What is assistive technology? Tools that empower inclusive design

In the UK, about 16 million people have a disability. That’s nearly one in four. Our population is also ageing. Older people often find that their vision, hearing, mobility, or memory worsens.

The challenge is to make society work for everyone. Assistive technology helps make this possible. It supports people to overcome barriers and join in fully with daily life.

The UK Government explains:

“The phrase ‘assistive technology’ is used to describe products or systems that support and assist individuals with disabilities, restricted mobility or other impairments to perform functions that might otherwise be difficult or impossible.”

When you think of assistive technology, you may picture wheelchairs, glasses, hearing aids or stair rails. But it also includes digital tools like speech recognition, screen readers and captioning.

The use of assistive technology makes daily life easier and more inclusive. And we’re all for that. Here, we’ll explain what that looks like.

Introducing assistive technology

People have always found ways to support accessibility. Walking sticks, eyeglasses, and hearing trumpets are simple early low-tech examples.

In the 19th century, Braille helped people with visual impairments to read and write. In the 20th century, wheelchairs, hearing aids and captioning became more common.

Now, digital tools offer even more support. They help people do things that might not be possible otherwise. It improves quality of life on a daily basis.

Assistive technology covers:

• Medical devices: used to diagnose, monitor or treat illness. Early detection and intervention can prevent longer-term healthcare.
• Piece of equipment: like a wheelchair, walker or hearing aid.
• Daily living aids: like ramps, grab rails or personal alarms.
• Digital tool: like adaptive keyboards, screen magnifiers, braille displays or voice recognition.

We’ll go into digital tools further below.

The role of inclusive design

Inclusive design is about creating products and spaces that work for everyone.

• Inclusive design: designs with a wide range of users in mind.
• Accessible design: makes sure disabled people can use a product or space.
• Universal design: aims to be usable by all, without changes.

Inclusive design helps assistive technology fit smoothly into daily life. And that benefits everyone.

Read more about inclusive and accessible design.

Categories of assistive technology

The World Health Organisation says more than 2.5 billion people need one or more assistive products. Here are some common types of assistive technology:

Visual impairments

Visual impairments – from blindness to long-sightedness or low vision – make navigation difficult. Daily tasks are made easier with tools including:

• Screen readers
• Magnification devices
• High-contrast displays
• Text-to-speech tools

Hearing impairments

People with hearing loss, impairment and deafness benefit from assistive products like:

• Hearing aids
• Captions and subtitles
• Speech-to-text communication aids

Mobility impairments

There are mobility aids to help with physical disabilities. But mobility issues also make it hard to type or use a mouse. Help includes:

• Wheelchairs, walking frames, and crutches
• Adaptive keyboards
• Voice recognition software
• Eye-tracking technology

Cognitive disabilities

This includes wide-ranging conditions like autism, dyslexia, dementia, ADHD, stroke recovery and memory loss. High-tech solutions on your smartphone make a difference daily.

• Organiser apps
• Text simplification tools
• Text-to-speech software

Learning disabilities

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) tools support those with communication challenges. High-tech communication aids enable people to connect, interact and enjoy.

• Communication tools (AAC)
• Audiobooks
• Grammar and spelling tools
• Text-to-speech software

For many people, these tools are life-changing. A technical piece of equipment can truly improve daily life.

Digital accessibility and assistive technology

The digital world should be open to all. Websites, apps and online services need to work with assistive tools.

Done well, people with assistive technology devices can use digital content without friction. If a website’s built with accessible code, a screen reader can describe menus and buttons clearly. If it’s not, the user’s likely to get frustrated and abandon the experience.

An unlabelled image or button leaves assistive tech users guessing. If a form isn’t set up for assistive technology, you won’t get their user details or their sale.

If digital tools don’t work with assistive technology, users feel excluded. And businesses lose out, too.

Learn more about why accessibility matters in web design.

Implementing assistive tech in design and development

Designers and developers can take steps to support assistive technology:

• Use clear layouts, simple language, and flexible navigation.
• Label images and buttons so screen readers can describe them.
• Test products with assistive devices.
• Use testing tools like Axe, WAVE and Lighthouse.

Find more best practice tips in the principles of accessibility.

Future trends in assistive technology

The future looks bright. New technologies will give people more independence. Examples of assistive technologies to look out for include:

• AI and voice-first tools: smarter assistants that understand speech.
• Wearable tech: smart glasses, advanced hearing aids, mobility exoskeletons.
• Smart homes and workplaces: spaces that adapt to individual needs.

Excitingly, the opportunities to improve lives are growing fast. There are still challenges, however. Costs can be beyond some people. Awareness is pretty low. And content providers need to make sure everything works well with assistive technologies. Now that’s something we can help you to overcome.

Let’s make the future more inclusive

The need for assistive technology is growing. An ageing population and rising disability numbers mean more of us will rely on it.

Assistive technology removes barriers. From screen readers to wheelchairs, it helps create inclusive environments. Assistive technology’s long been part of health and social care. But it’s an important part of digital content provision too.

Inclusive design is about making life better for everyone. If you’re a designer, business or brand, now’s the time to embrace it.

You can find more advice in our guide to brand accessibility

We want to make digital content accessible to all. Need a hand with yours? We’d love to help. Please get in touch.