Seniors facing an accessibility gap

Seniors facing an accessibility gap

There is a very interesting yet concerning problem that seems to be deepening these days and I am referring to the accessibility gap being faced by our seniors at the present time.  It appears that as more and more seniors begin to lose their vision they become less and less able to access information because of the following reasons.

1.  They are unable to access the Internet because they either do not possess the technology to do so or simply because they do not know how to access the Internet.  Many of these persons grew up in the pre-Internet era and accordingly they are very hesitant to try new technology. 

2. Many of them no longer have sufficient vision to read the newspapers let alone read their own personal mail.

3. Many of them are extremely hesitant to learn new technology that may enable them to read their mail and newsprint.

4. Many of them are unable to read what they write.  They did not need to use Braille while they were fully sighted and now they are finding it extremely difficult to adjust to learning Braille or using an accessible note taker. 

5. Many of them face financial barriers when it comes to being able to learn and purchase new technology.

For any company or individual listening in:  This may be an excellent time for you to look at these facts more closely and see the possibilities and opportunities just waiting for you to explore and develop.  There is not just an accessibility gap facing seniors as far as this picture is concerned, there is also a gap in what is being demanded and what is being supplied at the moment and here is where you can use your creativity and imaginations to design and develop services to meet these types of demands.  For make no bones about it, these demands are only going to increase as time marches on.  In addition, there are some very important big hitters and stakeholders who are also going to be pushing this demand; namely the American government, other global governments, the health industry, the legal profession, plus many others.

So in summary we have the following picture:

More and more persons losing their vision at a later age.

They are unable to access information for several reasons among them being; Inability to use modern technology, a hesitance to learn new technology, unable to afford to learn and purchase new technology.

Seniors are facing an ever widening accessibility gap and this is mainly due to demand outstripping supply.

As I see it, this problem is going to become more serious as time marches on and it may be time for us to work on a solution to find a way for our seniors to stay in touch with the rest of the world.  The earlier we find a solution; the better it would be for all of us because we are all going to become seniors one day in the future and chances are that many of us will end up losing various degrees of vision.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan wishing you a terrific day and weekend.
To reach me, please send an email to info@sterlingcreations.ca and I would be delighted to send you an electronic copy of our latest newsletter.
 
 
Here is a complete list of where you can view Donna’s blogs and editorials.
Donna Jodhan!  advocating accessibility for all
http://www.donnajodhan.blogspot.com 
a weekly feature on important answers to consumers concerns
http://www.untappedwealth.com/businessdesk.html
Weekly blogs for language professionals and special needs business consultants
https://www.sterlingcreations.ca/blog/blog.html
a monthly editorial on business issues and concerns
https://www.sterlingcreations.ca/magazine.html 
weekly editorials on accessibility issues in Canada
http://www.accessibilitynews.ca/acnews/editorials/donna.php
Editorials:  An International perspective on issues of accessibility and disability
http://www.accessibilitynewsinternational.com
A general perspective on issues of access and accessibility
http://numpadplus.com/blog/?page_id=7