Solutions for Those with Extremely Limited Resources

The objective of the Solutions for Those with Extremely Limited Resources Discussion Group (LRSDG) is to explore and discuss access solutions that are effective even with limited financial, energy, and computing resources. Many of the people that will benefit from RtF are in emerging markets where resources are scarce. Electricity may roll in and out, computers may be decade-old donations, and spending money may be hard to come by. This group will ensure that RtF creates solutions that are affordable and usable wherever there is internet access, and will also try to provide affordable local hardware options where the RtF software is not enough.

Discussion will focus on 3 individual areas of concern:

1. Financial Resources - Making RtF's solutions free or locally affordable to all by developing basic technologies in open source.

2. Energy and computing resources - Ensuring that RtF's solutions are usable on devices with low energy input and/or limited processing power, and that access is available wherever internet capabilities are available. This group will look at a few important issues:

• Many people in developing countries use donated/outdated computers and have slow internet connections. These older technologies can't stand up to resource-intensive new applications like Flash, Silverlight, or streaming content.
• Low-energy computing devices, such as the One Laptop Per Child XO, are becoming more popular. To be compatible with these technologies, RtF's solutions should have the lowest system requirements possible.
• Cell phones are the primary internet connection point for many people in developing countries, but their small size and low processing ability limit the programs that they can run.

3. Local Do-It-Yourself Assistive Technology Manufacture - This area is a bit different than our other groups in that it does not focus directly on software and web content. Instead, it is working to develop assistive technology (AT) hardware that may be manufactured by individuals using local materials and at a low cost. This area will compile and distribute plans for creating assistive technology devices. The goal is to make these plans widely available, easy to use, and easy to manufacture with locally available materials.

Local DIY AT Designs/Plans

Initial work in this field has been carried out by Jerry Weisman and Assistive Technology Solutions.

• Assistive Technology Solutions - A collection of plans and information about DIY AT solutions.

Get Involved

The discussion group is currently in the formation stage. If you are interested in this project or have something to contribute include  [LRSWG] in the subject line of an email to Contribution@RaisingTheFloor.net If you are interested in being on the maillist for this project send an email to Lists@RaisingTheFloor.net and put [LRSWG] in the subject line.