Assistive Technology How Technology Helps People with Disabilities

Assistive Technology How Technology Helps People with Disabilities Ann Alvarez, Quinn Adams, Dan Dempsey, Kristalyn Hatch, Tyrell Jones

What is Assistive Technology (AT) is more of an umbrella term that covers several devices, applications and support systems to help people with various disabilities. Common Disabilities Assistive Technologies Help With: ● Visually impaired ● Hearing impaired ● Autism Spectrum Disorder ● Physical disabilities or conditions ● Intellectual disabilities

Helping Visually Impaired Assistive technology such as Refreshable Braille Displays provide those with visual disabilities to be participants in the digital world in ways previously closed to them. ● “Vision loss causes a substantial social and economic toll for millions of people including significant suffering, disability, loss of productivity, and diminished quality of life” ● “The increasing availability of innovative advances in AT (assistive technology) can immeasurably enhance the quality of life of people with disabilities”

Web Accessibility Initiative Another way technology and groups are helping visually impaired is through the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). ● WAI was created under the World Wide Web Consortium (W 3 C) to establish standards to ensure web technologies are developed in a way that helps people with disabilities navigate web content. ● One initiative is the labeling of graphics with an audible description of the image so that a visually impaired person can hear what the graphics or pictures are representing.

Helping Hearing Impaired Captioned Telephone Service • Captioned Telephones have built in screens that allow hearing-impaired people read what another person is saying. • A Communication Assistant is a type of operator who is connected during these calls. The hearing-impaired person will see what the other person is saying on the screen using speech recognition technology automatically transcribing the Communication Assistants voice into text.

Video Relay Service ● Video Relay Service is another way technology enables hearing-impaired to carry on a conversation with others. ● Like the Captioned Telephone Service the Video Relay Service uses another person to help translate information to someone that is hearing-impaired. Instead of typing text on a screen they will use a video screen and camera to use sign language and then speak to the person on the other end of the phone.

Helping Autism Spectrum Disorder There have been many apps that have been developed to help with learning disabilities with individuals that are diagnosed with autism. Autism Therapy with MITA (Mental Image Therapy for Autism) Autism read and write Let. Me. Talk

Mobile Apps for Disabilities There are many apps that can be found for disabilities. These apps range from providing necessary information regarding laws to actual aids in helping the disabled with day to day tasks. Here a few mobile apps to aid as reference and outreach to those needing information. The Americans with Disabilities Act Reference Family Network on Disabilities Wheel. Mate

References: ● www. nad. org/resources/technology/telephone-and-relay-services/captioned● ● telephone-service-cts/ www. captioncall. com www. fcc. gov/consumers/guides/video-relay-services https: //www. parenting. com/gallery/autism-apps http: //www. autism-society. org/what-is/ ● www. goodnet. org/articles/7 -best-apps-for-people-disabilities-list ● https: //www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC 5419007/ ● www. fndusa. org/who-we-are/about-us-2/ ● http: //www. perkins. org/stories/a-low-cost-revolution-in-refreshable-braille ● https: //www. svgrepo. com/svg/286209/braille ● https: //www. w 3. org/WAI/