Assistive Technology
About
Assistive Technology is any item, piece of equipment, product or system, whether acquired commercially, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.
The four main categories of disabilities are visual, hearing, mobility, and cognitive. A variety of assistive technology tools are available to assist individuals with disabilities.
Some of the most commonly used assistive technology tools are:
- Screen Readers
- Screen Magnifiers
- Input devices, such as keyboards, adaptive keyboard, trackball, mouth stick
- Captions
- Transcripts
- Voice Recognition software
(See also Web Accessibility, Universal Design, Digital Content Accessibility)
Principles
Screen readers rely on the markup structure of a document to enable navigation.
Websites designed with accessibility in mind are typically more functional and usable for all users.
Techniques
Use headings to provide content structure
Use appropriate structure for lists and tables
Use CSS to style your document
Design for Screen Reader Compatibility
Use a Screen Reader to evaluate your website
Most common screen readers:
Resources
WebAIM Creating Semantic Structure
IBM Understanding Accessibility
Motor Disabilities Assistive Technologies
Better Web Browsing: Tips for Customizing Your Computer
Recommendations
Recommendations and suggestions from the AccessIT Community