“It is estimated that one in six people in the world have some disability,” says K Ananth Krishnan, Chief Technology Officer, TCS. “Accessible technologies serve the needs of a large segment of the population and investing in them makes both business sense and societal impact. At TCS Research and Innovation, we have been guided by the Tata ethos of harnessing technology for societal benefit and it has resulted in a range of innovative technology interventions for persons with disabilities.”

TCS’ VHab uses motion sensors and gesture analysis to create a visually rich experience. Initially introduced at ARC, it is now making a difference in the lives of almost 200 children across three institutes in Kerala. “Earlier, the kids were reluctant to do the same exercises every day. But now they keep asking us when their turn will come,” says Ambili Francis, a physiotherapist at ARC.

Robin Tommy of TCS explains how to use Vhab at a special school in Kerala

Assisto, another solution developed at TCS’ Rapid Labs, uses cognitive speech algorithms to convert communication by children with neurological conditions into speech, incorporating not just their unique tone but also their native language. The low-cost device uses a first-of-its-kind customised Morse keypad with speech output and is being used by over 3,000 children worldwide.

Verbose is a solution for the hearing impaired—it enables end-to-end speech-to-text conversion. It converts live speech, for example, lectures, into real-time data that can be viewed in different formats, such as animated video, comic strips, notes, etc. More than 1,000 children worldwide are using Verbose and it is part of many assistive conference kits, helping the hearing-impaired engage with content at their own pace.

Under development at TCS labs is a ‘smart glass’ that senses and identifies objects and describes them to the wearer. The device has the potential to not only read print but also recognize faces and moods. While this will help a visually impaired person to move independently, it can also help a hearing-impaired person understand speech by converting voice into sign language.

TCS is also working with software company Adobe to ensure that accessibility is built into their publishing and document management solutions and products, such as the widely used Portable Document Format (PDF).

Ensuring inclusive growth

“TCS’ social innovation initiatives for the neurodiverse have enabled people to empower themselves and pursue opportunities in digital and data,” says Mr Tommy. “Also, the neurodiverse community has provided us with many opportunities for inclusivity and helped us create solutions of tomorrow.”

“Enabling access also makes tremendous business sense,” says Dr Jadhav, citing the example of several products that have crossed over into the mainstream, such as audiobooks and motion-activated doors. Another example is the use of eye-tracking software, which was developed for those with locomotor impairment and is now widely used for driver safety.

“However, a lot of awareness and work needs to be done,” adds Dr Jadhav. “The consumer market has the potential of adding over $70 billion just by paying attention to accessibility.” TCS recognized this potential early on and created the Accessibility Center of Excellence that helps clients enhance their ability to address this market using technology.

More than a century ago, the Tata group Founder Jamsetji Tata envisioned a model of business that considered service to the community as the purpose of its existence. This vision was taken ahead by the group’s leaders in subsequent decades, in particular, JRD Tata, who was influential in setting up the Tata Research Development and Design Centre, TCS’ first research and innovation lab, with the objective of using technology for societal benefit. Since then, TCS has continued its mission to harness technology to power inclusivity, diversity, and equity.