The world has become a digital sphere with individuals connecting to others via technological devices. The strength of this digital connection only improves when we bridge the gap between individuals with disabilities through different types of assistive technology.
The World Health Organization estimates that by 2030, the world will have about 2 billion assistive technology users. This significant number makes a range of tools such as screen readers, dyslexia font, and even accessibility apps crucial for improving accessibility for differently-abled people.
Let’s look into the top 10 types of assistive technology devices and how they create an inclusive online environment.
What Is Assistive Technology?
Assistive technology refers to assistive and adaptive devices or software that maintain and improve people’s functional capability to perform everyday tasks.
Since our world has become digital, with businesses moving towards websites, assistive technologies have become more important than ever. For example, screen readers and text-to-speech software help people with navigating a website.
Similarly, many other types of assistive technology are designed to aid people in different scenarios. Let’s look into the four areas of accessibility needs.
- Visual: Devices and software for people who are blind, have low vision, or are color blind.
- Auditory: Software for deaf and hard-of-hearing people.
- Motor: For individuals with limited motor control.
- Cognitive: For individuals with learning disabilities, attention disorders, memory impairments, and others.
These four groups have to rely on different types of assistive technology devices and software to access much of the digital content. The WCAG and ADA standards require websites to become assistive technology-friendly to allow more people to access content online.
What Are the Different Kinds of Assistive Technology?
The different types of assistive technology devices have a range of features that assist individuals in navigating their way through websites.
Examples include screen readers, magnifiers, accessibility apps, and software. Let’s look into the top ten types of assistive technology essential for everyday use.
- Screen Readers
Screen readers are a type of software application that converts text into spoken words. This text-to-speech software also converts the output text into a refreshable braille display to assist visually impaired users.
Screen readers such as JAWS and NVDA help with web navigation by reading out the text, links, buttons, and pretty much all the actions present on the web page.
This software application is customized and versatile, so it meets the various needs of visually impaired individuals. However, for screen readers to work best, the websites must be accessible.
A website is considered accessible when it incorporates features that align with the ADA rules and regulations. For example, websites must have accessible design, captions for pictures and videos, proper heading structures, labels, and alternate text descriptions for non-text features.
These features make it easy for visually impaired users to operate web pages as assistive technology software is compatible with such web pages.
Screen readers not only benefit the visually impaired but also help those with low vision. You can test your website for accessibility through Accessibility Spark.
Accessibility Spark ensures that your website follows accessibility guidelines to provide everyone with the same experience as they navigate their way through your webpage.
- Dyslexia Fonts
You may wonder how fonts are a type of assistive technology. Different fonts, such as dyslexia-friendly fonts, aid people with dyslexia in reading. The unique letter shapes, their thickness, and font style prevent the letters from looking jumbled.
When the text does not have reading errors such as letter confusion, it improves the focus, which assists individuals with dyslexia and other reading problems.
Other ADA-compliant fonts, such as large print sans-serif fonts like Arial and Verdana, also improve readability for those with cognitive disabilities.
Clear text is more accessible; therefore, it works as a type of assistive technology for those with diverse needs.
- Voice Recognition
Voice recognition is another type of assistive technology that benefits people with physical disabilities. Physical disabilities may prevent one from using a mouse or keyboard.
Voice recognition supports spelling and sentence structure. This also benefits those with cognitive or learning disabilities such as dyslexia.
With voice recognition, it is easier than ever to browse the web or write emails, messages, or any other document using voice-to-text features. All they need to do is simply speak into a microphone.
The voice recognition feature detects the words and constructs the sentence for you. Therefore, voice recognition also benefits those who find it difficult to type a keyword, as they can use voice commands to the fullest of their ability.
- Switch Devices or Alternative Input Devices
Switch devices are also called alternate input devices because they assist individuals with physical disabilities to use alternate ways to interact with the computer. These devices include the following.
- Keyboards
- Trackballs
- Head pointers
- Eye tracking devices
- Single button switch
- Sip-and-puff switch
- Eyeblink switch
Various input methods through this type of assistive technology provide ease for people with disabilities to use computers. If anyone has a condition that affects how they use a standard keyboard, switch devices such as adaptive keyboards work best.
Adaptive keyboards have larger keys or specific layout designs for single-hand use, and such features allow more people to interact with the digital world.
You can make your website more accessible by making sure that people with different input devices can access it. All you have to do is use Accessibility Spark to run an accessibility test.
Within 5 minutes, it will highlight accessibility issues on your website. You can fix these issues to make your site more accessible for those using alternate input devices.
- Magnifiers
Most of us are familiar with the hand-held magnifying glass used to zoom in on objects and text. Well, imagine a digital and electronic version of this magnifier that zooms in with a button.
The electronic magnifier is a type of assistive technology that zooms in on the text, images, and practically anything on a website. This makes it easier to read the content for those with low vision, macular degeneration, or even cataracts.
Therefore, magnifiers increase the readability of digital content. You can use this tool as a built-in software such as windows magnifier or as a standalone device. Magnifiers also reduce eye strain when reading small text or jumbled fonts.
- Text-to-Speech Software
Speech-to-text software lets individuals speak and write text. On the other hand, text-to-speech software reads out the digital text, which allows individuals with reading difficulties or visual impairment to access the text.
Microsoft’s narrator is one such example of a software that converts text into spoken works. This makes the information available to a broader audience.
If you want a website to become text-to-speech software-friendly, you can run an accessibility test via Accessibility Spark. This will highlight the areas that you need to rectify on your website for users who rely on text-to-speech software.
- Braille Display Devices
Braille display devices can convert the on-screen digital text into braille characters. Visually impaired users can feel these braille characters through a tactile display. This way, blind users can access digital content through an alternative to screen readers.
Most websites have no compatibility for braille display devices. However, it is an essential part of website accessibility as more websites need to have labeled elements, alternate text descriptions, and other elements that enhance compatibility with different types of assistive technology.
- Closed Captioning and Transcription Services
Video content features text versions of the sound. This is called closed captioning, which benefits people with auditory problems.
Transcription services also provide text during video and audio presentations to help individuals with hearing impairments.
Closed captioning in website videos makes your content available to more people and improves SEO.
- Color Contrast Adjustments
Color blind people or those with visual deficiency struggle with certain color combinations. For example, gray text against a white background does not provide sufficient contrast.
Using black text against a white background makes the content more visible. This color contrast adjustment is important to make your text more readable to those with visual problems.
Some color adjustment tools allow website designers to improve the readability and visibility of the content on the webpage.
If you want to follow the ADA guidelines for accessibility, run an accessibility test with Accessibility Spark. This app ensures that your website is ADA compliant.
It also looks into color contrast ratios and identifies the areas that need rectification, such as color adjustment, to meet the accessibility standards.
- Accessibility Apps and Extensions
Like numerous devices serving as a type of assistive technology, certain apps and software also assist those with special needs. Accessibility apps and browser extensions facilitate a range of users to interact with the websites regardless of ability. For example, apps such as VoiceOver on Apple devices and TalkBack on Android serve as assistive technology.
Certain web extensions, such as Accessibility Insights on Chrome, address accessibility issues on the websites, too.
If you want to make sure that a website meets accessibility standards, you can use a range of accessibility apps to run tests, highlight issues, and make adjustments.
This not only improves the user experience but also makes your content available to a wide range of audiences, which increases traffic. It’s a win-win situation for you and the users.
How to Check Your Website for Accessibility?
Different types of assistive technology devices improve user experience, allowing individuals to interact with your website.
Your website has to be user-friendly and comply with accessibility standards to allow those with disabilities to access the content.
Here are some methods for checking your website for accessibility.
Automated Accessibility Tools
Automated accessibility tools such as Wave, Axe, Google Lighthouse, and Accessibility Spark run a scan on the website to highlight issues that need adjustment.
For example, if your website does not have sufficient color contrast, dyslexia font, or lacks screen reader compatibility, these automated tools will highlight the issue so you can resolve it.
Certain apps, such as Accessibility Spark, run a test within five minutes, highlighting all areas that need improvement.
For example, if your webpage is missing alt text or heading structure or has a non-accessible format, Accessibility Spark highlights the problems and corrects most of them, making your website compliant.
While other apps don’t rectify the problems, Accessibility Spark does remediate accessibility violations.
Manual Testing for Keyboard Navigation
Keyboard navigation is important for users with motor deficiencies. Mobility impairment prevents one from using a mouse. In this case, users prefer keyboard navigation.
For example, many users rely on the Tab key to access links, form fields, and other interactive elements.
Similarly, the Enter/Return key allows users to activate commands while Spacebar helps toggle checkboxes and other controls.
The arrow keys enable scrolling through the text and moving the focus between dropdown menus or other such selectable elements. Manually testing for keyboard navigation ensures all users can interact with your web pages.
You should also look for focus indicators and use your website without a mouse. If any problem arises, rectifying it will make your content available to a broader audience.
Check for Screen Reader Compatibility
Screen readers convert text to speech for the visually impaired. Check your website by using certain screen readers, such as JAWS and NVDA, to make sure that the content is clear.
If your website has pictures, make sure to add alt text for the screen reader to read aloud. Also, add alt text for headings, lists, and links to assist screen readers.
Perform Color Contrast Analysis
Using color contrast analysis distinguishes the text from the background. When there is sufficient color contrast, the text becomes more readable, helping people with low vision and color blindness.
Check Forms and Multimedia
The multimedia present on the website must be accessible. For all the non-text content, you should provide captions and transcripts. This includes videos, images, headings, links, etc.
Wrapping Up
The different types of assistive technology devices are a step towards an inclusive digital space as they allow a range of users to interact with digital elements and websites more effectively.
These assistive technologies are playing their part in making the digital space more welcoming to all users.
However, they can only do so if the websites meet accessibility standards. Therefore, it’s more important than ever to create websites that meet accessibility standards.
Take proactive steps to improve accessibility, use automated tools, and look for issues that need adjustment for your website to become accessible to everyone, regardless of abilities.