audio version (opens in a new tab)
Assistive technology can assist people with a variety of disabilities. Since the amount of available technology is vast, my article will focus on 3 disability categories: vision, communication and hearing. First: vision. SightPlus from
can, per the link above, help people with some vision see more clearly. According to
this article from The Times (UK)
SightPlus projects images to the user through goggles using a built-in camera. For people with no vision, a screen reader may be of benefit. Such software converts text on the screen into computerized speech. Screen reader examples for the Windows operating system include
and
Non Visual Desktop Access (NVDA).
I will discuss screen readers in detail in a future article. Second category: communication.
People with disabilities whose speech can be difficult to understand or are nonverbal can also benefit from assistive technology. For example, the Android app
can convert copied text into speech. Apple users of IPhones or IPads might want to try an app from the Apple store such as
For individuals who need communication technology which is more advanced, I suggest checking out products available from
Final category: hearing.
One option for people who experience hearing difficulty may be hearing aids. Since there are a variety of hearing aid manufacturers, this
list and explanation of various hearing aid brands
could help narrow down hearing aid options. There are also other hearing assistive technology possibilities. According to
this article from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association,
such options include infrared systems, FM systems, one-to-one communicators and induction loop systems. The article makes clear that most of these options do not require hearing aids in order to function. A final option could be a cochlear implant. For more information, I suggest reviewing this YouTube video entitled
10 Step Guide to Getting a Cochlear Implant.
Next month’s topic: virtual assistants.
Blake's talk 
Thanks for this blog posst