Assistive Computer Devices

What is Assistive or Adaptive Computer Technology?

Assistive Computer Technology is any piece of equipment that is customized to make life easier for a person who has a disability.

The personal computer (PC) can be the backbone of independence for millions of individuals with sensory, physical, and learning disabilities.

Many people with disabilities face a variety of challenges in terms of providing computer input, interpreting output and reading documentation. For persons with disabilities, the keyboard, mouse, and monitor are of prime concern so adaptive hardware and software have been developed to provide alternatives.

Screen reader programs such as JAWS or HAL are designed to allow even totally blind people to use the computer.  They convert the text and icons to speech so one can use a computer without needing to see the monitor.

Accessible computer equipment and PC access aids can make it easier for computer users to use word processing programs, surf the Internet, and send email, but they can also help non-computer users handle many non-computer tasks.

Any system that aids individuals who are not independent verbal communicators is known as an augmentative communication system. The system can include speech, gestures, sign language, symbols, synthesized speech, dedicated communication aids or microcomputers.

Examples of Assistive Computer Technology Include:

Optical character recognition (OCR) software systems are used to scan printed materials directly into the PC to accommodate many types of disabilities.

Screen readers are software programs that provide either speech or Braille output, and are commonly employed by persons who are blind or visually impaired.

Non-assistive computer programs like electronic mail and instant messaging empower individuals with hearing-related impairments to communicate over the Internet.

Magnification software enlarges text and graphics displayed on PC monitors. Magnification programs are widely used by persons with poor vision or who have difficulty reading.

Common keyboard input modifications include adapted keyboards, on-screen keyboards, alternative communication programs, and voice recognition. Voice recognition and dictation systems are powerful assistive technologies that allow persons with disabilities to control a computer and dictate documents verbally using spoken commands.

Most computer vendors support persons with disabilities by incorporating accessibility utilities into operating systems such as Microsoft Windows, Apple Macintosh, and UNIX. PCs equipped with assistive technology permit individuals to function independently at school, work, and home, and allow access to great quantities of information from diverse sources such as compact disks, networks, electronic mail, instant messaging, the World Wide Web, and other Internet resources.

Legislation such as the Americans with Disabilities Act in the United States and the Disabilities Discrimination Act in the United Kingdom is fostering the development of assistive technology for persons with disabilities. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act in the United States is helping to make the World Wide Web more accessible as well.

Before a person can use a computer, she needs to get within effective proximity of the workstation. Aisles, doorways, and building entrances must be wheelchair-accessible. Other resources, such as telephones, restrooms, and reference areas, should be accessible as well. Don't overlook a simple barrier, such as a single step or a narrow doorway. Work with architectural accessibility experts to ensure physical accessibility.

Further Information Regarding Assistive Computer Devices

Universities Will Not Deploy Kindle DX as Textbook Reader - National Federation of the Blind
National Federation of the Blind Commends Schools for Demanding Accessibility for Blind Students.

Sony VAIO X Series World's Lightest Notebook
Sony today took the wraps off the world's lightest notebook - the VAIO(R) X Series. Housed in a lightweight carbon-fiber chassis, the X Series weighs just 1.6 pounds (with standard battery) and is just over a half-inch thin - roughly the width of a cell phone.

Webwide Symbol-Supported Browser
Webwide is a subscription service that provides users with a flexible means of accessing information that is available online. The software is innovative in that it is the only product of its kind in the entire world. Webwide assists people who use it to access text in standard English on web pages by simplifying the layout through the use of symbols.

vOICe Learning Edition Browser for the Blind
The vOICe Learning Edition's Internet Sonification Browser for persons who are blind is meant for use in conjunction with a screen reader.

WebbIE - A Web Browser for Blind and Visually-Impaired People
WebbIE is a web browser for persons who are either blind or visually-impaired, particularly those who use screen readers. WebbIE has been in use since the year 2001 all over the world. It comes with a number of Accessible programs that provide access to both news and audio on the Internet in simple and accessible ways.

SpeakOn - Audio and Text Media by a-technic Adaptive and Assistive Technologies
SpeakOn is a free media suite program that runs on your personal computer which is a speech-enabled environment. SpeakOn has applications for finding, retrieving, and listening to a number of forms of media and has been developed for people who are comfortable using computers.

Simply Talker 2000 Screen Reader for Windows
Simply Talker 98/2000 is a fairly inexpensive screen reader that provides support for Windows. The program works with applications that comply with the Active Accessibility standard and has a built-in, software-based, text-to-speech engine.

Homer - Voicing Web Browser for the Blind
Homer is described as a small self-voicing web browser for blind people. One of the goals of the whole Homer system is, "Kalliope," a long-term ambition to become a specialized Web portal for persons who are visually impaired or blind in Slovenia.

The Kindle 2.0 Book Reader - Facts and Accessibility
The Kindle version 2.0 is what version 1.0 might have been. The product is a mere 0.36 inches thick and has buttons that tilt inward making it less likely to bump the edge and advance to the next page. It has a new sixteen-shade gray-scale screen that presents black and white images as well, and simply works better.

Microsoft Windows Version 7 and Accessibility Factors
The latest Windows operating system could bring benefits for persons with disabilities as well and considering the fact that there are millions of people with disabilities in America alone, the operating system is greatly anticipated. There are some improvements in accessibility where Windows 7 is concerned.

Removing Barriers of Autism Via Keyboard
Removing the barriers of autism - Children with autism use alternative keyboard to communicate with their families and their world. Autism can build a wall of poor communication between those struggling with the condition and their families. While a personal computer can help bridge the divide, the distraction and complexity of a keyboard can be an insurmountable obstacle.

Faster Computer Chips Using Graphene
New research findings at MIT could lead to microchips that operate at much higher speeds than is possible with today's standard silicon chips, leading to cell phones and other communications systems that can transmit data much faster. The key to the superfast chips is the use of a material called graphene, a form of pure carbon that was first identified in 2004.

Free Radmin for People with Physical Disabilities
Famatech announced its new time-unlimited program, by which people with mobility issues can receive a Radmin license for free. The company has successfully piloted this program, and it now will be a permanent part of Famatech's customer policies.

ConfidentReader Review - NaturalSoft Products
ConfidentReader is a form of assistive reading software that is designed to help persons with dyslexia to improve both their reading and spelling skills. The software turns written text into natural sounding human speech.

NaturalSoft's NaturalReader Review
There are a number of software packages available to persons with disabilities that can assist in the use of computer technology. NaturalSoft NaturalReader can assist people with disabilities to both use and enjoy their computers on a daily basis while being more productive in what they do.

Ghotit Spell Checker for people with Dyslexia
Dyslexia is the most prevalent of all known learning disabilities. According to the National Institutes of Health, approximately 5-15 percent of the population suffers from severe reading and writing difficulties associated with dyslexia. Dyslexics spend significant time, effort and money to improve their written communication skills.

Computer Screen Readers for the Visually Impaired
A screen reader is a software application that attempts to identify and interpret what is being displayed on the computer screen. This interpretation is then represented to the user with text-to-speech, sound icons, or a braille output. Screen readers are a form of assistive technology (AT) potentially useful to people who are blind, visually impaired, or learning disabled, often in combination with other AT such as screen magnifiers.

Wheelchair Workstations for Computers and Work Areas
Persons confined to a wheelchair often encounter various obstacles that are very difficult for their wheelchairs to overcome. Most standard computer desks are unsuitable for those confined to wheelchairs. The height of the desktop may not be of sufficient height to allow the wheelchair access beneath it, or the bench top may be too high for a person to comfortably reach the computer and keyboard etc.

Computer Screen Magnifiers
A screen magnifier is software that interfaces with a computer's graphical output to present enlarged screen content. It is a type of assistive technology suitable for visually impaired people with some functional vision. Ranges of 1- to 16 times magnification are common with screen magnifiers.

Windows Vista Speech Recognition and Narrator
The Speech recognition program can be mixed with a built in narrator which makes your computer talk back by reading all texts or actions taking place. When the computer is set to voice command there no longer has to be any interaction with the mouse and keyboard. Basically giving almost everyone the ability to use a computer regardless of disabilities.

Hotkeys - Keyboard Shortcuts for Computer Programs
A keyboard shortcut (or accelerator key, shortcut key, key binding, keybinding, key combo, etc.) is a key or set of keys that performs a predefined function. These functions can often be done via some other, more indirect mechanism, such as using a menu, typing a longer command, and/or using a pointing device. By reducing such sequences to a few keystrokes, this can often save the user time, hence "shortcut" and make computing a lot easier for those with disabilities.

Stickykeys for Computer Accessibility
StickyKeys is designed for people who have difficulty holding down two or more keys simultaneously. When a shortcut requires a key combination, such as CTRL+P, StickyKeys will enable you to press a modifier key (CTRL, ALT, or SHIFT), or the Windows logo key and have it remain active until another key is pressed.

Windows Vista - Lowering Screen Resolution
Today's computer monitors with wide screens will in most cases shrink icons and websites to minimal size for better resolution, sometimes making everything very hard to see and read, especially for the sight impaired. The easiest way to make everything a little bigger is by lowering the monitors screen resolution just a bit. These instructions are for Windows Vista operating system.

Computerized Writing Aids Assist Persons with Aphasia
It is possible to improve writing skills for those with aphasia with the aid of computerized writing aids. This is the conclusion of a doctoral thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.