Tech breakthroughs for the disabled

Recent technology breakthroughs promise to greatly improve the lives of the disabled:

• Smartphones: a device that once was used only to make phone calls could connect users to data and each other with a minimum of keystrokes, making it especially useful for those with limited digital dexterity.
• Voice-recognition and text-to-speech software: The continuing refinement of speech recognition technology has evolved to the point where the visually impaired can hear a computer speak the words in a document or hear an incoming text message or voice mail from a friend.
• Social media platforms: these sites serve to connect people who otherwise might remain out of touch -- a service with immeasurable emotional value to those whose disabilities limit their time out of the home.