Saw this on a page I follow on Facebook. It is so challenging these days to try to do anything without so called ‘smart’ technology. When we were overseas we tried to buy a slice of cake and a coffee at the cafe of the Hotel we were staying in in Singapore. We were told that we had to scan the QR code to order. We didn’t have a QR code app on either of our phones and didn’t really want to for the sake of one piece of cake and a coffee. I pointed to the cake which was in a cabinet right in front of me and said, ‘Can I not just point to the cake and ask for a piece of that cake please?’ The answer was a firm ‘No!’ Needless to say we went away without the cake and coffee.
It seems that the world is getting more and more impersonal. What happened to good, old-fashioned service. Many people, even with the advances of technology and gaining some knowledge of some of them to do basic tasks do not live their entire lives depending on technology. As we age and as this condition affects us more, we may find that skills such as keyboard skills, concentration and processing skills become lesser. If so, there is likely to be a time when doing everything online may become increasingly challenging.
For many with disabilities, the assumption that anyone needing to access a service can do so remotely is an ‘Arrogant Assumption’ in my book. Something that really peeves me, that just when a person needs some support from a real person that they can sit down in front of and discuss their needs, they are told they have to do things online. This is not possible for everyone and can prove to be another disabling thing in a person’s life. It is borderline discriminatory, to disadvantage someone who cannot use technology by insisting that is the only way to engage with some entities.
So, it’s all well and good to have ‘smart’ technology. However, if the technology makes us feel less than smart, what can we do to address this?
My journey with Parkinsons 