ACTIVITIES :: e-Inclusion :: eAccessibility :: Assistive Technologies
eAccessibility - Assistive Technologies
Assistive Technologies (ATs) can provide the vital link that adapts mainstream Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to the needs of people with disabilities. ATs are adaptive devices that enable people with special needs to access all manner of technical products and services. ATs cover a whole range of ICTs, from customised keyboards and speech recognition software to Braille computer displays and closed captioning systems for TV.
The European Commission supports the development of ATs as a means of improving equality of access to the Information Society. ATs are a lifeline for their users, however – according to a Commission study – there is a great deal of fragmentation in the ATs market place. This makes it difficult and confusing for European consumers to compare products and services. Market fragmentation also makes it more complicated for industry to develop common standards, thus hampering the development and uptake of ATs.
Backing AT research
The Commission is committed to funding research into ATs. Currently this is being addressed under the Seventh Framework Programme for Research, particularly through Challenge 7: ICT for Independent Living and Inclusion.
For examples of research into ATs, see the eAccessibility research page.
An AT handbook
Commission support in the late 1990s, from the Technology Initiative for Disabled and Elderly People (TIDE) programme, was used to produce a practical handbook on user-centred design for assistive technology. Called the UserFit methodology, it contains a wealth of information for improving the design of AT products.
Since the handbook was first published, the Commission has continued to support further development in the methodology and it is now widely recognised as a basis for designing ICT products for accessibility. UserFit focuses on the design of highly technical goods that are complex to use. It provides a general approach to design that can be applied to one-off projects as well as to the development of more generic products.
To download the handbook, see links below:
- Cover + copyrights ; Introduction to the Handbook : Introduction to Usability , The USERfit design philosophy.
- The Methodology : Overview of USERfit Methodology ; User Analysis , Activity Analysis , Product Analysis , Environment Context , Product Environment , Functional Specification , Usability Evaluation.
- Tools and Techniques : User Mapping ; Brainstorming ; Task Analysis ; Direct Observation ; Expert Opinion ; Activity Diaries ; Questionnaires ; Interviews ; Group Discussions ; Empathic Modelling ; User Trials ; Field Trials.
- Design Implications of Ageing and Disability : Design & Disability , Introduction to Prescriptions ; Design Prescriptions ( general recommendations).
- Further Information : Conducting research ; Relevant organisations / contacts ; Additional design techniques.