As a companion to its Steve Jobs retrospective, last Sunday’s 60 Minutes aired a segment on the iPad and its usefulness to some people with autism. The segment profiles kids with autism who interact with the iPad with an enthusiasm that can’t be matched by more low-tech stimuli. It also introduces us to a young man with autism who uses his iPad to effectively communicate despite being nonverbal. The piece does a good job of emphasizing that the iPad isn’t going to suit the needs of every person with autism; an important point that can sometimes be neglected in gee-whiz human interest stories about technology. It also demonstrates that the consumerization of technology–particularly portable technology–is a real boon for people with disabilities.
