1.+Introduction

=INTRODUCTION =

====Assistive technology or adaptive technology (AT) is an umbrella term that includes assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disability and also includes the process used in selecting, locating, and using them. AT promotes greater independence by enabling people to perform tasks that they were formerly unable to accomplish, or had great difficulty accomplishing, by providing enhancements to or changed methods of interacting with the technology needed to accomplish such tasks. ====

==== Likewise, disability advocates point out that technology is often created without regard to people with disabilities, creating unnecessary barriers to hundreds of millions of people. Even the makers of AT technologies will often still argue that universal design is preferable to the need for AT and that universal design projects and concepts should be continuously expanded. ====

==== Adaptive Technologies include customized systems that help individual students move about, communicate in, and control their environments. They are designed specifically for persons with disabilities; devices which would seldom be used by non-disabled persons. Examples include augmentative communication devices, powered wheel chairs and environmental control systems. These assistive technologies are not used exclusively for education purposes, but are used in all of the child's environments. ====

==== Assistive technology encompasses all technologies used to aid people with disabilities in going about their daily lives. So motorized wheelchairs for those with physical limitations, large print books for those with vision problems, and flashing light alarms for the hearing impaired are all examples of assistive technology. However, assistive technology is most commonly used to refer to devices and adaptations that allow people with disabilities to more easily use computers. ====