transforming how visually
impaired people navigate public space.
• The project at Southern Cross station rail
terminal uses Bluetooth and free GPS Smartphone
app BlindSquare to create a beacon navigation
system.

134. Bluetooth Audio Cues

135. Kenguru Electric Car
• Wheelchair users have driven cars for a long time --
various adaptations and modifications allow for
more accessibility. But there's a major disadvantage:
Most people need to collapse their wheelchairs and
transfer themselves into the vehicle, which can be time-
consuming and difficult.
• The Kenguru -- from founder and CEO Stacy
Zoern, who struggles with muscular atrophy -- is an
electric car in which drivers can remain in their
wheelchairs. It's considered a "community car," only
reaching 25 miles per hour (the legal maximum for
such a car), meant for nearby errands.

136. Kenguru Electric Car

137. Kenguru Electric Car

138. SMART Belt
• People with epilepsy experience seizures at
any time, often without warning.
• In May 2013, senior engineering students at
Rice University in Texas developed the
Seizure Monitoring and Response
Transducer (SMART) belt to detect signs of
seizures. It can also wirelessly send messages
to guardians or caretakers.

139. SMART Belt Detects Seizures, Calls for Help

140. Braille Smartphone
• Sumit Dagar, a 2011 TED Fellow, is
developing a phone with a screen comprised
of a grid of pins.
• When the user receives a message, the pins
form shapes and characters using "Shape
Memory Alloy" technology.

141. Braille Smartphone

142. Braille EDGE 40 Display
• The Braille EDGE 40 is a powerful
refreshable display, meaning it reads content
on a computer screen and converts it to braille
characters.

143. Dr. Victor Santiago Pineda
(World ENABLED)
http://worldenabled.org
• Dr. Pineda
Dr. Victor Pineda is the President of World ENABLED,
Chancellor’s Research Fellow, and an Adjunct Professor
in the Department of City and Regional Planning at the
University of California at Berkeley.
He is a leading global expert on disability rights, policy,
planning and design and has worked closely with the U.S.
Department of the Treasury, World Bank, United Nations,
UNESCO, UNICEF, and cabinet level officials in the UAE,
Qatar, Venezuela, and Serbia among others to develop
policies and programs that include persons with disabilities
as equal stakeholders in development.

144. Dr. Victor Santiago Pineda

145. The Department of Empowerment of Persons
with Disabilities
http://disabilityaffairs.gov.in
• The Department of Empowerment of Persons with
Disabilities in the Ministry of Social Justice &
Empowerment facilitates empowerment of the
persons with disabilities, who as per Census 2011 are
2.68 crore and are 2.21 percent of the total population
of the Country.
• These include persons with Seeing, Hearing, Speech,
Movement, Mental Retardation, Mental Illness,
Multiple Disability and any other disabilities.

146. The Department of Empowerment of Persons with
Disabilities
http://disabilityaffairs.gov.in

147. Unique Disability ID
http://www.swavlambancard.gov.in
• "Unique ID for Persons with Disabilities” project is
being implemented with a view of creating a National
Database for PwDs, and to issue a Unique Disability
Identity Card to each person with disabilities.
• The project will not only encourage transparency,
efficiency and ease of delivering the government
benefits to the person with disabilities, but also ensure
uniformity.
• The project will also help in stream-lining the
tracking of physical and financial progress of
beneficiary at all levels of hierarchy of
implementation – from village level, block level,
District level , State level and National level.

148. Unique Disability ID
http://www.swavlambancard.gov.in

149. National Disability Helpline
(Handicare)
ONE-STOP
• NATIONAL DISABILITY HELPLINE
• 94155 78606
• A round-the-clock Helpline for information, guidance and
counselling related to disability.
• HANDICARE has been running India’s first single-point
knowledge resource on disability. The Disability Helpline provides
information that is useful, inspirational and empowering.
• It is a service that has proved to be a boon for all those people in
distant places who want to stand on their feet but desperately need
information, proper guidance and advice.
• The Disability Helpline aims to reach out to every disabled person
in India – especially when they need to know what their rights are,
or when their rights are being violated.

150. National Disability Helpline
(Handicare)

151. Toll-Free 'Eye-way National Helpdesk' for
Visually Impaired Citizens of India
• Eye-way National Helpdesk
• 1800-300-20469

152. 'Divyang’ word will be used for persons
with disability
• Change in nomenclature was proposed by the
Prime Minister Narendra Modi during launch
of Accessible India

153. Accessible India Campaign
http://accessibleindia.gov.in

155. I choose not to place 'dis' in my ability
Robert M. Hensel