06 June 2009

Enabled ~ Changing the Playing Field... And Rules!

My MIT colleague Rich Fletcher sent me and Amos Winter this great clip of extreme athlete Aaron "Wheelz" Fotheringham who does thing in a wheelchair that most humans wouldn't dare try with a bike or other vehicle... Is this guy "Disabled"? He has a wheelchair, which is a classic indicator of "disability". I would argue, however, that he is Enabled. He has mastered the tools he needs -- like all humans do, including language, clothing, etc. As MIT Media Lab director Frank Moss notes, we need a new wave of innovation to build entirely new genres of empowerment and enabling technologies!

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