Assistive technology (AT) refers to devices, software, and services that help individuals with disabilities perform job tasks more effectively and independently. These tools support a wide range of needs, including vision, hearing, mobility, cognitive, and communication needs.
Examples of assistive technology could include screen readers (text-to-speech), dictation (speech-to-text), captioning, and word prediction tools.
Frequently Used Assistive Technology
- Microsoft 365 Accessibility Tools. Built-in features in Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint to include speech-to-text, text read aloud, live captions, and immersive reader.
- macOS VoiceOver (screen reader). Provides spoken descriptions of on-screen content.
- macOS Dictation (speech-to-text). Allows Mac users to use voice dictation
- Windows Speech Recognition. Built-in feature that enables voice control and text dictation in Windows.
- Adobe Read Out Loud. Built-in text to speech feature that reads PDF documents aloud.
- Zoom’s automated captioning feature creates real-time transcriptions during live Zoom meetings which supports accessibility for those who are deaf or have experienced hearing loss but is also helpful for non-native speakers and those working with distractions or low-bandwidth connections.