Assistive Technology Devices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Assistive Technology Devices - Essay Example The device used however will depend on the level of disability where some of individuals may be partially impaired and therefore require less technological advanced devices. This paper also discusses the various advantages and disadvantages associated with the use of these devices, it highlights the benefits the disabled may derive from the use of these devices and also discuss some of the possible problems that may result from the use of these devices. There are various types of assistive technology devices whose function depend on the kind of disability of an individual, the following is a definition of the various types of devices that aid individuals who are blind, deaf, have communication problem and those who suffer from other types of disabilities. Various assistive technology are available for the blind, some of these devices include eye glasses, books recorded on tape, Braille stylus, talking or large key calculators, Braille printer and speech feedback computers. All these devices are aimed at enhancing task performance among the blind or visually impaired individuals.1 Individuals with communication problems include individuals with language problems and devices that are used include the use of pictures and photographs, eye pointing systems, communication boards, voice output devices, touch screens, software dictionaries and translation devices. All these devices aid those individuals who have communication problems.2 Hearing disabilities: These devices are aimed at enhancing communication with those who have hearing problems, some of the hearing aids include amplified phone devices and headphones, telecaption decoders, vibrotactile devices, recorded books in CD and tapes, phonic ear and pictures and photographs.3 Other forms of disabilities: Other forms of disabilities include individual who have difficult in performing activities other than the individuals mentioned above, these devices in include tilt board, key guards, slant board, arm support, portable word processors, adapted keyboard and mouse, onscreen keyboards and modified computer software.4 Learning disabilities: Picture schedules, talking word processors that are portable, electronic reminders and reminders, word predicting software, talking devices, graphic software and text reading software.5 The diagram below shows a Braille used by the blind, from the diagram it is evident that each letter has a particular set of points which are read using the hand. Each section of the coded letter is a cell that contains 6 points, using the six points it is possible to have 64 different combinations and each set of dots have a different meaning, example in the above diagram shows the alphabets in Braille form. The above diagram was retrieved from www.braillecards.co.uk. Advancemrnt in technology has made devices that are more easier to use, for example the Braille assistive machine which is shown below. The diagram below shows a Braille assistive machine for the blind, from the diagram it is evident that each letter has a particular set of points which are read using the hand. The diagram was retrieved from www.lssproducts.com ADVANTAGES OF ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY: This section discusses the various advantages associated with assistive technology, these devices have greater