Smart Homes Technology: Helping people with disabilities live life independently

Smart homes today allow you to turn on your house lights, answer your front door and adjust your thermostat with a few buttons or a simple voice command. For people living with disabilities, smart-home technology makes it possible to do everyday tasks independently and with ease.

Where to start?

There are many smart home devices available and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. The type of device you select will depend on your specific needs. Set up is usually simple, requiring just an app or a smartphone. Devices are usually wireless, meaning you simply need WiFi and a power source. Home devices can help set up lights for example, to turn on and off on a regular schedule. Notifications and alerts can be sent to your smartphone or tablet when activated, and remote-access control can also be enabled. Most devices can be fully or partly controlled, or completely hands-free. The choice is yours.

Solutions and possibilities.

With the use of technology, devices can help improve the quality of life for people living with disabilities. Home automation systems can integrate doors for entry and exit, security systems for safety, temperature control for comfort and even entertainment systems for recreation purposes. 

If you have limited mobility, pre-programmed commands remove the difficulties and hassle out of simple everyday tasks. Video doorbells for example allow one to see who is at the door. A carer or family member can also receive notifications. You can communicate with whoever is at the door by using your smartphone. If you have an intercom system, you can even verify the identity of your visitor before opening the door and allowing entry.  

If you are hearing impaired, audio systems and text notifications installed in key areas around the house can be linked to doorbells and phones. A visual alert such as a flashing light bulb can alert you to any activity at the door. 

As mentioned earlier, smart home devices can be automated and operated using buttons or set up using voice control. They are not just a matter of convenience. The devices can be operated both at home or remotely giving family members and carers peace of mind, and allowing them to monitor their loved one’s safety discretely. This might also help reduce the cost of hiring in-home care in the long run. 

Look for NDIS-registered providers like Intelligent Home for assistance and learn more about smart home technology together with wheelchair integration, to help achieve your goals and further increase your independence. 

Your chair. Your way.

As one of Australia’s leading wheelchair manufacturers, Glide Products is partnering with Intelligent Home for integrating smart home technologies into our wheelchairs. With this technology, people using glide wheelchairs will be capable of controlling the functioning of smart home technology right from their wheelchairs. This is part of Glide’s continuous drive to innovation and technology to make our wheelchair users’ lives a little easier.

Glide offers a range of power-assisted chairs, together with power add-on kits for manual models, designed to give you an extra boost of power whenever you need it.

With options such as Bluetooth Mobile Phone controllers, motorbike-style handlebars, rear jockey-wheel drive systems and other innovations, there’s a power add-on solution that can be tailored for any wheelchair user. And, when you order a power-assist wheelchair from Glide, the customisation options are almost limitless.

Explore our range of power add-ons or contact us for more information. For more information on power add-ons, read our article or check out the full range on the Glide website here.