Technology can unlock people’s potential, but only if it’s designed for all

Haben Girma’s journey to becoming a leading advocate and voice for people with disabilities started with a simple desire.

She wanted to know what was for dinner before she tasted it.

As deafblind undergrad student at Lewis & Clark College, she had her coursework, textbooks, and exams provided to her in braille. But as she explained in a 2014 TED Talk, the cafeteria menu was a different story.

She could neither read the menu, nor hear the cafeteria staff explain it to her. Since braille takes too long to produce, the staff agreed to email her the menu before each day, so she could then read it using a screen reader.

But they often forgot.

That left her with no choice but to simply show up at the cafeteria and pick a food station at random. She had no idea what was served to her. And if chocolate cake – one of her favorite indulgences – was being served at one of the stations, receiving a piece was left completely to chance.

She missed out on her favorite treat many times. But more frustrating was having her meals be a mystery, right up until her first bite. “Only then would I realize what I was going to eat,” she said in her speech. “There were some unhappy surprises.”

This experience, while unthinkable for many of us who take for granted the ability to see and hear, proved to be pivotal for Haben. It was the moment she decided that, instead of simply dealing with yet another frustration, she needed to do something.

Through her efforts, the school agreed to consistently email her the menus. This put in place a standard practice that not only benefited her, but also any other blind students that would come later. More importantly, it put her on a path to graduating from Harvard Law School and becoming the advocate for people with disabilities that she is today.

Her approach, her philosophy, should be a source of inspiration to all of us working in the world of technology. The technology to solve the problem was always there. It just needed to be designed and deployed in a way that was meaningful and empowering.

Heartbreaking Consequences

To say technological advancements are moving at a rapid pace is a cliché and an understatement. The effects, both positive and negative, technology is having on our lives have been endlessly documented, discussed, and debated.

But it’s really not the issue.

It’s important to remember that when things move fast, people get left behind. Typically, that means people without access.

This is where the most startling statistics exist. For example, about 15 percent of U.S. households with children don’t have a high-speed internet connection at home. In a world where internet access is becoming a more critical teaching aid and learning tool, this can have heartbreaking consequences for those kids.

Among their ranks are the next generations of teachers, entrepreneurs, scientists, and artists. A generation of future leaders we may never know, all for lack of access to the technology we all enjoy.

So as an industry, we must do more to provide access to technology to those who are being left behind. That is what we’re striving for at Lenovo.

Lenovo’s strategic philanthropy works to create access to technology and education, meeting the unique needs of people across its global markets.

-         Lenovo’s partnerships with Boys and Girls Clubs of America, NAF Academies, and United Way Europe ensure that students in under-resourced neighborhoods have access to technology and STEM education, without which they cannot be successful in the 21st century.

-         In Africa and the Middle East, Lenovo works with Jangala to provide connectivity at educational centers for refugees, ensuring that the world’s increasing populations of displaced people have a means to continue their education.

-         The Lenovo/Motorola Skills Academy in India and Laboratoria program in Latin America are particularly focused on training adults to enter the digital/technology workforce by providing STEM education and career skills relevant to their locations.

-         In China, Lenovo takes STEM solutions to scale by providing educational kits and teacher training in China’s rural, Western provinces. Distribution of resources and training has improved education for thousands of students in impoverished communities of China.   

A Different Set of Eyes

In her speech, Haben said, “I live in a world that’s designed for people who can see and hear.” That puts in stark reality the challenges that people like her face every day.

But it’s not just deafblind people. Individuals who face poverty, discrimination, and disability all live in a world that’s not designed for them.

What we must do is design it for them. Design it for all.

More than providing access, that demands developing technologies that meaningfully accommodate people’s needs. That’s the only way we can truly empower people and help them unlock their potential.

That’s easier said than done, because it requires looking at the world with a different set of eyes. At Lenovo, we feel strongly in the diversity of our employees, because it gives us insights into the broadest range of technology needs.

Our partnership with Haben, our first Accessibility and Inclusion Adviser, takes this approach to the next level. Our goal is that by tapping into her vision and advocacy, and by continuing to rely on the diversity of our employees, we can see and respond to the needs of more people.

So everyone has the opportunity to succeed and thrive and enjoy all this world has to offer.