ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

INTRODUCTION
Assistive technology is the technology used by individuals with
disabilities in order to perform task that would be otherwise
difficult or impossible.
These technology include mobility devices such as walkers and
wheelchairs as well as hardware, software and peripherals that
assist people with limited hand functions, may use keyboard
with large keys or special mouse, people who are blind may also
use a software which reads text on the screen in a computer
generated voice, also individuals with speech impairment may
use a device that speaks out loud as they enter text via keyboard.
HISTORY
1808 Pelligrino made the first type writer
1870 Alexander Bell invented the
telephone
1917 Wente developed the condenser
microphone
1920 Harvey Fletcher introduced the
western electrical module 2A hearing aid
1936 H.W Dudley developed an artificial
talking machine
1948 Transistor was made
1952 first speech recognition devise was
developed
1997 audio ATM
What is Assistive Technology
Assistive technology are devise which provides greater
independence by enabling people to perform task that
they were formerly unable to perform.
It can be as simple as a low tech device such as a
magnifying glass to a complex high tech computerized
communication system.
 DID U KNOW?
•The QWERTY keyboard was
developed in 1875
• The letters on the keyboard were
arranged this way to slow down
typist!
• The most commonly used letters
were placed far apart!
CHALLENGES FACING ADOPTION
OF LAGER SCALE ASSISTIVE
TECHNOLOGY
Challenges facing the adoption of assistive technology
on a larger scale includes:
The lack of universal design that would suit the
specific needs of users.
The incorporation in to the home and their effective
use are not straight forward.
They do not always support the diverse and changing
needs of the users.
Some devices are incompatible with mainstream
devices.