How AI is helping people with disability achieve their goals

​We’re living in the visual and digital age, where images and videos are a big part of our daily lives, but this progress has also presented a challenge for more than 4,53,000 Australians with vision impairments.

While Artificial Intelligence (AI) is in its early stages, there is a lot of uncertainty about how it can and should be used. However, for people with disability, it’s already proving to be a tool that can change lives and careers.

John Zambelli has a vision impairment and currently works as a Supported Employee at Summerland Farm in the Ballina-Byron hinterland. AI technology has improved his day-to-day experiences both at work and in his personal life.

“I use AI to assist me at work and it’s amazing. When I am doing data entry, I can take a photo of the document and ask the AI program to tell me the invoice number, date or total and it pulls that data and reads it to me. It enables me to get the information I need to know faster and is less taxing on my eyes,” said John.

John has tested and trialled many different technologies throughout the years but says AI as well as iPhone apps, have been the easiest and most reliable tools. The ‘Seeing AI’ app being the best so far, which John also uses not just at work, but also when he’s out and about.

“If I go out somewhere and need to read a menu or a sign, again I can just take a photo and have it read out to me. I have been using for years but it gets better every year. The technology is always getting better and making the app better.”

When asked if he would recommend technology-based support to others with low vision, John said: “With new technology I always say it’s worth playing with it and seeing what it can do as it’s helped me throughout my life in so many ways.”

John is coming up to 14 years at Summerland Farm, where he works alongside over 100 other Supported Employees, who also have disability.

John added, “It really is a great place to work. When I first got the job, I did mostly reception work, but now I do a lot of different jobs around technology and IT. My job and Summerland Farm have changed a lot because of technology, and I think it’s great that the team have always embraced new tech like AI. It’s really helped me be able to build a fulfilling career.”

A version of this story appeared in The Northern Rivers Times.

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