When it comes to people with disabilities, they need an environment where everything is accessible to them, just like for any normal human being. Technology has come a long way and holds a whole lot of great inventions. Similarly, smart home technology is one of the most helpful inventions for people with disabilities. This is true that this technology or concept is still new for some people, but many countries around the world uses smart home techonlogy to improve the lives of people with disablities. Certainly, smart home technology can help people with disability the most. It is because of this technology that such people don’t have to depend up on anyone for any random stuff. Therefore, this technology provides them the independence they truly deserve. One of the most important area of the house – Bathroom! Modern bathrooms are designed in such a way that it provides the necessary comfort, also has a proper blend of pleasant appearance, high quality building material and most importantly easy to access. As I said, comfort and proper safety is the highest priority for disabled people, especially those confined to wheelchairs. The entrance and exit plan of these bathrooms should be designed in help and never complex manner. Usually, a 32-36 inches wide entrance can be comfortable for a wheelchair user. Apart from that, some folding and sliding doors, heavy curtains and traditional wide doors that can be easily locked and unlocks from the outside are ideal for functional, safe and modern bathroom design for handicapped people and also it should be loaded with equipment like a shower chair for elderly people. Keeping the bathroom area aside, there is a whole lot of space in the house that should easily accessible for people with disabilities and so keeping that in mind, here is a list of accessories to have in your smart home which will make your home completely accessible for you. 1. Smart Plugs These plugs helps you in turning on and off any appliance that plugs into a standard wall socket via your smartphone or smart speaker. These plugs can be used with a lamp or even a television. Such smart plugs are very helpful in turning your appliances ON and OFF through your smartphone or speaker easily.
2. Smart Lights If you already have a smart speaker then pairing it with some smart bulbs is not a bad idea as you can control the lights in your home using your voice with that smart speakers. You can adjust the colour paterns and also the brightness of the smart bulbs and for all this, you don’t require a switch on the wall. These kind of smart bulbs can also be controlled through your smartphone. A person with disabilities does not have to rely on anyone for simple tasks like turning on a light. 3. Smart curtains and blinds As I said earlier, smart speakers can help you with so many things, just like that curtains and blinds can be difficult for some people with disability to use. Therefore, smart curtains and blinds allow you to open and close your curtains and blinds through an app on your phone. A unique feature of these curtains is that we can even schedule them to open and close at any specific time. 4. Smart Speakers This devices plays a very important role whenever we talk about smart homes. Smart speakers are voice controlled devices that identifies and works according to the voice commands. Google Home and Amazon echo are one of the most popular smart speakers in the market as per this year. The in-built virtual assistant in the speakers (namely Google and Alexa for Google Home and Amazon echo respectively) is the highlight of these speakers, which actually lets you control everything with your voice. Not only you can control the lights, curtains, doors and all of the house, but also you can get updates on the weather outside directly from the virtual assistant. You want to switch ON the television or the Air conditioner? It can do that for you too! 5. Smart Doorbells This is something I personally like so much due to it’s unique features that provides added security. These smart doorbells have a motion-sensor camera that can show you who is at your door via your smart phone, so you can rest assure that no anonymous person can come in without your permission. People who roam around with the help of a wheelchair can face a lot of difficulties seeing who is at the doorstep through the peephole. Another amazing feature of these smart doorbells is that it lets you talk to the person through your smartphone. Therefore, smart doorbells give you the added security of knowing who is at the door before opening it. Conclusion Life of a person with disabilties can be really hard, but technology is evolving day by day and helping all of us live a better life. Smart homes technology is very essential for such people as it provides that extra aid of security that they need in their daily life. All the devices and equipments listed above are another step to help people with disablities and make their life a bit more easy. It is true that this smart home technology is not present or available everywhere, but looking at its popularity in the major part of the world, we can expect it to be available everywhere soon and cover and influence the lives of as many people as it can, in all the positive ways!