You can use all kinds of technology in all sorts of ways to empower all types of people. Here are some examples of how tech has been empowering people in recent times.
How Software Is Empowering People in the World of Human Services
In the world of human services, software is being utilized more than ever before to improve organizations’ processes and provide better care to those in need. When people with physical or mental disabilities or homeless people have access to professional services and resources, they can become more empowered. And technology has enabled such people to have access to services and resources more than ever before. For instance, Foothold Technology’s software provides full functionality for things like client tracking, treatment planning, and case management.
Foothold Technology also embraces the importance of using person-centered language within their databases, helping to empower individuals more. If you have not heard of people first language, it basically focuses on the central idea of defining someone by his or her name and role rather than the person’s disability. For example, you would say, “John has a disability” instead of “John is disabled,” and “Rachel uses a wheelchair” instead of “Rachel is wheelchair-bound.” Using the right words can make a huge difference in how empowered people feel.
How Technology Is Empowering People with Disabilities
People with disabilities can become further empowered by using a whole host of other technological innovations. For instance, people with Repetitive Strain Injury can be excluded from using normal computer keyboards, but that is no longer a problem. There are now ergonomic keyboards on the market that actually allow users to feel relief while tapping away.
Smartphone apps have empowered all types of people in many ways in recent years, including people with disabilities. Now, mobile apps can be used for things like reminding people to take medications and attend doctor appointments. There is even an app for wheelchair users to find wheelchair-accessible places and an app for people with hearing problems that amplifies sounds so that conversations can be heard much more clearly. People with disabilities can use digital assistants these days, too. The voice-controlled devices basically help to ease the workloads of individuals by doing things like controlling lights and the TV.
How Technology Is Empowering People in Poverty
In many places around the world, technology is helping to pull people out of poverty. For example, farmers in sub-Saharan Africa have been empowering themselves by using tech to solve the problem of their low agricultural yields. Geospatial technologies like satellites and drones can provide the farmers with in-depth monitoring services so that the farmers can apply precision agriculture methodologies to reduce their spending outputs and increase their yields. With precision agriculture, remote sensing data is used to identify things like accurate quantities of water, pesticides, and fertilizer.
How Technology Is Empowering Everyone
Technology is certainly helping people like those mentioned above to empower themselves, but tech is also helping everyone to potentially become empowered. For instance, the internet has now made it possible for anyone to do things like learning courses, starting businesses, communicating with others facing similar problems, and much more. But empowerment through technology goes way beyond the internet. Fitness trackers are empowering people to stay fit and healthy, drones are empowering independent filmmakers to capture professional cinematic shots, and virtual reality is empowering people training to be surgeons to complete operations with higher success rates, to name but just a few examples. In all walks of life, technology is empowering people, and as tech continues to become more innovative and advanced, people are sure to become even more empowered.