Google’s latest ‘don’t be evil’ moment is one of its best

Sometimes good PR is additionally good for individuals who want slightly additional assist.

Google did one thing downright superior this previous week. While Apple and Intel and T-mobile and Sprint have been dominating tech information, Google quietly introduced that it has 100,000 Home Minis to provide out to individuals who will put them to nice use as a result of they’re paralyzed or partially paralyzed.

A Home Mini could make a huge impact when it will get within the arms of somebody who wants one.

Partnering with the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, Google has put aside 100,000 little bits of plastic and silicon that may make a reasonably large affect on the lives of individuals who might use the additional assist. Reeve Foundation Ambassador Garrison Redd is aware of all too effectively concerning the affect a small sensible speaker can have as he is been wheelchair-bound for nearly 20 years. I additionally understand how a lot assist these little audio system and related sensible devices can be as a result of they’ve additionally made fairly the distinction in my very own life.

I’m not paralyzed, however residing your life in a wheelchair could make issues fairly troublesome. The world is designed for and by people who find themselves capable of stroll about, attain the issues on the highest shelf, and reside their lives with out asking for assist when the doorbell rings or the warmth must be bumped up a notch. It ought to be — I can not communicate for everybody who is disabled, however I’ve by no means met anybody in a wheelchair who thinks the world ought to be designed for “us” as an alternative of “them”. Being confined to a hunk of steel tubing on wheels would not make me much less of an individual or some kind of freak, but it surely is not the norm and the world would not must revolve round it.

Good PR is even higher if you’re really serving to folks. Thanks, Google.

That line of pondering can go utterly out the window when the FedEx supply driver is ready on the door upstairs so that you can signal for a bundle or the ceiling fan is not working and somebody wants to achieve up and yank the chain. It’s simple to suppose all the things is dangerous since you really feel like a failure, particularly when it is these little inconsequential issues which might be making you’re feeling that approach. Something like a wise speaker connected to a Nest Hello Doorbell turns all the things round and I really feel nice as a result of I can inform the FedEx driver to hold tight as a result of it takes me some time to make it up the steps.

There are loads of folks on the market who’ve it worse than I do and if a Google Home Mini could make a change for the higher of their lives, all of them must have one. Thanks, Google for stepping up and doing one thing good for individuals who want extra good issues of their lives. I hope this program is a smashing success nevertheless the corporate measures it and we see one other 100,000 Home Minis exit to individuals who want them.