And then of course, there's always blink code with your eyes (Morse code even).  Would it be realistic and/or fun to have an entire society that's forced to be in wheelchairs?  That would definitely solve the foot problem. O,o

Of course it would mean that the farmers are even more reliant on the Progenitors' machines for farming tasks.  The only problem for city folk, though, is the fact that it's Seattle and they live in high rise apartments.  If for some reason the elevators aren't working, then God forbid getting a thousand people in wheelchairs up multiple flights of stairs.  

As far as the learning thing goes, a brain chip does make the most sense (to me at least). If it's implanted deep enough (and at birth) it could affect the human body's development in such a way as to keep people grounded or with certain medical conditions like lupus, arthritis, etc.