1. Technologies Reaching Diverse Communities: Disability, Seniors, Youth, Low-Income
Presented by:
Elizabeth Layman, Projects Coordinator, World Institute on Disability,

2. What Is WID?
The World Institute on Disability (WID) works to fully integrate people with disabilities into their communities socially and economically.
Research, policy, and consulting shop
Created in 1983 by the leader of the Disability Rights Movement, Ed Roberts
Focus on the 20% of Americans who live with disabilities; these are YOUR populations
A branch of WID: food and nutrition
For 3 years, WID conducted focus groups and in-depth interviews with people with disabilities about food

4. What Is A Disability? Americans with Disability (ADA) of 1990
“A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities; has a record of such an impairment; or is regarded as having such an impairment.”

6. Examples Of Disabilities
Blind/vision loss
Deaf/hearing loss
Diabetes
Cancer
Epilepsy
Intellectual Disabilities
Partial or Completely Missing Limbs
Mobility Impairments requiring the use of a wheel chair
Autism
Cerebral Palsy
HIV Infection
Multiple sclerosis
Muscular dystrophy
Major depressive disorder
Bipolar disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Schizophrenia

7. Discrimination: Big Picture
People with disabilities may walk, talk, hear, see, or think differently than the average person.
They experience discrimination in many different ways:
Education
Employment
Transportation
Telecommunications
ADA has seen improvements in these categories.

8. What’s Being Left Out?

9. Food!
People with disabilities are food insecure with limited or uncertain access to adequate food (USDA-United States Department of Agriculture)
People with disabilities often are poor
They may live in food deserts (low-income, no car, supermarkets far away)

10. Disability-Specific Challenges
People with disabilities encounter difficulties buying, transporting, and preparing healthy, nutritious foods.
Person with vision loss can’t read labels
Person in wheelchair can’t navigate crowded aisles and displays at grocery store
Deaf person can’t hear oven timer
Short of stature person can’t reach appliances/shelves
Person in wheelchair can’t use own kitchen

11. Current Solution 1

12. Current Solution 2

13. Current Solution 3

14. Current Solution 4

15. What Happens Then? Existing conditions get worse
PLUS, added chronic conditions:
Heart disease
Diabetes
High cholesterol

16. Secondary Problem: Access To Information
People with disabilities don’t have access to information catered to their needs
Disabled bodies and/or minds might make eating different; example:
“My doctor tells me that eating a hamburger for me is like eating three hamburgers because I can't get up and walk around. I get to eat a third of that burger. How can you tell someone that?!” (focus group member)
So many different types of disabilities!
Where can people with disabilities go for nutrition information specific to them?

17. Call For Recipes: Request
WID released a call for recipes from people with disabilities and seniors.
The ask: healthy and easy recipes with six or fewer items; affordable, flexible for food intolerances, allergies.

18. Call For Recipes: Results
Results? Oops!
People with disabilities need more support
How can we support folks who stay in their homes?
Who are in nursing homes?
Who are working multiple jobs?
Who are low-income?

19. A Quick Diversion- Spoon University
Spoon University: an online food publication for college students by college students; covers everything from easy, dorm recipes to eating disorder survival stories

20. Why It Matters
“I don’t want to use the m word, but Millenials aren’t cooking. They spend most of their time on technology.” (panelists at a food talk in SF)
It turns out Millenials are using technology, yes, but to cook! Example: Spoon University
Can we use the same technology to reach those with disabilities, seniors, low-income folks?
Yes!

21. WID’s Solution www.disabilityfeast.wordpress.com
Disability FEAST: handouts, links, resources; and, simple, tasty, affordable, and healthy recipes.
Catered to the disability community
Also, works well for:
Low-income
Seniors
Young adults/new cooks
(People lacking time/money/cooking skills)

22. Technology As A Tool Disability FEAST has a focus on technology
Online resources/links
Youtube videos
Digital communities (e.g. Pinterest, Facebook)
Online cookbooks

23. People with disabilities using technology
Much like Millenials, people with disabilities use to technology to cook—in fact, they beat the Millenials to it probably.
Technology broadly defined as “the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry”
Examples:
essible-kitchen-tools-and-devices/

24. Silverware set for lack of dexterity:
tools
Oven alarm for Deaf cooks:
alert-vibrating-multi-timer.html
Arthritis/one handed:
c519/kitchen-aids-c3618.html
Blind/vision loss:
And at 2:31-3:08:
Spoon that steadies tremors:

25. Take Away People with disabilities deserve a seat at the table, too!
(Many of them can even bring their own chair!)
Thank you!