How technology can restore dignity for people with disabilities while boosting the economy

Winnie Tang says the disabled population around the world represents a largely untapped workforce, market and economic engine, and technology is now helping them to contribute more

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Queen Elizabeth hosts a ceremony to celebrate the 40th anniversary of British charity Motability, at Windsor Castle on April 25. Motability enables those with disabilities, their families and carers to lease a new car, scooter or powered wheelchair using their mobility allowance. Photo: AFP

Published: 9:01am, 30 Apr 2017Updated: 7:31pm, 30 Apr 2017

A government survey in 2013 put the number of people with disabilities in Hong Kong at around 600,000, some 10 per cent of the total population . These people are also often in low-income groups, as it is difficult for them to find jobs. In Hong Kong, over 500,000 are unemployed, or more than 80 per cent of people with disabilities.

Technology can not only help them make a living and improve their lives, but also boost the economy. Disability charity Scope UK estimates that employing 1 million disabled workers would boost Britain’s GDP by £45 billion (HK$430 billion) by 2030.

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This group also presents business opportunities. The World Health Organisation estimates that, as the world ages, there will be more than two billion people (or one in five) in need of at least one auxiliary piece of equipment by 2050.

However, only one in 10 has use of such equipment today. Global business opportunities relating to people with disabilities or long-term patients could be valued at up to US$20 billion by 2019.

Today, there are various products on the market. Dr Amit Goffer, an Israeli inventor left paralysed in a car accident, uses a newly invented four-wheel chair that allows the 63-year-old to manoeuvre upright over uneven urban areas or slopes, and speak face to face with people standing up.

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Goffer talked about the dramatic psychological effects of using the invention, how it restored “the dignity and self-esteem to feel like part of society again, the core of society, not the fringe of society”. Auxiliary technology can not only assist physical function, but also give patients a life of dignity.