Assistive technology (AT) is any item, piece of equipment, software program, or product system that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of persons with disabilities. It can be a piece of hardware or it can be software, it can be built in to the operating system of a device or can be a third-party product.
The following outlines several types of AT and the populations which commonly utilize them.
| User Population | Assistive Technology Commonly Used |
|---|---|
| Without vision | Screen readers, braille output |
| With limited vision | Screen readers, screen magnifiers, color and contrast modification |
| Without perception of color | Color and contrast modification |
| Without hearing | Captions (including live/CART) |
| With limited hearing | Captions (including live/CART) |
| With limited manipulation | Alternative pointing devices, adaptive keyboards, switch devices, voice control |
| With language, cognitive, and learning disabilities | Text to speech software, reading and study aids |