The World of Technology

By Jeni Mundl, assistive technology specialist, Courage Center

All around us is assistive technology. Persons with and without disabilities use assistive technology daily to make their lives more independent and easy. Even a pencil can be considered assistive technology because without it, writing notes during a meeting would be extremely difficult or impossible for some.

Many people benefit from technology like remote controls, garage door openers, speakerphones, reachers, or velcro strips that replace buttons. Assistive technology can assist people with disabilities get around more easily, communicate better, live independently and become more active in their communities. Assistive technology can also help prevent the worsening of a condition and improve a person's capacity to learn. For most people, technology makes things easier. For people with disabilities, technology turns possibilities into reality.

General Categories of Assistive Technology:

It is easy to categorize assistive technology as being only computer technology, however, assistive technology is a broad area. Both products and services are considered assistive technology. Assistive technology devices and assistive technology services are defined in the reauthorized Assistive Technology Act of 2004 (ATA) as follows:

Assistive technology device: Any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off-the-shelf, modified or customized, that is used to increase, maintain or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.

Assistive technology service: Any service that directly assists an individual with a disability in the selection, acquisition or use of an assistive technology service.

Below are some general categories and examples of assistive technology.

Aids for Daily Living: Self-help aids for use in activities such as dressing, personal hygiene, bathing, home maintenance and cooking.

Mobility Aids: Standing/walking aids, transfer aids, wheelchairs and three-wheeled chairs, patient lifts.

Educational and Vocational Aids: Computers, adaptive software and job modifications.

Environmental Aids: Worksite/school design or modification, home modification, accessible architecture, adapted furniture and environmental controls (e.g., electronic switches or systems that assist a person without mobility to control lights, telephones and appliances).

Recreational Aids: Aids that help persons with disabilities participate in activities like skiing, biking, boating, etc.

Communication Aids: Augmentative communication/speech aids, alarm systems, telephone communication aids, assistive listening devices, visual/reading aids.

Seating and Positioning Aids: Modifications to wheelchairs and other seating that give greater stability to the body and reduction of pressure to the skin (e.g., modular seating, seat lifts and wheelchair cushions).

Transportation Aids: Aids that give independence in personal transportation, such as hand-controls, car-top carriers, custom cars and vans, and person-restraint systems.

Besides dividing assistive technology by category, many distinguish high tech and low tech into two separate areas.  The method of division isn’t as important as the purpose and what one can accomplish with the technology or methodology.  It is interesting to realize that sometimes simple solutions are just as effective as complex technology options. Below are more examples with how they can enhance one’s life.

Examples of "low tech" Assistive Technology

• Eating utensils or toothbrushes with weighted handles or thick handles
• Communication boards with pictures to help people communicate basic needs
• Easy-grip doorknobs, or car door openers to assist people with weak hands
• Big button phones to aid people with limited vision or hand control
• Tape recorders to assist students who have trouble with note taking
• Text telephones or phone amplifiers to assist people with hearing impairments
• A mouthstick to help a person turn the pages of a book or push elevator buttons

Examples of "High Tech" A T

• Computers that are operated by voice recognition
• Environmental controls that operate several appliances from a remote control
• Special lifts that help someone get in and out of the bathtub or in and out of bed
• Talking calculators with scientific mathematical capabilities and graphing
• Reading machines that convert printed material into synthesized speech
• Head controlled wheelchairs with augmentative communication devices
• WebCAM security systems

In the upcoming months, we will further explore the area of assistive technology and the possibilities.  Opportunities in independence, education and work are enhanced when one begins to utilize all the options.