Selecting Assistive Technologies

Find the technology tools and services you need

Everyone should be able to communicate, express themselves and connect with the world using technology – including people with disabilities or age-related limitations. That’s why at HP, we’re committed to increasing accessibility awareness within HP and with our customers and partners. Whether it’s large fonts that are easy on the eyes, voice recognition that lets you give your hands a rest or any other assistive technology to help with your specific situation – there’s a variety of assistive technologies that make HP products easier to use. How do you choose?.

Start with a needs assessment

Decide what’s the best AT solution for your situation

1. Your needs assessment

Technology can unleash your human potential. Assistive technology removes barriers and helps you create independence at home, at work, and in the community. AT devices help you increase, maintain and improve the functional capabilities of electronic and information technology, including desktop and notebook computers, handheld and pocket PC devices, printers, and more.

You may choose from many AT products. Your AT assessment should allow you to evaluate several products, answer your questions, and facilitate your selection of the solution that is best for your specific situation. You will find that professionals qualified to do AT assessments come from many fields, including those licensed or certified in physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech/language pathology, and other areas of expertise. Others, while not certified or licensed, may also provide evaluation information. You will want to ask about the individual's experience, expertise and fees to determine if the they are appropriate for your needs.

The Assistive Technology Decision Tree (PDF, English, 739KB) is an example of a needs assessment process that shows steps to evaluate assistive technology solutions for employees with disabilities.

The U.S. Department of Defense Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program Web site offers a good example of an automated Needs Assessment.

2. Deciding the best AT solution for your situation

Once your needs assessment has helped you identify the applicable assistive technologies that will best accommodate your needs, the next step is to select the best one(s) for your specific situation. There are a number of websites that can help you choose from among the many commercially available assistive technology products. The following links may provide good resources to help you select the specific assistive technology product(s) most appropriate for your specific situation:

EnableMart
Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA)
Microsoft Accessibility
Microsoft Inclusive Innovation Showroom

The links below could help you with your decision. They direct you to pages that provide detailed information about some assistive technology vendors and organizations specializing in information technology access.

Assistive Technologies sorted by impairment type
Assistive Technologies sorted by product type
Assistive Technology vendors with product descriptions