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About Technical Tools for Handicapped

Being handicapped can throw you a few extra hurdles in life. The miracle of modern technology has generated numerous ways to reduce those hurdles and allow people living with disabilities to live fully functioning lives. No matter the occasion or location, chances are if you're handicapped some kind of technology can assist you.

  1. Driving Technology

    • Being handicapped does not mean that you can't drive a car. Technology has evolved to where a person can operate a motor vehicle using only their hands. Electronic mobility controls are designed so that all the functions of your brake and gas pedals are located next to the steering wheel. A spinner knob makes the operations easier by enabling you to steer your vehicle with just one hand. According to Mobility Works, the driving systems can be installed into most automobiles.

    Computer Technology

    • In an increasingly paperless world, it is becoming more and more important to be able to operate a computer. Enlarged keyboards and Braille embossers are designed to assist those who are blind or have vision problems. Some computers can be operated with a joystick instead of the standard mouse. These joysticks are designed so that they can be operated with your hand, foot or mouth. Speech recognition software and text-to-speech programs allow you to make the computer experience strictly a hearing exercise. These programs allow you to speak commands to the computer, which will explain to you what your computer is displaying.

    Environmental Control Technology

    • Environmental technology allows people with limited mobility to control many of the objects in their surrounding environment with the help of one device. With devices like the LinkSwitch, you can control home appliances, security systems and telephones. The LinkSwitch can be adapted to operate almost any battery-operated device. The LinkSwitch requires only one 9-volt battery.

    School Technology

    • Different kinds of disabilities and handicaps require different adaptations. Assistive technology has been developed to help children struggling with disabilities while getting an education. For students with limited use of their hands, devices can hold a book and help turn the pages with the push of a button. For students that struggle with communication, devices like the DynaMyte Augmentative Communicator can be helpful. The DynaMyte is a portable device that through a series of pictures and preprogrammed responses makes it easier for a handicapped student to communicate with their peers and teachers.

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