Smartphones use may become easier for the illiterate and disabled because of a new initiative from two foreign research organizations and one of the world’s largest computer companies.

IBM has partnered with the National Institute of Design in India as well as Tokyo’s Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology to identify the aspects of modern mobile technology that are inaccessible to the blind, deaf, illiterate and elderly and to create a user interface platform that is easier to use for disabled people, the company announced recently.

Researchers leading the project say that smartphones offer tools for increased self-determination and should be available to everyone.

"We believe the findings will help us offer affordable services to a large population, who are still deprived of access to key information sources," said Chieko Asakawa, chief technology officer of IBM’s accessibility research. "Through this collaborative research initiative, we will uncover real information accessibility requirements."

For some other segments of society, smartphones have offered increased to access information. A recent report in the Indianapolis Star states that inexpensive smartphone technology has resulted in the use of the internet amongst African-Americans to equal that of the white population.

This entry was posted by Mobility Management News Desk on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 3:50 pm and is filed under Managing Mobile Devices News, Mobile Strategy and Policy News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.

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