Wearable Tech Is Failing People With Disabilities
From haptic accessible Apple Watches to brainwave-controlled wheelchairs, progress remains slow for 48 million disabled Americans
Fitbit just didn’t work for Keiran Kern, a marketer and wheelchair user from New Jersey. It wouldn’t record her actual steps — she thinks because she takes small steps — yet it did record “steps” when she was rolling along on her electric wheelchair. “This would be my calorie-burning dream,” she jokes, “but it’s not reality, and it’s not helpful.”
Fitbit — which was recently acquired by Google for $2.1 billion — told OneZero the company understands that “one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to health and fitness, so we provide a range of devices, motivating software, and services to help support users on their health and fitness journeys.” They pointed to the story of Sandile, a South African fitness advocate and wheelchair user who tracks his exercise with Fitbit. The company also has a forum to collect suggestions from users, although no mention is made of what happens to these.
Apple made a big fanfare about expanded accessibility features in the latest Apple Watch, claiming there was something new for everyone across all its operating systems. Spend some time with an Apple Watch and you’ll…
