Assistive Technologies

Understanding assistive technologies is an essential part of understanding accessibility. Let’s take a closer look at what they are, how people use them, and how you should think about them in terms of accessible design and development.

Types of assistive technologies

Assistive technology is a blanket term that includes a wide variety of technologies, devices, and tools that help their users increase, maintain, or improve their functional capabilities.

Note: We’ll be using the term “assistive technology” in this course specifically to refer to the technologies that help users more effectively and comfortably access their computers and the web.