Businesses Praise iPad in Helping Meet the Needs of Disabled Employees

posted on Mar 30 by Nadia in the Technology category

There has been much talk about the new iPad lately. The main question is, will this be the new wave of the future for technology or will it collapse into a cloud of overhyped and oversold disappointment? However, what has not been mentioned are the functions it can provide to help those who are disabled and the benefits it might provide in aiding to cut business costs on employment law.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits employers from discriminating in hiring qualified persons due to them having a disability. Unfortunately, it can be very costly for businesses to provide the necessary tools in compliance with the ADA when hiring an employee with a disability. Two ways the new iPad can help in cutting costs are its single-button hardware that makes it suitable for vision impaired users or the intuitive multi-touch interface that make it ideal as a replacement for much more expensive alternatives. One women who teaches disabled people how to use computers explains, “The iPad has many accessibility features built-in. It is completely accessible to the blind user, and has magnification software for the low-vision user.”

Businesses will be able to save on costs by purchasing the iPad instead of traditional alternatives such as the portable AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication). An AAC is large, heavy, has short battery life and can cost nearly $10,000. The iPad is definitely a solution businesses should consider in meeting the needs of their disabled employees and complying with the ADA.