Assistive Technology

Assistive Technology (AT) is a generic term that includes assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices and the process used in selecting, locating, and using them. AT promotes greater independence for people with disabilities by enabling them to perform tasks that they were formerly unable to accomplish, or had great difficulty accomplishing, by providing enhancements to or changed methods of interacting with the technology needed to accomplish such tasks. According to disability advocates, technology, all too often, is created without regard to people with disabilities, and unnecessary barriers make new technology inaccessible to hundreds of millions.

Universal (or broadened) accessibility, or universal design means excellent usability, particularly for people with disabilities. But, argue advocates of assistive technology, universally accessible technology yields great rewards to the typical user; good accessible design is universal design, they say. The classic example of an assistive technology that has improved everyone's life is the "curb cuts" in the sidewalk at street crossings. While these curb cuts surely enable pedestrians with mobility impairments to cross the street, they have also aided parents with carriages and strollers, shoppers with carts, and travellers and workers with pull-type bags, not to mention skateboarders and inline skaters.

Consider an example of an assistive technology. The modern telephone is, except for the deaf, universally accessible. Combined with a text telephone (also known as a TDD and in the USA generally called a TTY), which converts typed characters into tones that may be sent over the telephone line, the deaf person is able to communicate immediately at a distance. Together with "relay" services (where an operator reads what the deaf person types and types what a hearing person says) the deaf person is then given access to everyone's telephone, not just those of people who possess text telephones.

Another example: calculators are cheap, but a person with a mobility impairment can have difficulty using them. Speech recognition software could recognize short commands and make use of calculators a little easier. People with mental disabilities would appreciate the simplicity; others would as well.

Toys which have been adapted to be used by children with disabilities, may have advantages for "typical" children as well. The Lekotek movement assists parents by lending assistive technology toys and expertise to families.

Telecare is a particular sort of assistive technology that uses electronic sensors connected to an alarm system to help caregivers manage risk and help vulnerable people stay independent at home longer. A good example would be the systems being put in place for senior people such as fall detectors, thermometers (for hypothermia risk), flooding and unlit gas sensors (for people with mild dementia). The principle being that these alerts can be customised to the particular person's risks. When the alert is triggered, a message is sent to a carer or contact centre who can respond appropriately. The range of sensors is wide and expanding rapidly.

Technology similar to Telecare can also be used to act within a person's home rather than just to respond to a detected crisis. Using one of the examples above, unlit gas sensors for people with dementia can be used to trigger a device that turns off the gas and tells someone what has happened. This is safer than just telling an external person that there is a problem.

Designing for people with dementia is a good example of where the design of the interface of a piece of assistive technology (AT) is critical to its usefulness. It is important to make sure that people with dementia or any other identified user group are involved in the design process to make sure that the design is accessible and useable. In the example above, a voice message could be used to remind the person with dementia to turn of the gas himself, but who's voice should be used, and what should the message say? Questions like these must be answered through user consultantion, involvement and evaluation.

Assistive technology products

• Magnifiers magnify computer displays for people with some degree of visual impairment.
• Sticky keys, a feature of Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems allowing key combinations (e.g. Control-Alt-Delete) to be pressed in sequence rather than simultaneously.
• Screen reader, used to convert on-screen text to speech.
• Refreshable Braille display, used to convert on-screen text to Braille characters.

Further reading

• Behrmann, M. & Schaff, J.(2001). Assisting educators with assistive technology: Enabling children to achieve independence in living and learning. Children and Families 42(3), 24-28.

• Bishop, J. (2003). The Internet for educating individuals with social impairments. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning 19(4), 546-556. Available as a free download

• Cain, S. (2001). Accessing Technology - Using technology to support the learning and employment opportunities for visually impaired users. Royal National Institute for the Blind. ISBN 1858785170.

• Cook, A., & Hussey, S. (2002). Assistive Technologies - Principles and Practice, 2nd Edition. Mosby. ISBN 0323006434

• Franklin, K.S. (1991). Supported employment and assistive technology-A powerful partnership. In S.L. Griffin & W.G. Revell (Eds.), Rehabilitation counselor desktop guide to supported employment. Richmond, VA : Virginia Commonwealth University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Supported Employment.

• Lahm, E., & Morrissette, S. (1994, April). Zap 'em with assistive technology. Paper presented at the annual meeting of The Council for Exceptional Children, Denver, CO.

• Lee, C. (1999). Learning disabilities and assistive technologies; an emerging way to touch the future. Amherst, MA: McGowan Publications.

• McKeown, S. (2000). Unlocking Potential - How ICT can support children with special needs. The Questions Publishing Company Ltd. ISBN 1841900419

• Nisbet, P. & Poon, P. (1998). Special Access Technology. The CALL Centre, University of Edinburgh. Available as a free download The CALL Centre. ISBN 189804211X

• Nisbet, P., Spooner, R., Arthur, E. & Whittaker P. (1999). Supportive Writing Technology. The CALL Centre, University of Edinburgh. Available as a free download The CALL Centre. ISBN 1898042136

• Rose, D. & Meyer, A. (2000). Universal design for individual differences. Educational Leadership, 58(3), 39-43.

• Orpwood, R. Design methodology for aids for the disabled. J Med Eng Technol. 1990 Jan-Feb;14(1):2-10. | PubMed ID: 2342081

• Adlam, T. et al. The installation and support of internationally distributed equipment for people with dementia." IEEE transactions on information technology in biomedicine (1089-7771) yr:2004 vol:8 iss:3 pg:253-257 | download from IEEE (694k PDF)

External links

• Assistive Technology Product Database - American Foundation for the Blind
• AccessWorld®: Technology and People with Visual Impairments
• Integrating Assistive Technology into the Standard Curriculum
• Assistive Technology for Students with Mild Disabilities
• Assistive Technology for Students with Mild Disabilities
• Inclusive Technology (Special Needs Articles and Information pages)

European organisations for assistive technology

• The Association for the Advancement of Assistive Technology in Europe (AAATE)

UK-based organisations for assistive technology

• The Disabled Living Foundation
• AbilityNet
• The CALL Centre
• Communication Matters
• FAST (Research and Development, Organisations, Events and Jobs) including Assistive Technology (AT) Forum
• National Library for the Blind (Access Technology Primer)
• RNIB (Technology Information Service)
• RNID (Technology)
• UK Dept of Health page on telecare
• The ACE Centres
• Bath Institute of Medical Engineering (BIME). A medical engineering design and development charity.

North American organizations for assistive technology

• Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology Society of North America
• ABLEDATA Global database of AT and Rehab products
• The Alliance for Technology Access
• Assistive Technology Industry Association
• The Family Center on Technology and Disability