In the last couple of years, there have been major technological changes that have changed the way we live. Before the pandemic, online lifestyle was a preserve of a few. After the pandemic, online living became more and more integrated into our lives. Virtual events are now the most preferred option of meeting when physical meetings are a challenge. It's no wonder that technology companies are improving the online experience of users to the point where we will be fully immersed into the virtual world, popularly known as the metaverse.
But with the technological advancements came some unprecedented disadvantages. It has been noted that the attention span of the population has been declining by the years, leading to people becoming crafty in instances where concentration is needed like in school work or when undertaking some training. It doesn't help matters that in things like writing, artificial intelligence systems have been doing the work, such that content publishers put more premium on original content written without the use of artificial intelligence.
In reality, there's the need to keep up with technology since at the end of the day, technology makes life convenient for us in terms of time and speed, meaning there's more productivity per individual. For persons with disabilities, technology helps to overcome challenges that would otherwise render us unproductive, thus making us not progress in life. How then do we integrate technology in an inclusive way to promote development of persons with disabilities?
The answer lies in changing the employability training of skills that take into account technological progress and the role of persons with disabilities in the process. Case in point is in the transport sector where, there's a shift toward electric vehicles due to environmental concerns around fossil fuels and carbon emissions. Electric car manufacturer BYD is already in Kenya and financial institutions have been availing loans to encourage transport companies in the country to adopt electric vehicles. In these arrangements, BYD is to do the maintenance of the vehicles while the financial institutions help with the sustainability related costs of the vehicle.
Where do persons with disabilities come in, in all this?
Well, in the long term, electric mobility will be fully adopted by the masses primarily due to the awareness around climate change and its effects. Before this can happen, the infrastructure, such as charging stations for the vehicles has to be in place. Already, electricity companies in Kenya such as the Kenya Power and Lightning Company and KenGen have began the process of building charging stations and expanding the network across the country.
While this is happening, persons with disabilities undertaking mechanical courses in institutions of higher learning can be taught on automation since there's the use of robots in vehicle manufacturing. This means that with their knowledge of machines, they will be at a position to troubleshoot vehicle challenges before they happen and thus being more proactive in their job.
Such a technologically integrated environment also means persons with disabilities are spoilt for choice in terms of careers, since technology would bridge the gap where impairment limits occur. An example would be in vehicle mechanics. If one can't help with the heavy lifting, they could help in vehicle designs so that the vehicle is made with a person with disability in mind. They could also help to integrate accessibility features in vehicles thus making the transport services appealing to everyone.
The knowledge in machines and automation would also be very handy as the world is becoming more and more integrated through the Internet of Things (IoT). This means that persons with disabilities with such skills would be highly sought after, to give advice as a user and as a technician in that field.