Assistive Technologies

Although organizations have a responsibility to make their products and content accessible for people with disabilities, that can feel impossible when you are dealing with something as complex as blindness. What people often overlook though, is that people with disabilities have access to and often use assistive technologies that help bridge the access gap. 

Assistive technology (AT) refers to products, equipment, and systems that enhance learning, working, and daily living for persons with disabilities.

Some common AT’s include:

• Screen Readers, which are technologies that navigate and read the content of a digital interface in audio format to a user
• Refreshable Braille Displays, which provide braille text output from the input of the digital interface
• Screen or Text Magnifiers, which enlarge the text and/or images on the screen
• Color Overlays, which enhance text by adding contrast through a translucent film or glasses
• Captions & Transcripts, which display audio content as text output
• Teleprinters/Teletypewriters (TTY) are devices that allow people to communicate using text via traditional phone lines
• Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) provide a communications assistant (CA) that allows people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech impaired to communicate with people who use a standard telephone.
• Head Wands and Mouth Sticks, which can control a mouse, switch device, keyboard, or other hardware using head movements
• Switch Devices & Alternative Keyboards, which provide alternative hardware interfaces for interacting with digital content to adapt to various disability.
• Eye Gaze Tracking, which follows eye-movements to move within and interact with digital interfaces
• Voice Activation & Recognition, which takes voice as an input, either for commands or for text transcription
• Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), which includes various ways that people can communicate without speaking, either aided (using tools or devices) or unaided (using gestures and movements)
• Mobility Aids, such as wheelchairs, scooters, walkers, canes, crutches, prosthetic devices, and orthotic devices.
• Hearing Aids to help people hear or hear more clearly.
• Cognitive Aids, including computer or electrical assistive devices, to help people with memory, attention, or other challenges in their thinking skills.
• Other tools such as automatic page turners, book holders, and adapted pencil grips to help learners with disabilities participate in educational activities
• Devices and features of devices to help perform tasks such as cooking, dressing, and grooming; specialized handles and grips, devices that extend reach, and lights on telephones and doorbells are a few examples.

Going back to our earlier examination of barriers to accessibility, let’s connect the dots...

People who are blind might use screen readers, braille displays and voice recognition technologies to read and type.

People with low vision may use screen/text magnifiers, screen readers, color overlays and voice recognition technologies to accurately read and discern text, or type.

People who have color blindness may use color overlays or screen/text magnifiers to make contrast more clear and colors more discernible.

People who are deaf might use captions & transcription, TTYs, or TRS to assist in accessing audio content or in communication.

People who are hard-of-hearing may also use captions & transcription or some form of AAC to take in audio content or communicate.

People who are deafblind have to utilize specialized or personalized technologies or systems to communicate or interact digitally. This may include some technologies using vibrations or tactile displays.

People with motor disabilities may utilize head wands and mouth sticks, eye-gaze technology, switch devices or alternative keyboards to interact with digital interfaces.

People with cognitive and learning disabilities may utilize AAC or cognitive aids to help them use digital interfaces and communicate digitally more effectively.

People with dyslexia often utilize text and screen magnifiers, as well as custom fonts meant to help with dyslexia.

People with speech disabilities may utilize AAC to ensure they can communicate digitally, especially through emerging voice-recognition technologies.

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