Disability Dongle

A term coined by disability advocate Liz Jackson describing a well-intentioned but ultimately useless technology solution created for disabled people by non-disabled people who have not engaged with the community they intend to serve. Disability dongles are typically conceived in design schools or corporate innovation labs, receive media attention and awards, but are never adopted by the intended users because they fail to address actual needs or introduce new barriers. Classic examples include stair-climbing wheelchairs that ignore the need for ramps, or sign language recognition gloves that oversimplify sign language to hand movements alone. The concept highlights the importance of co-design, lived experience, and meaningful community involvement in assistive technology development — without these, even well-funded projects risk producing solutions that no disabled person wants or needs.