2007 PhD Thesis Final Revised.pdf - Curtin University

communication. This chapter contributes to this research by identifying the
significant benefits and barriers of computing and Internet-related technologies
which affect the welfare of people who are blind or vision impaired.
2.2 The creation of the white cane and electronic-based
technologies
The evolution of science has enabled society to incorporate tools, machines,
materials and processes into human lives in order to resolve problems that otherwise
could not be solved. Within the mainstream population, new technologies often
extend the physical capability of the body so that humans can do more or achieve
more in a shorter space of time. Two historical examples are the bicycle, which
allowed humans to travel faster than merely depending on standard physical capacity
and the telephone, which increased communication range. Carried to the next level,
it may be argued that not having a tool could be viewed as a disability if others are
still able to complete a particular task. For example, if individuals relied on the use
of a forklift to move heavy weights, the absence of a forklift may effectively be a
disability for that individual. For people with disabilities, new technologies that
extend or develop physical capabilities provide more than just the restoration of the
physical body; they also bring the promise of equity with the able-bodied population.
Technologies that improve the physical or mental capability of the body might
effectively cancel out disability-related difficulties. As such, technology can be an
equalising force.
There are many examples of product development for people with disabilities
which illustrate the importance of delivering improved physical capacity. The
development of the wheelchair enabled mobility for people who have difficulty
walking and the hearing aid provided sound to people with a hearing impairment.
The desire to use emerging technologies to assist people with disabilities was driven
largely by the changing of the dominant social category from a charity model-based
viewpoint to a medical-based viewpoint. As discussed earlier in this thesis, the shift
of social categories often led, in turn, to changing developments in areas that affected
people with disabilities. Devices for people with disabilities were seen as tools to
replace a diminished part of the body. Although the medical model focused on
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