Assistive technology - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Assistive technology or adaptive technology (AT) is an umbrella term

Umbrella term

An umbrella term is a word that provides a superset or grouping of concepts that all fall under a single common category. Umbrella term is also called a hypernym. For example, cryptology is an umbrella term that encompasses cryptography and cryptanalysis, among other fields...

that includes assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities

Disability

A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...

and also includes the process used in selecting, locating, and using them. AT promotes greater independence by enabling people to perform tasks that they were formerly unable to accomplish, or had great difficulty accomplishing, by providing enhancements to, or changing methods of interacting with, the technology

Technology

Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...

needed to accomplish such tasks.

Likewise, disability advocates point out that technology is often created without regard to people with disabilities, creating unnecessary barriers to hundreds of millions of people. Even the makers of AT technologies will often still argue that universal design

Universal design

Universal design refers to broad-spectrum ideas meant to produce buildings, products and environments that are inherently accessible to both people without disabilities and people with disabilities....

is preferable to the need for AT and that universal design projects and concepts should be continuously expanded.

Overview

Assistive Technology

Assistive technology

Assistive technology or adaptive technology is an umbrella term that includes assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities and also includes the process used in selecting, locating, and using them...

is a generic term for devices and modifications that help overcome or remove a disability. The first recorded example of the use of a prosthesis

Prosthesis

In medicine, a prosthesis, prosthetic, or prosthetic limb is an artificial device extension that replaces a missing body part. It is part of the field of biomechatronics, the science of using mechanical devices with human muscle, skeleton, and nervous systems to assist or enhance motor control...

dates to at least 1800 BC. and the modern, lightweight, steel, collapsible wheelchair

Wheelchair

A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...

was created by Harry Jennings and his disabled friend Herbert Everest, in 1933.

Examples of Assistive technology in architecture include the curb cut

Curb cut

A curb cut , curb ramp, dropped kerb , pram ramp, or kerb ramp is a solid ramp graded down from the top surface of a sidewalk to the surface of an adjoining street. It is designed for pedestrian uses and commonly found in urban areas where pedestrian activity is expected...

is a related structural innovation. Other examples are standing frames, text telephones, accessible keyboards

Keyboard (computing)

In computing, a keyboard is a typewriter-style keyboard, which uses an arrangement of buttons or keys, to act as mechanical levers or electronic switches...

, large print, Braille

Braille

The Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write, and was the first digital form of writing.Braille was devised in 1825 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman. Each Braille character, or cell, is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two...

, & speech recognition

Speech recognition

Speech recognition converts spoken words to text. The term "voice recognition" is sometimes used to refer to recognition systems that must be trained to a particular speaker—as is the case for most desktop recognition software...

computer software

Computer software

Computer software, or just software, is a collection of computer programs and related data that provide the instructions for telling a computer what to do and how to do it....

. People with disabilities often develop personal or community adaptations, such as strategies to suppress tics in public (for example in Tourette's syndrome), or sign language

Sign language

A sign language is a language which, instead of acoustically conveyed sound patterns, uses visually transmitted sign patterns to convey meaning—simultaneously combining hand shapes, orientation and movement of the hands, arms or body, and facial expressions to fluidly express a speaker's...

in deaf communities. Assistive technology or interventions are sometimes controversial or rejected, for example in the controversy over cochlear implants for children.

Universally accessible technology yields great rewards to the typical user as well; good accessible design is universal design. One example is the "curb cut

Curb cut

s" (or dropped curbs) in the sidewalk at street crossings. While these curb cuts enable pedestrians with mobility impairments to cross the street, they also aid parents with carriages and strollers, shoppers with carts, and travelers and workers with pull-type bags.

People with learning disabilities like dyslexia

Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...

or dysgraphia

Dysgraphia

Dysgraphia is a deficiency in the ability to write primarily in terms of handwriting, but also in terms of coherence. It occurs regardless of the ability to read and is not due to intellectual impairment...

can find text-to-speech (TTS) software useful for reading and spelling

Spelling

Spelling is the writing of one or more words with letters and diacritics. In addition, the term often, but not always, means an accepted standard spelling or the process of naming the letters...

programs useful when writing texts.

Computers, with their hardware extensibility, editing, spellchecking and speech synthesis

Speech synthesis

Speech synthesis is the artificial production of human speech. A computer system used for this purpose is called a speech synthesizer, and can be implemented in software or hardware...

software are becoming the cornerstone of assistive technologies, improving quality of life for those with learning disabilities and visual impairments. Spell assist programs and voice-recognition facilities are also bringing the text reading and writing experience to the wider public.

Toys that have been adapted to be used by children with disabilities might have advantages for non-disabled children as well. The Lekotek

Lekotek

Lekotek, Swedish for "play library" is an international program to lend Assistive Technology, toys and expertise to disabled children. The first lekotek opened in 1963 in Stockholm, Sweden. From there the concept spread to other Scandinavian countries, Europe and the rest of the world. For example,...

movement assists parents by lending assistive technology toys and expertise to families.

In the US many health professionals may be certified by RESNA

Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America

Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America is an interdisciplinary association of people with a common interest in technology and disability...

to serve assistive technology needs: occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech language pathologists/audiologists, orthotists and prosthetists, educators, and rehabilitation and health professionals.

Personal Emergency Response Systems

Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS), or Telecare

Telecare

Telecare is a term given to offering remote care of old and physically less able people, providing the care and reassurance needed to allow them to remain living in their own homes. The use of sensors may be part of a package which can provide support for people with illnesses such as dementia, or...

(UK term), are a particular sort of assistive technology that use electronic sensors connected to an alarm system to help caregivers manage risk and help vulnerable people stay independent at home longer. An example would be the systems being put in place for senior people such as fall detectors, thermometers (for hypothermia

Hypothermia

Hypothermia is a condition in which core temperature drops below the required temperature for normal metabolism and body functions which is defined as . Body temperature is usually maintained near a constant level of through biologic homeostasis or thermoregulation...

risk), flooding and unlit gas sensors (for people with mild dementia

Dementia

Dementia is a serious loss of cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging...

). Notably, these alerts can be customized to the particular person's risks. When the alert is triggered, a message is sent to a caregiver or contact center who can respond appropriately.

Technology similar to PERS can also be used to act within a person's home rather than just to respond to a detected crisis. Using one of the examples above, gas sensors for people with dementia can be used to trigger a device that turns off the gas and tells someone what has happened.

Designing for people with dementia is a good example of how the design of the interface of a piece of AT is critical to its usefulness. People with dementia or any other identified user group must be involved in the design process to make sure that the design is accessible and usable. In the example above, a voice message could be used to remind the person with dementia to turn off the gas himself, but whose voice should be used, and what should the message say? Questions like these must be answered through user consultation, involvement and evaluation.

Accessible Input devices for Computers

Sitting at a desk with a QWERTY keyboard and a mouse remains the dominant way of interacting with a personal computer. Some Assistive Technology reduces the strain of this way of work through ergonomic accessories

Ergonomics

Ergonomics is the study of designing equipment and devices that fit the human body, its movements, and its cognitive abilities.The International Ergonomics Association defines ergonomics as follows:...

with height-adjustable furniture, footrests, wrist rests, and arm supports to ensure correct posture. Key guards fit over the keyboard to help prevent unintentional key presses.

Alternatively, Assistive Technology may attempt to improve the ergonomics of the devices themselves:

Ergonomic keyboards reduce the discomfort and strain of typing.
Chorded keyboard
Chorded keyboard
A keyset or chorded keyboard is a computer input device that allows the user to enter characters or commands formed by pressing several keys together, like playing a "chord" on a piano...

s have a handful of keys (one per digit per hand) to type by 'chords' which produce different letters and keys.
Expanded keyboards with larger, more widely spaced keys.
Compact and miniature keyboards.
Dvorak
Dvorak Simplified Keyboard
The Dvorak Simplified Keyboard is a keyboard layout patented in 1936 by Dr. August Dvorak and his brother-in-law, Dr. William Dealey. Over the years several slight variations were designed by the team led by Dvorak or by ANSI...

and other alternative layouts may offer more ergonomic layouts of the keys. There are also variants of Dvorak in which the most common keys are located at either the left or right side of the keyboard.

Input devices may be modified to make them easier to see and understand:

Keyboards with lowercase keys
Keyboards with big keys.
Keyboards with less and big keys, or multifunctional keys, such us the special keyboard PiTech, with only five big rounded keys, which is used with a special software for writing
Large print keyboard with high contrast colors (such as white on black, black on white, and black on ivory).
Large print adhesive keyboard stickers in high contrast colors (such as white on black, black on white, and black on yellow).
Embossed locator dots help find the 'home' keys, F and J, on the keyboard.
Scroll wheels on mice remove the need to locate the scrolling interface on the computer screen.
Footmouse
Footmouse
A footmouse is a type of computer mouse that gives the users the ability to move the cursor and click the mousebuttons with their feet.It is primarily used by users with disabilities or with high-back or neck problems...

— Foot-operated mouse.

More ambitiously, and quite crucially when keyboard or mouse prove unusable, AT can also replace the keyboard and mouse with alternative devices such as the LOMAK

LOMAK

LOMAK is an acronym for Light Operated Mouse And Keyboard. It is an assistive technology device designed for use by people who cannot use a standard computer keyboard and mouse. The Lomak is clipped to an adjustable stand placed vertically underneath the computer screen and is operated by a small...

keyboard, trackball

Trackball

A trackball is a pointing device consisting of a ball held by a socket containing sensors to detect a rotation of the ball about two axes—like an upside-down mouse with an exposed protruding ball. The user rolls the ball with the thumb, fingers, or the palm of the hand to move a cursor...

s, joysticks, graphics tablet

Graphics tablet

A graphics tablet is a computer input device that enables a user to hand-draw images and graphics, similar to the way a person draws images with a pencil and paper. These tablets may also be used to capture data or handwritten signatures...

s, touchpad

Touchpad

A touchpad is a pointing device featuring a tactile sensor, a specialized surface that can translate the motion and position of a user's fingers to a relative position on screen. Touch pads are a common feature of laptop computers, and they are also used as a substitute for a mouse where desk...

s, touch screens, foot mice

Footmouse

A footmouse is a type of computer mouse that gives the users the ability to move the cursor and click the mousebuttons with their feet.It is primarily used by users with disabilities or with high-back or neck problems...

, a microphone with speech recognition

Speech recognition

software, sip-and-puff

Sip-and-puff

Sip-and-Puff or Sip 'n' Puff ' technology is a method used to send signals to a device using air pressure by "sipping" or "puffing" on a straw, tube or "wand." It is primarily used by people who do not have the use of their hands...

input, switch access

Switch Access

Many people with severe physical or cognitive impairment use one or more switches to access computers. A switch is an assistive technology device that replaces the need to use a computer keyboard or a mouse.-Types of switch:...

, and vision-based input devices, such as eye trackers which allow the user to control the mouse with their eyes.

Accessibility Software

In human-computer interaction, computer accessibility (also known as Accessible computing) refers to the accessibility of a computer system to all people, regardless of disability or severity of impairment. Examples include Web accessibility

Web accessibility

Web accessibility refers to the inclusive practice of making websites usable by people of all abilities and disabilities. When sites are correctly designed, developed and edited, all users can have equal access to information and functionality...

a set of guidelines and two accessible web portals designed for people developing reading skills are peepo.com http://www.peepo.com — try typing a letter with your keyboard for more — and peepo.co.uk http://www.peepo.co.uk with enhanced graphics, unique style controls and improved interactivity (requires an SVG supported browser).

Durable Medical Equipment (DME)

Seating products that assist people to sit comfortably and safely (seating systems, cushions, therapeutic seats).
Standing products to support people with disabilities in the standing position while maintaining/improving their health (standing frame
Standing frame
A standing frame is assistive technology that can be used by a person who relies on a wheelchair for mobility...

, standing wheelchair
Standing wheelchair
A standing wheelchair is assistive technology, similar to a standing frame, that allows a wheelchair user to raise the chair from a seated to a standing position...

, active stander).
Walking products to aid people with disabilities who are able to walk or stand with assistance (canes, crutches, walkers, gait trainers).
Advanced technology walking products to aid people with disabilities, such as paraplegia or cerebral palsy, who would not at all able to walk or stand (exoskeletons).
Wheeled mobility products that enable people with reduced mobility to move freely indoors and outdoors (wheelchairs/scooters)
Vehicles modified with Height adjustable suspension
Height adjustable suspension
Height adjustable suspension is a feature of certain automobile suspension systems that allow the motorist to vary the ride height or ground clearance. This can be done for various reasons including giving better ground clearance over rough terrain, a lower ground clearance to improve fuel economy...

, to allow wheelchair entry to the vehicle
Robot-aided rehabilitation is a sensory-motor rehabilitation technique based on the use of robots and mechatronic devices

Mobility impairment

Crutch
Crutch
Crutches are mobility aids used to counter a mobility impairment or an injury that limits walking ability.- Types :There are several different types of crutches:...

es, including assistive canes
Walkers
Wheelchairs

Assistive technology for visual impairment

Many people with serious visual impairments live independently, using a wide range of tools and techniques. Examples of assistive technology for visually impairment is include the Canadian currency tactile feature

Canadian currency tactile feature

The Canadian currency tactile feature is a feature on the current "Canadian Journey" series of Canadian banknotes. The feature indicates the banknote denomination in the upper right corner of the face side of the bill using a series of raised dots. It was suggested by Bruno Thériault, an...

, which a system of raised dots in one corner, based on Braille cells but not standard Braille

Braille

.. For general computer use access technology such as screen reader

Screen reader

A screen reader is a software application that attempts to identify and interpret what is being displayed on the screen . This interpretation is then re-presented to the user with text-to-speech, sound icons, or a Braille output device...

s, screen magnifier

Screen magnifier

A screen magnifier is software that interfaces with a computer's graphical output to present enlarged screen content. It is a type of assistive technology suitable for visually impaired people with some functional vision; visually impaired people with little or no functional vision usually use a...

s and refreshable Braille display

Refreshable Braille display

A refreshable Braille display or Braille terminal is an electro-mechanical device for displaying Braille characters, usually by means of raising dots through holes in a flat surface. Blind computer users, who cannot use a normal computer monitor, use it to read text output...

s has been widely taken up.

Hardware

White cane
White cane
A white cane is used by many people who are blind or visually impaired, both as a mobility tool and as a courtesy to others. Not all modern white canes are designed to fulfill the same primary function, however: There are at least five varieties of this tool, each serving a slightly different...

s
Large monitors can be used with increased DPI for ease of electronic text reading.
E-book reader
E-book reader
An e-book reader, also called an e-book device or e-reader, is a mobile electronic device that is designed primarily for the purpose of reading digital e-books and periodicals....

s, such as the Amazon Kindle
Amazon Kindle
The Amazon Kindle is an e-book reader developed by Amazon.com subsidiary Lab126 which uses wireless connectivity to enable users to shop for, download, browse, and read e-books, newspapers, magazines, blogs, and other digital media...

and tablet computer
Tablet computer
A tablet computer, or simply tablet, is a complete mobile computer, larger than a mobile phone or personal digital assistant, integrated into a flat touch screen and primarily operated by touching the screen...

s, such as the iPad
IPad
The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...

, which offer text-to-speech and adjustable font size features.
Adjustable task lamp, using a fluorescent bulb, shines directly onto the paper and can be adjusted to suit.
Bank note reader
Copyholder
Copyholder
A copyholder is a device that holds the hand written or printed material being typed by a copy typist. They were used in the past with typewriters and are now used with computers and word processors like Writer or Word....

holds printed material in near vertical position for easier reading and can be adjusted to suit.
Closed circuit television (CCTV) or video magnifier
Video magnifier
Video magnifiers are electronic devices that use a camera, LCD screen, lenses and/or digital magnification.They are designed to be mostly used by people with vision that can no longer be help using a conventional magnifying glass. The benefit of a video magnifier is that it allows greater...

s. Printed materials and objects are placed under a camera and the magnified image is displayed onto a screen.
Modified cassette recorder. To record a lecture, own thoughts, ideas, notes etc.
Desktop compact cassette dictation system. To allow audio cassette playback with the aid of a foot pedal.
Fusers produce tactile materials, for example diagrams and maps, by applying heat to special swell paper.
Scanner. A device used in conjunction with OCR software. The printed document is scanned and converted into electronic text, which can then be displayed on screen as recognizable text.
Standalone reading aids integrate a scanner, optical character recognition (OCR) software, and speech software in a single machine. These function together without a separate PC.
Refreshable Braille display
Refreshable Braille display
A refreshable Braille display or Braille terminal is an electro-mechanical device for displaying Braille characters, usually by means of raising dots through holes in a flat surface. Blind computer users, who cannot use a normal computer monitor, use it to read text output...

. An electronic tactile device which is placed below the computer keyboard. A line of cells which correspond to Braille text move up and down to represent a line of text on the computer screen.
Electronic Notetaker. A portable computer with a Braille or QWERTY keyboard and synthetic speech. Some models have an integrated Braille display.
Braille embosser
Braille embosser
A Braille embosser is a printer, necessarily an impact printer, that renders text as tactile Braille cells. Using Braille translation software, a document can be embossed with relative ease, making Braille production much more efficient and cost-effective....

. Embosses Braille output from a computer by punching dots onto paper. It connects to a computer in the same way as a text printer.
Perkins Brailler
Perkins Brailler
The Perkins Brailler is a "braille typewriter" with a key corresponding to each of the six dots of the braille code, a space key, a backspace key, and a line space key. Like a manual typewriter, it has two side knobs to advance paper through the machine and a carriage return lever above the keys...

. To manually emboss Grade 1 or 2 Braille.
Mountbatten Brailler
Mountbatten Brailler
The Mountbatten Brailler is an electronic machine used to write braille. The Mountbatten incorporates the traditional "braille typewriter keyboard" of the Perkins Brailler with modern technology, giving it a number of additional features such as word processing, audio feedback and embossing...

. An electric braille writing machine.
Eye Tracking
Eye tracking
Eye tracking is the process of measuring either the point of gaze or the motion of an eye relative to the head. An eye tracker is a device for measuring eye positions and eye movement. Eye trackers are used in research on the visual system, in psychology, in cognitive linguistics and in product...

. and Head Tracking Devices

Software

Customization of graphical user interfaces to alter the colors and size of desktops, short-cut icons, menu bars and scroll bars.
Screen magnifier
Screen magnifier
A screen magnifier is software that interfaces with a computer's graphical output to present enlarged screen content. It is a type of assistive technology suitable for visually impaired people with some functional vision; visually impaired people with little or no functional vision usually use a...

s
Screen readers
Self-voicing
Self-voicing
A self-voicing application is an application that provides an aural interface without requiring a separate screen reader. Self-voicing applications can be an important form of assistive technology, useful to those who have difficulty reading or seeing....

applications
Optical character recognition
Optical character recognition
Optical character recognition, usually abbreviated to OCR, is the mechanical or electronic translation of scanned images of handwritten, typewritten or printed text into machine-encoded text. It is widely used to convert books and documents into electronic files, to computerize a record-keeping...

. Converts the printed word into text, via a scanner.
Braille translation. Converts the printed word into Braille, which can then be embossed via a Braille embosser.
Text-to-speech
Speech synthesis
Speech synthesis is the artificial production of human speech. A computer system used for this purpose is called a speech synthesizer, and can be implemented in software or hardware...

and Speech-to-text
Speech recognition
Speech recognition converts spoken words to text. The term "voice recognition" is sometimes used to refer to recognition systems that must be trained to a particular speaker—as is the case for most desktop recognition software...
Spell checkers and Grammar checkers
Real-time text
Real-time text
Real-time text is streaming text that is continuously transmitted as it is typed or otherwise composed. It allows conversational use of text, where people interactively converse with each other.-Use over instant messaging:...

for the deaf.

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is an umbrella term that encompasses methods of communication for those with impairments or restrictions on the production or comprehension of spoken or written language. AAC systems are extremely diverse and depend on the capabilities of the user. They may be as basic as pictures on a board that the are used to request food, drink, or other care; or they can be advanced speech generating devices, based on speech synthesis, that are capable of storing hundreds of phrases and words.

Modern use of AAC began in the 1950s with systems for users who had lost the use of speech following surgical procedures. During the 1960s the use of manual sign language grew greatly, but it was not until the 1980s that AAC began to emerge as an area in its own right. AAC is now used for a wide variety of speech impairments. Studies show that AAC use does not impede the development of speech, and may even result in a modest increase in speech production.

A great diversity of diagnoses, including cerebral palsy, intellectual impairment, autism, and many others, cover varying degrees of communication impairment. AAC interventions are highly individualized, taking into account specific abilities of language comprehension, social-relational characteristics, learning strengths and weaknesses, and developmental patterns for specific types of intellectual disabilities. AAC can be used to aid both spoken and written language, and can supplement or replace speech and writing as necessary. AAC can be a permanent addition to a person's communication or a temporary aid. The systems used in AAC include gestures, hand signals, photographs, pictures, line drawings, words and letters, which can be used alone or in combination to communicate.

Aided AAC makes great use of symbols, particularly for non-literate users, as well as a large variety of input methods. The specific access method will depend on the skills and abilities of the user. Body parts, pointers, adapted mice, joysticks, or eye tracking could be used, whereas switch access scanning

Switch access scanning

Switch access scanning is an indirect selection technique , used by an assistive technology user, including those who use augmentative and alternative communication to choose items from the selection set...

is often used for indirect selection. In many cases, rate enhancements methods may be used to speed up the generation of messages. Clearly, an evaluation of a user's abilities and requirements is necessary to match a user with the most appropriate AAC method, input approach, and vocabulary. This evaluation requires the input of family, particularly for early intervention. Respecting ethnicity and family beliefs are key to a family-centered

Family centered care

Family-centered care or Family-centered service has been discussed and promoted most prominently in the context of child health, and especially concerning chronic conditions of childhood. This approach provides an expanded view of how to work with children and families...

and ethnically competent approach. Adult AAC users generally have satisfying relationships with family and friends and engage in pleasurable and interesting life activities.

Deafness and hearing loss

Audiometer
Audiometer
An audiometer is a machine used for evaluating hearing loss. Audiometers are standard equipment at ENT clinics and in audiology centers. They usually consist of an embedded hardware unit connected to a pair of headphones and a test subject feedback button, sometimes controlled by a standard PC...
Fire alarm paging
Paging
In computer operating systems, paging is one of the memory-management schemes by which a computer can store and retrieve data from secondary storage for use in main memory. In the paging memory-management scheme, the operating system retrieves data from secondary storage in same-size blocks called...

system
Loop
Audio induction loop
Audio Induction Loop systems, also called audio-frequency induction loops or hearing loops, are an aid for the hard of hearing. They are a loop of cable around a designated area, usually a room or a building, which generates a magnetic field picked up by a hearing aid...

system (portable and fixed)
Radio aids
Telecommunications device for the deaf
Telecommunications device for the deaf
A telecommunications device for the deaf is a teleprinter, an electronic device for text communication over a telephone line, that is designed for use by persons with hearing or speech difficulties...
Teletext
Teletext
Teletext is a television information retrieval service developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s. It offers a range of text-based information, typically including national, international and sporting news, weather and TV schedules...
Video cassette recorders that can read and record subtitles (Closed Captioning
Closed captioning
Closed captioning is the process of displaying text on a television, video screen or other visual display to provide additional or interpretive information to individuals who wish to access it...

).
Vibrating fire alarm placed under pillow when asleep.
Door bell lighting system.

Others

Wakamaru
Wakamaru
Wakamaru is a Japanese domestic robot made by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, primarily intended to provide companionship to elderly and disabled people. The robot is yellow, 1m tall, and weighs 30 kilograms. It has two arms and its flat, circular base has a diameter of 45 cm...

provides companionship, reminds users to take medicine and calls for help if something is wrong.
Telephone Reassurance: community based program that calls seniors at home ensuring their well-being.
Cosmobot
Cosmobot
CosmoBot is a child-friendly, interactive remote controlled telerehabilitation robot designed by AnthroTronix, Inc.. CosmoBot is part of an overall assistive technology system that includes the CosmoBot robot, Mission Control input device, and accompanying software...

is part of a play therapy system designed to motivate children to participate in therapy.
General User Interface for Disorders of Execution (GUIDE) is an interactive verbal prompting system that talks people with cognitive impairment through daily routine tasks.

Claims
Since children with autism process visual information easier than auditory information, when utilizing assistive technology claims that any time we use these devices with these children, we're giving them information through their strongest processing area (visual). Therefore various types of technology from "low" tech to "high" tech, should be incorporated into every aspect of daily living in order to improve the functional capabilities of children with autism.

Benefits
Regarding comprehension skills, increasing comprehension of tasks/activities/situations is essential in addressing skill areas such as organization, attending, self help, following directions, following rules and modifying behavior. As a result, the child becomes more independent. The following "low" tech visual support strategies can be created and used to benefit and assist the child in increasing his comprehension skills and thus decreasing the occurrence of challenging behaviors.

Consistent daily use of an individualized visual schedule will increase a child's organization skills and independent functioning throughout all aspects of his life and will ease transition through adulthood. There are numerous ways to present visual schedules for example an object schedule, 3-ring binder schedule, clipboard schedule, manila file folder schedules, and dry erase board schedules are all beneficial to increase a child's organization skills and independent functioning.

The use of a weekly/monthly calendar at both home and school can provide the child with important information regarding up-coming events/activities, rather than relying on auditory information. When the child asks when a particular event will occur, he can easily be referred to the visual calendar. Use of a visual calendar can also be helpful in assisting the child to understand when regularly scheduled events may not occur.

Outcomes
In a pilot study, Researchers Lacava, Golan, Baron-Cohen, and Myles explored the use of assistive technology to teach emotion recognition to eight children with Autism and the results indicated that after intervention, participants improved on face and voice emotional recognition for basic and complex emotions that were in the software. As well as for complex voice emotional recognition for emotions not included in Mind Reading.