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Low-Cost Assistive Technology

If you are one of the 50 million Americans with a disability, you may wonder how you can make daily functioning and using a computer easier with technology. Even those with the most severe disabilities should know that performing normal actions such as walking around the house and emailing friends and family does not cost thousands of dollars. As a matter of fact, a great deal of assistive technology is either free or low cost.

  1. History

    • Assistive technology is a piece of equipment that you use to improve your day-to-day functioning. Many believe assistive technology means electronic devices. This is only partly true. While an electronic device can be assistive, people have been using simple equipment, such as canes, to help with normal activities for hundreds of years.

    Low Tech and Hardware

    • The most practical and cheapest assistive technology has not changed much in the past century. Canes are useful and cheap for those with balance problems and the visually impaired to help them navigate their environment. Computers trackballs and joysticks are low-cost, very common and designed for universal use.

      Wheelchairs are another fairly inexpensive and low-cost option. While a manual wheelchair is great for those on the tightest of budgets, electric wheelchairs offer greater mobility. New electric wheelchairs require only a plug-in charge and the flick of a button to allow a nice ride through the neighborhood.

    Vision Impairment

    • A lot of assistive software online is free. AFB's Senior Site recommends visually impaired users try Satogo, a free program that reads out text or enlarges text on your monitor. Microsoft Windows also comes prepackaged with very basic accessibility software called Narrator. If you have a learn disorders such as dyslexia, try out text-to-speech software. Braille keyboards are another cheap device for the visually impaired.

    Motor Skill Challenged

    • If you are physically unable to type, LakeFolks.org has a virtual keyboard program called Click-N-Type. This program is perhaps the only free virtual keyboard that offers features commonly found in premium software, such as shortcuts that type into smaller boxes like email headers and URL address bars .

      Hands-free headsets can completely remove your need for a pointing device. With simple software, you just speak commands to open programs, send email and complete about any computer task.

    Federal Grants

    • You may be able to receive a grant or loan for assistive technology for educational purposes through the Assistive Technology Act of 1998. The act also required states to establish accessibility centers specifically for the disabled. This program is federally funded through the Rehabilitation Services Administration, but is administered through individual states, so eligibility and requirements can vary.

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