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SINGAPORE: People living with disabilities in Southeast Asia will soon have more affordable devices to make life much easier as a result of a tie-up between researchers from Singapore and Thailand.

Currently, expensive products from the West dominate the market.

Singapore's START Centre is working with Thailand's National Electronics and Computer Techonology Centre to push cheaper switches into Asia for the disabled who have to rely on switches as they are unable to use normal keyboards.

Ng Chee Kiat, Director and Business Development Manager, START Centre, said: "You see less of the devices being sold or used in Asia. The main reason for that is because most of these devices are considered very expensive in Asian standards."

The two centres are behind i-Create 2007, an exhibition and conference on devices and technology to assist and rehabilitate people with disabilities.

Glen Ashlock, a rehabilitation engineer with Ann Arbour Centre for Independent Living, is one of the speakers.

The American has been working in the field for 20 years and said one key area is driving the industry at the moment.

He said: "Computer access is huge because there are so many things you can do with computers now and so many things you need to use computers for. If you can't access a computer, you are really being left behind."

Giving weight to the project is Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand and Minister for Community Development Youth and Sports, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, who launched the event.

Both stressed the need to lower the cost of technology for disabled people.

Dr Balakrishnan said: "If Thailand and Singapore can arrive at some common standards and increase the size of the market, I think this would help to lower the costs of technology to the people who need it most."

- CNA/so

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