How Tech for the Disabled Is Going Mainstream
From: Bloomberg Businessweek - 09/24/2009
By: Reena Jana

Designs conceived for the handicapped, such as voice commands for PCs, often
lead to products for the masses 

Apple is widely celebrated for making devices as easy to use as they are
elegantly designed. What customers probably don't know is that some of these
features aren't exactly new—they evolved from software Apple created to help
disabled people use PCs. 

Other companies should consider following these trailblazers, say innovation
consultants. "Companies could look at designing for accessibility as a sales
opportunity. Most features that are accessible for the disabled have great
value to everybody," says Donald A. Norman, a former Apple vice-president for
advanced technology who heads a joint business and engineering program at
Northwestern University. 

Read the entire article at:
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_40/b4149058306662.htm