Ability Bridge: Helping Hands for Specially Abled People

Abstract

The internet has become a vital resource for job seekers in today\'s technologically advanced world, particularly for those with impairments. They mainly rely on internet resources to find jobs that fit their particular requirements and skill set. Though some disabled candidates receive prompt responses and job offers, others find it difficult to traverse the intricate world of job portals, the efficacy of this process frequently varies. The website will focus on inclusivity, featuring a fully accessible interface that accommodates a wide range of disabilities, including visual, auditory, and mobility impairments. Ability Bridge aims to bridge the gap between disabled job seekers and employers, offering an inclusive platform that caters specifically to their unique needs. The platform will provide tailored job listings, accessibility features, and Sign Language translation tool to ensure that disabled individuals can find and apply for suitable employment opportunities with ease. By leveraging technology and inclusive design principles, this portal seeks to promote equal opportunities and empower disabled individuals in the workforce.

Introduction

In the digital era, online job portals are essential for employment. However, many existing platforms lack accessibility, personalization, and security. This proposed platform, AbilityBridge, aims to address these issues by creating an inclusive, secure, and intelligent job portal tailored to people with disabilities.

Objectives

1. Dedicated Employment Access – Provide job opportunities specifically for disabled individuals.

2. Accessible Design – Ensure user-friendly navigation with inclusive features.

3. Centralized Resources – Aggregate schemes from government, NGOs, and private entities.

4. Real-Time Sign Language Translation – Enable communication through gesture-to-text/audio translation.

5. Continuous Improvement – Incorporate user feedback to refine services.

Literature Review Highlights

• Employment barriers for disabled individuals include stigma, poor accommodations, and systemic inequalities.

• Solutions include inclusive technologies, tailored portals (e.g., EmpowerAbility, CanDo), policy advocacy, and collaborative strategies.

• Advanced technologies like Semantic Web, speech recognition, and user-centered design enhance job accessibility and inclusivity globally.

Proposed System: AbilityBridge Platform

Modules:

1. Job Portal

   • Accessible interface with responsive design

   • ML-based personalized job recommendations

   • Economic empowerment through inclusive hiring

2. Centralized Assistance Repository

   • Database of government/NGO/private support schemes

   • Smart search filters for financial aid, training, accessibility services

3. Sign Language Translation Tool

   • Real-time gesture recognition using CNNs and HMMs

   • Converts sign language to text/speech and vice versa

   • Empowers users with bidirectional communication

Technologies Used

• Cosine Similarity + TF-IDF: Matches user profiles to jobs based on textual relevance

• CNNs (Convolutional Neural Networks): Recognize sign gestures visually

• HMM (Hidden Markov Models): Decode sequential gestures for full sentence recognition

• Text-to-Speech (TTS) and NLP: Generate speech from recognized signs

System Architecture: Key Features

• User Registration & Login: Secure onboarding

• Profile Management: Tailored input for job seekers and employers

• Job Posting & Search: AI-powered filtering and smart matching

• Application Submission: Streamlined, accessible, and one-click apply

• Notifications: Real-time updates on application status and job matches

• Sign Language Module: Real-time visual translation with avatar support

Results

The AbilityBridge portal demonstrates:

• High accessibility for diverse disabilities

• Improved job matching via machine learning

• Inclusive communication through gesture-based translation

• Empowered employment with a user-friendly and equitable platform

Conclusion

The Ability Bridge platform is a transformative platform that seeks to revolutionize the job search experience for individuals with disabilities by focusing on inclusivity and accessibility. By providing tailored job listings, a user-friendly interface designed to accommodate various impairments, and tools such as ISL translation, the platform eliminates common barriers faced by disabled job seekers. Through innovative use of technology and a commitment to equal opportunities, Ability Bridge empowers individuals with disabilities to connect with employers, paving the way for a more diverse and inclusive workforce. Future developments could include integrating advanced analytics for predicting job market trends and enabling real-time video interviews within the platform.

References

[1] “Employment opportunities for persons with different types ofdisability\", by TomasBoman, AndersKjellberg, Berth Danermark, EvaBoman in 2022. [2] “An overview insight into employment of disability at workplacesaround the world disabilities- a review of the literature.”, by MishlinNweiser, Krisztina Dajnoki in 2023. [3] “EmpowerAbility: A portal for employment & scholarships fordifferently-abled.”,byHimanshuRaj,SubhamKumar,Dr.J.Kalaivaniin2024. [4] “Sustainable employment for people with disabilities: a scopingreviewonworkplacepracticesandpositiveemploymentoutcomes.”,Siri Yde Aksnes, Julie Ulstein in 2024. [5] M. J. C. Samonte, A. Z. Dela Cruz, D. A. Uy and E. S. Gabriel, \"CanDo: A Web-Based Job Portal for Jobseekers and Freelancers with Disabilities,\" 2024 4th International Conference on Computer Systems (ICCS), Hangzhou, China, 2024, pp. 112-121, doi: 10.1109/ICCS62594.2024.10795846. [6] Ertu?rul, Duygu Çelik, and Selin Bitirim. \"EchoCareer: Enhancing Job Recommendations for the Hearing-Impaired Community With Semantic Technology.\" Cutting-Edge Technologies for Business Sectors. IGI Global, 2025. 295-334. [7] Madan, Shalini, Tarun Kumar, and Ajit Bhagat. \"Inclusive Hiring through Technology: A Recruitment Platform for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities.\" Procedia CIRP 128 (2024): 31-36. [8] Picone, Joseph. \"Continuous speech recognition using hidden Markov models.\" IEEE Assp magazine 7.3 (1990): 26-41.

Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Priti V. Gaikwad, Janhavi K. Hingane, Samiksha L. Bhuruk, Prof. Amol Gosavi. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.