New houses being built with HomeKit-enabled appliances are becoming more accessible to consumers thanks to homebuilders incorporating Apple’s home automation technology, and HomeKit isn’t just a convenience or neat demo. NBC News shares the incredible story of how Todd Stabelfeldt who is a “complete quadriplegic with no movement below his shoulders” has been empowered by HomeKit.
Stabelfeldt uses Siri and SwitchControl to command HomeKit from his iPhone that is recharged from his wheelchair.
But he doesn’t spend time feeling sorry for himself. In fact, he spends most of his time running his IT consulting business from his home office, helping his wife around the house when she’s not at work, and building his charity, the TSM Foundation, to help other people in wheelchairs.
And it’s all thanks to new smart home and assistive technology like Apple’s “HomeKit.”
This accessibility advantage is no accident, according to Apple:
You can read the full story here, but it wraps up with this powerful line:
“For some people, doing something like turning on your lights or opening a blind or changing your thermostat might be seen as a convenience, but for others, that represents empowerment, and independence, and dignity,” she told NBC News.
