What are the Best Pieces of Equipment for Disabled People?
- Wheelchairs: Wheelchairs are for people who have trouble walking or standing.
- Mobility scooters: Mobility scooters are similar to electric wheelchairs, but they are for people who stand or walk short distances but need assistance for longer distances.
- Stairlifts: Stairlifts are motorized chairs that allow people with mobility challenges to safely and easily travel up and down stairs.
- Elevators and lifts: Elevators and lifts provide vertical access to buildings or different levels within a building for people with mobility challenges.
- Hearing aids and cochlear implants: These devices help people with hearing loss to hear sounds more clearly.
- Text-to-speech tools: Both iOS and Android devices provide TTS tools to help people with disabilities.
What is Assistive Technology?
Assistive technology refers to devices, equipment, and software that help people with disabilities or impairments to perform tasks and activities that are difficult or impossible without assistance. Assistive technology supports mobility, communication, education, and employment, among other areas.
Examples of assistive technology include:
- Mobility aids such as wheelchairs, crutches, and walkers
- Hearing aids and cochlear implants for people with hearing impairments
- Screen readers and speech recognition software for people with visual impairments
- Alternative keyboards and pointing devices for people with mobility or dexterity impairments
- Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices for people with speech or communication difficulties
- Prosthetic limbs for people who have lost a limb due to injury or illness
- Adaptive switches and environmental control units to help people with physical disabilities to control their environment
What are the Assistive Technology Tools for Disabled People?
What are Screen Readers?
A screen reader is a web accessibility software tool that reads text on the screen with a speech synthesizer or (less frequently) translates it into Braille. But screen reader technology is not as simple as reading every single word on the screen.
What are Braille Keyboards?
A Braille keyboard is a piece of assistive technology that is very different from a standard QWERTY keyboard. There are 8 keys that compose the Braille letters. Of course, there are standard QWERTY keyboards that have Braille letters overlaid on them, but Braille keyboards make navigation and locating the cursor much easier for visually-impaired people.
What are Refreshable Braille Displays?
This is a type of Braille keyboard that also has output options. It contains small pins which form the Braille letters. Displays range from 18 to 84 cells. A cursor allows the user to select which text to translate.
What are Screen Magnifiers?
Screen magnifying technology refers to web accessibility software that helps people who are visually impaired but not blind to view information on a computer screen.
What are Smart Canes?
Assistive technology is taking the initiative to transform smart canes into more intelligent and more life-changing tools. The built-in speech assistant starts taking commands for several different functions.
What is Accessibility?
Accessibility refers to the design and provision of products, services, and environments that help people with disabilities or impairments. Accessibility is about making sure that people with disabilities have the same opportunities and quality of life to participate in society and access information, services, and physical spaces as people without disabilities.
Below are actions that can help with accessibility:
- Providing ramps and other physical accommodations to make buildings and public spaces accessible to people with mobility impairments
- Creating accessible websites and digital content that is accessed using assistive technology such as screen readers and alternative keyboards
- Providing sign language interpretation and other communication aids for people with hearing impairments.
- Offering accessible transportation options, such as wheelchair-accessible vehicles and accessible public transit
Adaptations of technology are also helpful for accessibility for disabled people to make daily living easier. Most countries still don’t have any laws about web accessibility, which means that people with disabilities often are not able to access and use websites, including much-needed services on public sector websites such as for healthcare.
Frequently Asked Questions
Digital accessibility refers to the practice of designing and developing digital content, applications, and tools in a way that makes them accessible to people with physical disabilities and visual impairments. Digital accessibility ensures that people with disabilities access and use digital content, tools, and applications the same way as those without disabilities. The aim is to create equal access for everyone.
“Challenged people” is a term that is sometimes used to refer to people with disabilities or impairments that limit their ability to perform certain tasks and cause learning disabilities. Disabilities are physical, sensory, or cognitive, ranging from mild to severe. Examples of disabilities include mobility impairments, visual and low vision issues or hearing impairments, intellectual disabilities, and mental health conditions.Challenged people such as wheelchair users, blind people, or people with limited mobility have difficulties with everyday tasks. Assistive devices are used to assist people with their everyday life.
