Stanchyts А., Sokolova N. O., Osadcha O. V.

Oles Honchar Dnipropetrovsk National University

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGICAL PROJECTS FOR PEOPLE  WITH DISABILITIES

This world is full of people with disabilities: the visually impaired, hard on hearing, people with limited physical activity. In recent years the issues of social adaptation of people with disabilities began receive more attention. In everyday life we often do not think about the life of people with disabilities, what problems they have to face. Information technology and the Internet give a new chance to people with disabilities. Young people will benefit most of all because they know the advantages of information technologies. However, they encounter serious obstacles using the gadgets. The world of such people often shrinks to the size of the apartment they live in, and the range of communication is limited to only the closest relatives. Until recently, the only "window to the world" for such citizens was television or radio. However, with the rapid development of technology, the life of people with disabilities is simplified. First of all, it is necessary to adapt such resources as media, distance learning and educational portals, sites of the government, important Internet services, such as online banking.

According to the statistics 19% of Internet users are users with disabilities. The problem of accessibility of web sites for people with disabilities has been known for a long time. The first set of standard rules of the world Internet Consortium (W3C, w3.org) – WCAG 1.0 – appeared in 1999. At the moment the intensive work on the second version of the standard – WCAG 2.0 is going on. These standards provide a set of rules to follow that can optimize the structure and content of the site for people with disabilities. For example, all images are initially available for the blind, so they should have an explanatory text.

Every year on the world wide web there are more and more social networks, special systems, different portals, which are designed for disabled guests and simply for those who want to participate in the life of other people. In such social networks, people can communicate, find new friends, etc. Interface is specially adapted for people with disabilities.

In the same way, the applications that allow defining a man's face only with the help of a webcam have been developed. Through this mechanism, authorization is performed in various online resources. It takes much less time and does not require much effort. Due to specific technologies, such an application can also play coming warnings and answer them with microphones or other devices. This greatly facilitates the work of the people with the Internet and improves the security of accounts.

There are developments such as gloves that can translate the sign language into a usual voice form. The device contains a complex system of sensors, gyroscopes and accelerometers that translate hand movements when talking to deaf into the speech form. The system capabilities allow you to create your own system of gestures and program relevant phrases. The information about the position of the hands in space and gestures is broadcast on the laptop, tablet or smartphone. Special program converts the received signals into words and sentences. This project allows people who do not know the sign language, freely understand people with disabilities.

New technologies also open wide educational prospects for people with disabilities. Thus the various systems for distance learning for such people are broadly implemented in the world. They are popular because they are easy to use and take into account all the nuances for people with disabilities. Many major computer companies, the giants of the IT-market, seek to ensure that the use of its products and services is simple and convenient for everyone.

All things considered, it is necessary to mark that such technologies allow people with disabilities to live a more fulfilling life in the modern society which was not possible ever before. No doubt, regardless of the problems the people with disabilities face, they can participate in public life, as well as any other member of the society, if lifted barrier are removed. It is an essential need to attract more investment in the area of software development.