Assistive Technology (AT) Overview

The elderly use assistive technology such as a trackball mouse to minimize arthritis-related discomfort in their hand, and screen magnification software to make on-screen elements more legible. Those who are blind or visually impaired may require the use of a screen reader to operate any computer, a refreshable braille display to read, and an app on their phone to identify unknown objects in their world. A quadriplegic may find it helpful to attach different types of switches to their wheelchair to trigger functions on their devices plus dictation software such as Dragon Naturally Speaking for their computing devices to operate them movement-free.

AT devices and applications of tech are so common we don’t tend to think of them as the technology for the disabled. Today’s powerful digital assistants such as the Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa can be considered AT, and their usage scenarios for disabled and elderly communities are abundant. On top of helpful built-in functions like asking for the weather, to turn off lights, etc., assistant powered devices can be made to control things like independently adjusting a bed on-command to avoid bedsores. People with Autism and ADHD can benefit from AT as well — note taking apps can better organization; timers, alarms, and reminders can help with time management; and calendars can improve executive functioning skills.