Learn about assistive technology
What is Assistive Technology?
Assistive technology is any device, piece of equipment or product system that helps people with disabilities fully participate in the workforce and in their communities. Employees, students and others with disabilities often depend on assistive technology to perform jobs, tasks and activities that otherwise might be difficult or impossible. Some examples of assistive technology include walkers and wheelchairs, as well as hardware, software, computer accessories and other technology enabled products and services.
The Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) Web site offers in-depth information about assistive technology, including its definition, laws and regulations and how to access products and services.
Where Can I Find Information on Disability.gov?
How Do I Get Assistive Technology in My Community?
Many states and local communities offer programs and services that help people with disabilities obtain and pay for assistive technology. The following resources identify centers in your area:
The Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA) offers the State Assistive Technology and Telework Financial Loan Program, which lists offices in each state and territory that provide financial assistance for assistive technology.
Alliance for Technology Access (ATA) provides contact information for 39 ATA centers around the nation.
The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) offers an extensive list of State Assistive Technology Projects. The projects, funded under the Assistive Technology Act of 1998, provide technical assistance on assistive technology, consultation, product demonstrations, equipment borrowing and low-interest loans for individuals with disabilities.
How is Assistive Technology Used in Schools?
Many schools use assistive technology to help teach children with disabilities. Under current law, children with disabilities have the right to assistive technology and other resources that enable them to fully participate in education and work environments. The following resources allow teachers, students and other visitors to learn more about the use of assistive technology in schools and other academic institutions.
The Alliance for Technology Access (ATIA) is an international network of technology resource centers, community-based organizations, agencies, individuals and companies. The site contains advice, referrals, assessments, resources, best practices and links to training.
The AccessIT Web site offers a variety of resources on accessible electronic and information technology (IT) that is used in educational institutions at all academic levels. Educators, policy makers, librarians, students, employees and others with disabilities can access tools on the site, such as the AccessIT Knowledge Base, a searchable database of questions and answers.
The Family Center on Technology & Disability (FCTD) provides a wide range of resources on assistive and instructional technologies, including introductory fact sheets for practitioners and educators and reviews of hundreds of books, newsletters, training manuals, software and Web sites.
The Assistive Technology Training Online Project (ATTO) provides information on applications that help elementary students with disabilities learn in the classroom. The site supplies tutorials, current project information, assistive technology resources and a process for identifying the right solutions for students.
The Technologies Supporting Curriculum Access for Students with Disabilities report was written by CAST, a nonprofit research and development organization that works to expand learning opportunities for all individuals, especially those with disabilities, through Universal Design for Learning. It provides educators information critical to building and maintaining technology supports at the local level.
How is Assistive Technology Used at Work?
Assistive technology helps many employees with disabilities complete job tasks that otherwise might be difficult or impossible. Examples of assistive technology used in the workplace include: a keyboard with large keys or a special computer mouse for a sales executive who has limited hand function; software that reads text on a screen for a database developer who is blind; or a keyboard device that speaks text out loud for a researcher with a speech impairment. The following resources help employers and employees use assistive technology effectively in the workplace.
The Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP) provides assistive technology and services to people with disabilities, federal managers, supervisors and IT professionals. CAP works to remove barriers to employment opportunities by eliminating the cost of assistive technology and accommodation solutions.
CAP also offers a fact sheet for veterans that details how to obtain assistive technology for several different types of disabilities.
The Department of the Interior's Accessible Technology Program helps employees with disabilities determine the appropriate assistive technology solution by allowing hands-on comparison and evaluation of various assistive technologies.
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) TARGET Center assesses, educates and advocates for the integration of assistive technology and worksite accommodations. The Center's Discover Series offers Webcasts on timely issues surrounding assistive technology and the workplace.
The Roadmaps II for Enhancing Employment of Persons with Disabilities through Accessible Technology report by the Assistive Technology (AT) Collaborative, a group of national organizations that were funded by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), details assistive technology issues and provides policy recommendations to increase and enhance the employment of individuals with disabilities.
How Do I Pay for Assistive Technology?
There are a number of private and public sources for financing, grants and loans to assist in the purchase of assistive technology. The following resources identify where and how to obtain financial assistance.
The article Funding Assistive Technology & Accommodations from the National Center on Workforce & Disability provides information on how to pay for assistive technology, particularly related to employment. It also discusses how to find and receive funding from employers, public sources and private foundations.
Many insurance companies will cover the cost of assistive technology. The IL Tech Web site offers advice on how to work with insurance companies to pay for AT in their guide, Getting a Yes From Your Insurance Agency.
The Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology Society of North America's (RESNA) Assistive Technology Alternative Financing Programs offer a list of sources in each state that provide people with disabilities financial assistance for assistive technology.
The Alliance for Technology Access provides answers commonly asked questions regarding the funding of assistive technology for students, teachers and others.
AT Resuse & Recycling
The Pass It On Center provides information on reuse centers for recycling assistive technology. Visitors can search for recycled assistive technology devices by type of disability, age of user and type of equipment. The site also offers a brochure explaining the reuse of assistive technology.
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