Bringing Technology To Who Needs It Most

I have often said I wanted to live long enough for the ‘Holodeck’ to become a reality. As an avid Star Trek fan, the idea of putting myself in an imagined reality for a while was better than any massage or spa experience! I doubt that option will be available in my lifetime, but some of the 4D reality games are getting close.

Technology is a combination of “necessity and entertainment” for most of us. I wear an Apple watch, that will do so much more than tell time. I was recently reminded that all innovative things become dated when I was having a professional photo done and the photographer told me to remove my watch because “you don’t want to look back years from now and be embarrassed by it.” Everything new eventually becomes old, and I don’t think most of us can imagine all the future opportunities for technology assistance in our everyday lives.

But technology has not been equally accessed by our society, there are still the haves and have-nots, sometimes based on expense, geography, or even corporate greed. Once again, ANCOR is advocating for people with disabilities, to insure equal access to the things that make life easier for all of us, and to encourage development of applications/technology that specifically enhance the lives of people with disabilities, assuring they have access to community activities that we take for granted.

I may not get to experience the ‘Holodeck’, but I do want to see the day that everyone has technology that will help them live more independently. It’s a simple request but it will take ongoing advocacy to ensure that people with disabilities are not left out of the life changing advances that are still to come!

Angela King is CEO of Volunteers of America Texas and ANCOR’s Board President. She can be reached at [email protected].