Prioritizing accessibility fosters inclusion, enriching lives through greater independence, participation, and connection. Environments, technologies, and services should be designed to remove barriers and provide equal opportunities for everyone, regardless of physical, sensory, cognitive, or other access needs. The World Health Organization estimates that 1.3 billion people worldwide (16 percent of the global population) experience significant disability, many involving mobility impairments that limit independence.
Thanks to the continued innovation and dedication of the global Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) member community, Bluetooth® technology is helping to make the world more accessible, empowering people of all abilities to move more freely and engage more confidently. From enabling smart wheelchairs and fall-detection wearables to screen readers and smart glasses, Bluetooth is transforming how individuals with mobility and vision challenges navigate everyday life.
Powering physical accessibility
Bluetooth is transforming how people with mobility challenges interact with the world around them. Smart wheelchairs equipped with Bluetooth technology allow users to adjust their seating and navigate their environments with greater ease, freeing them to move with more control and comfort in everyday life. Bluetooth joysticks improve mobility for individuals with limited motor function, supporting smoother, more responsive control. Bluetooth wearables detect falls and trigger medical alerts, giving users and caregivers peace of mind and enabling faster emergency response when it matters most.
Bluetooth® technology helps individuals move more freely, live more independently, and engage more confidently in their environments.
Enhancing visual accessibility
According to the World Health Organization, 2.2 billion people around the world have some form of vision impairment. Bluetooth is opening new doors for people who are blind or have low vision by connecting assistive technologies to the digital world.
Bluetooth screen readers pair with smartphones and computers to translate text into braille, making digital content more accessible and inclusive. Bluetooth smart glasses go even further by offering object and text recognition with audio descriptions delivered through earpieces, bringing greater context and awareness to everyday tasks. Auracast™ broadcast audio, a new Bluetooth capability, can deliver real-time audio descriptions in public spaces — from theaters and museums to digital signage and televisions — helping people who are blind or have low vision engage more fully with the world around them.
“Auracast™ broadcasts transform how we experience audio in public spaces, making it easier for people to enjoy events in theatres and cinemas and navigate places like airports and public spaces,” Thomas Olsgaard, GN Resound. “By focusing on designing technologies and services that break down barriers, we are opening up opportunities for everyone, no matter their challenges.” By powering the tools that help people see with sound and touch, Bluetooth is helping individuals navigate, learn, and experience the world with more confidence and independence.
Accessibility is essential for all
Bluetooth is driving a major leap forward in inclusion and innovation, empowering individuals and opening new opportunities for participation in public life. Bluetooth® technology is improving how people participate, connect, and belong, helping to build a more accessible world for everyone. By supporting inclusive solutions that enable people to engage more fully, Bluetooth is removing barriers and enriching lives through greater independence, participation, and belonging.
One day soon, accessing audio in public spaces using Auracast™ broadcast audio will be as common and expected as connecting to the internet using Wi-Fi. “The introduction of Auracast™ broadcast audio will enable us to move from personal wireless listening experiences to shared wireless listening experiences, unlocking the full potential of wireless audio and bringing even more value and delight to our customers,” said Zeng Xuezhong, SVP and president of the smartphone department at Xiaomi Corporation.
