Farmingdale, NY - President Obama recently proclaimed October 2012 as ‘National Disability Employment Awareness Month.’ In his proclamation, the President stressed the importance of making the disabled part of economic recovery efforts in the United States.
“During National Disability Employment Awareness Month, we recognize the indispensable contributions people with disabilities make in our economy,” he declared “and recommit to building a country where each of us can realize the full extent of our dreams.”
Part of any plan to bring more individuals with disabilities into the nation’s workforce includes taking advantage of available assistive products to establish a more accessible workplace.
Every day, existing products are being improved and new technologies developed that can help people who are blind or have diminished vision, are deaf or hard of hearing, and those who have special needs work more efficiently and effectively in an office environment.
Traditional desktop electronic magnifiers have long helped those with low vision read printed items more easily. They offer powerful magnification to individuals working from a fixed location.
But newer models have now come to market that are extremely lightweight (as little as 5 lbs.) and come with carry cases, so that they may be easily transported. This ease of portability provides a new level of flexibility which can be especially helpful for employees who have the option of telecommuting and those who may not always work from the same location.
And features are also expanding, as electronic video magnifiers are now available that magnify text and pictures as much as 100 times their original size, and even allow the user to view a blackboard (or whiteboard) at a distance – a valuable tool for an employee in a business meeting or viewing a presentation
Along with the continued growth of the internet, e-commerce and computer use has come more sophisticated magnification and screen reading software for the blind and visually impaired. Screen magnifiers can enlarge text on a computer screen up to 36 times, while screen readers read documents, web pages, email, or anything on the computer screen aloud - right through your computer's speakers.
For people with hearing loss, personal listening systems and amplified telephones increase the volume of incoming sound and adjust its tone, making it easier to hear and understand speech. These products help hearing impaired people (including hearing aid users) communicate more easily in one-to-one conversations, in business meetings and on telephone calls.
Assistive products can quickly pay themselves off in improved communication and increased productivity for workers. And they give business owners access to the eager and capable, but largely untapped source of employees available in the disabled community.
Above are only a sampling of the products and technology available to help disabled individuals function more effectively in the workplace. Visit www.MaxiAids.com to see these and many more products that support active, healthy and independent lifestyles for all individuals.
About MaxiAids: MaxiAids Products for Independent Living is an industry-leading supplier of products for seniors as well as people in the special needs communities, including the blind, low vision, deaf, hard of hearing, arthritic, diabetic and those with mobility challenges. Visit www.MaxiAids.com or call 1-800-522-6294 for more information or to order a free catalog.
