inABLE meeting proposes a digitally inclusive world for the blind

The InABLE meeting, recently hosted at the Nairobi’s Intercontinental Hotel, unfolded earlier today. The sole purpose of the event, was about creating and exploring new ways to improve accessibility and inclusion for those who are visually impaired.

A recurring trend in Nairobi’s employment sectors, visually impaired people have a high level of unemployment. Leading to poverty and lack of any knowhow about mitigating risk factors, associated with career safety. An absence of data and tech, that particularly responds to the needs of visually impaired persons also lacks in the country.

inABLE seeks to empower the blind and visually impaired through technology. This would be by, assistive technology labs and training, accessibility tech lab projects, research, development and inclusive African conferences that cover forward thinking ways to wield technology to help ease their lives.

With over five of InABLE’s computer labs now open across Kenya, Irene Mbari Kirika, the CEO of InABLE, said “It is critical to create awareness about digital accessibility for the visually impaired” She expounded on her point by noting that through technology, the visually impaired will be empowered and will have no barriers to their success.

With regards to digital learning, Nelson Atieno, a visually impaired student spoke about how digital skills, particularly suited for the blind, crafted by inABLE, helped him acquire skills that helped to bridge the information gap. He further mentioned about how assistive technology is the only thing that allows visually impaired people to compete with the rest of the people.

According to WHO, 3 million people live with some sort of disability in Kenya. In world that is becoming increasingly more digitally inclusive by the day, inABLE hopes for a day, sooner rather than later, when all users, with or without disabilities, can obtain the same information and perform the same functions.