What is Assistive Technology?

Assistive technology is any assistive, adaptive, or rehabilitative tool or device used by humans to assist them with the physical and mental tasks involved in daily living. These tools can include mechanical and electronic devices as well as learning and educational aids.

Assistive technologies can be broken down into three categories. First, there is mechanical, electronic, and microprocessor-based equipment such as microcomputers, electronic communication devices, and other sophisticated devices. Specific examples include the following:

• voice recognition systems and software
• speech synthesizers
• electric wheelchairs
• sip and puff switches
• computers
• TDD/TTY machines (telecommunication devices for the deaf that allow a person to transmit typed messages over the telephone lines)

Second, there are nonmechanical and nonelectronic aids. These might include the following items:

• ramps to replace steps
• sign language
• head wands or head sticks used for pointing to word boards or keyboards
• crutches
• artificial limbs

Third, there are specialized instructional materials, services, and strategies. Some of these including the following items:

• large-print or braille texts for persons with visual impairments
• individualized education plans
• job coaches
• sign language interpreting
• extra time for test taking
• audio description