Accessible IoT products open door to disability market

IoT accessibility is growing in importance to the tech industry.

To accessible media and technology consultant Larry Goldberg, it’s been interesting to watch as IoT devices become increasingly important to a market that’s traditionally been underserved.

“I have been in this field for a while, and it’s absolutely true over the past five years—even before the pandemic—the awareness was growing that there’s a real market here of people with disabilities,” Goldberg told IT Brew. “You see the big 10 companies—almost the entire Fortune 500—realizing they need to make their technology more accessible and that there’s a market they need to serve.”

That market extends beyond just “people with mobility impairments” and includes older adults, Goldberg said. Speaking to IT Brew from Sarasota, Florida—where he noted there were a lot of “old folks” around—Goldberg said that IoT companies should be aware of the rich potential of that market.

“It’s something the AARP has been looking at for years,” Goldberg said.

Operations in practice. At CES, Kenneth Kohlmann, VP of lawn care company Yarbo, told IT Brew that his company is appealing to the accessibility market by giving consumers with disabilities “back some of their independence.”

“We even go to customers’ houses—we had a couple of disabled customers that couldn’t set up Yarbo themselves,” Kohlmann said. “So, as a courtesy, we flew out there and set it up.”

Users who experience accessibility challenges may need that help. User interfaces on IoT devices often are difficult to operate for everyone. Goldberg said that one of the first things companies targeting the disability community should consider is “making sure it’s fully operable by someone who can’t see, someone who has limited mobility. And that it shouldn’t be too complicated.”

“I think the internet of things in general has always been a real, shining opportunity for people with disabilities,” Goldberg said.