It’s important to remember when talking about disability, that the term is much broader than we normally think. It’s such a broad umbrella that encompasses things you can be born with, like autism or blindness, but also a broken leg or Alzheimer’s. In 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that one in five Americans lives with a disability. Technology designed for people with disabilities, therefore, is not a niche field, but one that can and will benefit everybody.

When her aunt passed away last November, Carrolyn Minggia, 64, felt isolated. The Brooklyn Heights resident had moved from Philadelphia to NYC four years prior to care for her aging relative, who suffered from cancer and dementia. After her death, Minggia, who never married and has no children, suddenly found herself alone.

“When I moved here, there were aides, and when she passed, everybody left again,” she says.

Then, in April, Minggia got a pet — sort of.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Long after serving our country, too many vets fight for a sense of peace. An unusual form of pet therapy provides a source of comfort and companionship at Charles George VA Medical Center.

“I’m 100 percent disabled, and I have PTSD,” says Dennis Vincent, a Vietnam veteran. ‘It’s been a struggle practically since the war, you know.”

Residents of Parkwood Village’s Memory Care Unit in Pratt now have a dog to call their own, courtesy of the Pratt Lions Club. At a special dedication ceremony Wednesday, May 15, staff, administration (and Lions Club members) already found the animated Golden Doggie irresistible.

Older people tend to not have pets. Whether it’s too much upkeep or their living situation doesn’t allow for it, the fact remains true.

According to a press release from the University of Cincinnati, Claudia Rebola, an associate professor and graduate studies coordinator for UC’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning, is trying to change this. She and the graduate students from DAAP and UC’s College of Engineering and Applied Science are sprucing up an existing line of robotic pets so they pass as “real” pets and can do more extensive skills, like calling emergency services, if needed.