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Term entries in the full glossary matching "assistive technology"

W3C Glossaries

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assistive technology

From User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (2002-12-17) | Glossary for this source

In the context of this document, an assistive technology is a user agent that: relies on services (such as retrieving Web resources and parsing markup) provided by one or more other "host" user agents. Assistive technologies communicate data and messages with host user agents by using and monitoring APIs.provides services beyond those offered by the host user agents to meet the requirements of users with disabilities. Additional services include alternative renderings (e.g., as synthesized speech or magnified content), alternative input methods (e.g., voice), additional navigation or orientation mechanisms, and content transformations (e.g., to make tables more accessible).Examples of assistive technologies that are important in the context of this document include the following:screen magnifiers, which are used by people with visual disabilities to enlarge and change colors on the screen to improve the visual readability of rendered text and images.screen readers, which are used by people who are blind or have reading disabilities to read textual information through synthesized speech or braille displays.voice recognition software, which may be used by people who have some physical disabilities.alternative keyboards, which are used by people with certain physical disabilities to simulate the keyboard.alternative pointing devices, which are used by people with certain physical disabilities to simulate mouse pointing and button activations.Beyond this document, assistive technologies consist of software or hardware that has been specifically designed to assist people with disabilities in carrying out daily activities. These technologies include wheelchairs, reading machines, devices for grasping, text telephones, and vibrating pagers. For example, the following very general definition of "assistive technology device" comes from the (U.S.) Assistive Technology Act of 1998 [AT1998]: Any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.

assistive technology

From Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (1999-05-05) | Glossary for this source

Software or hardware that has been specifically designed to assist people with disabilities in carrying out daily activities. Assistive technology includes wheelchairs, reading machines, devices for grasping, etc. In the area of Web Accessibility, common software-based assistive technologies include screen readers, screen magnifiers, speech synthesizers, and voice input software that operate in conjunction with graphical desktop browsers (among other user agents). Hardware assistive technologies include alternative keyboards and pointing devices.

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