What Is Assistive Technology? Types, Examples, and How They Work

Assistive technologies can make it easier for people with disabilities to navigate the web independently, complete tasks, and access digital content. By 2030, the World Health Organization(opens in a new tab) estimates that 2 billion people will rely on assistive technology, making assistive technology compatibility an expectation — not a nice-to-have — for any digital product. 

Serving that audience means making digital accessibility a core priority across all four groups of assistive technology users: visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive.

Below, we’ll cover the most common types of assistive technology across all four categories, how they work, and what your website needs to support them.

Assistive Technology vs. Adaptive Technology: What's the Difference?

Assistive technology is a broad term for any tool that helps people with disabilities interact with the world, while adaptive technology refers specifically to tools designed exclusively for users with a particular disability. 

For example:

• Braille displays (adaptive technology): Built specifically for users who are blind or deafblind, with no common use case outside of that group.

• Closed captions (assistive technology): Developed to support users who are deaf or hard of hearing, but widely used by people learning a second language, viewers in noisy environments, and anyone who prefers to watch video without sound.

Knowing the difference matters because not all assistive technology looks like accessibility software. Recognizing both types helps organizations think more broadly about who their digital content needs to serve.

Low-Tech vs. High-Tech Assistive Technology

Assistive technology tools that are low-cost and have limited capabilities are typically considered “low-tech,” while tools with extensive capabilities and larger price tags are known as “high-tech.” 

Both ends of the assistive technology spectrum need to work with your website if you want to make your site accessible. For example, a person who uses a basic push-button switch to navigate must have the same keyboard accessibility requirements as someone using a high-tech eye-gaze camera system.

Below are a few examples of low-tech vs high-tech assistive technologies:

Because you can’t predict how someone will access your website, both low-tech and high-tech assistive technology need to be considered at every stage of the design process.

What Are the Different Kinds of Assistive Technology?

With so many different types of assistive technology, it can be difficult to know where to start. Below are several examples of assistive technology and how they can support more accessible browsing experiences for people with disabilities.

A stylized web page with icons for text-to-speech in the lower left-hand corner and Braille in the top right-hand corner.

1. Screen Readers

A screen reader is a text-to-speech software that presents digital content for the blind or visually impaired. It can also output text to a refreshable braille display.

An ideal web page for screen-reading software should be keyboard-accessible and include proper heading structure, labels, skip-to links, and images with alternative text (alt text). Implementing these features helps content work with all types of assistive technology and can also improve SEO.

Who benefits: Screen readers primarily benefit people who are blind or have low vision, but also assist individuals with learning disabilities like dyslexia, those with motor impairments who have difficulty using a screen, and anyone who prefers or needs to consume digital content through audio.

Popular tools: There are several paid and free screen readers. The most common are: JAWS (Job Access With Speech), NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access) Apple VoiceOver, and TalkBack for Android. These applications are customizable, robust, and versatile, making them essential tools for individuals with disabilities. However, screen readers work best when websites follow accessible design best practices.

WCAG requirements: 1.1.1 (non-text content), 1.3.1 (info and relationships), 2.1.1 (keyboard), and 4.1.2 (name, role, value).

A mobile phone next to an icon of a person's head with a speech bubble that reads "voice-to-text".

2. Voice Recognition

Voice recognition is a technology that allows users to control devices and input text using spoken commands, enabling people with physical or motor disabilities to interact with computers and software without a keyboard or mouse.

Who benefits: This technology benefits people with physical disabilities who cannot use a mouse and keyboard. Voice recognition is also useful for people with cognitive or learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, who might need support with spelling and sentence structure.

Whether browsing the web or writing emails, people can use voice-to-text technology (or speech recognition software) to write by speaking out loud. Voice recognition can also be useful to anyone who finds typing on a keyboard tiring, painful, or even impossible.

Popular tools:

• Dragon NaturallySpeaking (Windows)

• Windows Speech Recognition

• Apple Dictation

• Apple Voice Control for full hands-free device navigation.

WCAG requirements: 2.5.3 (label in name) and 4.1.2 (name, role, value). All interactive elements need visible, descriptive labels so voice control users can activate them by name.

A stylized web page with arrows going across the page next to an icon of a switch device.

3. Switch Devices

A switch device is an assistive technology tool that eliminates the need for a keyboard or mouse. 

Who benefits: Switch devices are used by people with motor impairments to access and control computers, mobile devices, electric wheelchairs, and communication devices.

Examples of barriers for people with physical disabilities using switch devices include:

• A website or digital interface does not provide full keyboard support

• Hover-only states, click-and-drag movements, or other advanced gestures

• Insufficient time limits to respond or to complete tasks such as forms

Popular tools: There are several different types of switch devices. When users choose the best switch device for their needs, several factors must be considered, including preferences, mobility, and user settings.

A classic example of a switch device is a large, round button that a user can press with their hand, foot, or whatever is most comfortable for them. On the screen, a focus indicator will automatically cycle through different elements on the site, and the user can click them by activating the switch. World-famous theoretical physicist, Stephen Hawking, used a 'clicker' switch in his earlier years, before converting to a 'check switch' as he lost control of his hand muscles due to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

Sip-and-Puff devices usually come with a joystick to control mouse or cursor movements with the mouth, cheek, chin, or tongue — excellent for applications requiring accurate cursor control.

Eye-gazing allows a user to control a computer or device by tracking the movement of their eyes, translating where they look on the screen into cursor movements and selections.

WCAG requirements: 2.1.1 (keyboard), 2.1.2 (no keyboard trap), 2.4.3 (focus order), and 2.2.1 (timing adjustable).

4. AAC Devices (Augmentative and Alternative Communication)

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices help people with speech and language impairments communicate, ranging from simple printed symbol boards to sophisticated speech-generating apps and devices that produce spoken output from user input.

AAC spans three main technology levels:

• Low-tech: Printed symbol boards and alphabet boards. No power source required.

• Mid-tech: Dedicated speech-generating devices with pre-programmed vocabulary, such as Tobii Dynavox.

• High-tech: App-based AAC on tablets, such as Proloquo2Go and LAMP Words for Life, which generate speech from symbol or text input.

Who benefits: People who are nonverbal or have limited speech due to autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, ALS, stroke, or traumatic brain injury.

Popular tools: 

• Proloquo2Go is a symbol-based AAC app for Apple devices with customizable vocabulary and natural-sounding voices.

•  LAMP Words for Life uses a motor-learning approach where each word stays in a fixed location, helping users build fluency through muscle memory. 

• Tobii Dynavox is a dedicated hardware device that combines eye-tracking with speech generation for users with limited motor control.

WCAG requirements: AAC users typically access websites through touch or switch access. Touch target sizes (WCAG 2.5.5), keyboard accessibility (2.1.1), and adjustable time limits (2.2.1) are the most important requirements for this group.

A mobile phone with icons representing color contrast and font size against a light purple background with waving lines.

5. Reading Assistants

A reading assistant is a type of assistive technology that helps users understand and process written text by reading it aloud, highlighting words, simplifying language, or offering definitions and context cues.

There are many reading assistants available that allow people to change the presentation of web content into forms that are more usable for their particular needs by:

• Customizing fonts, colors, and spacing

• Enlarging or reducing text size and images

• Listening to text-to-speech synthesizers like a screen reader

• Reading text using refreshable braille

• Simplified reading modes that hide less relevant parts of the content, such as sidebars and header areas

• Different ways of navigating websites, such as hierarchical menus and search

Who benefits: Reading assistants primarily benefit individuals with dyslexia, learning disabilities, or reading difficulties, but also support people with low vision, those learning a new language, and anyone who processes information more effectively when text is read aloud or visually highlighted.

For people with dyslexia specifically, reading assistants can be transformative. For example, a student with dyslexia might use text-to-speech to follow along while reading an assignment, switch to a dyslexia-friendly font like OpenDyslexic to reduce letter confusion, or use a reading guide that highlights one line at a time to reduce visual crowding and help them keep their place on the page.

Popular tools: 

• Read&Write by Texthelp provides text-to-speech, word prediction, and a reading guide to help people with dyslexia. 

• Microsoft Immersive Reader removes distractions, adjusts font size and spacing, and reads text aloud. 

• Natural Reader is available as a browser extension and a standalone app.

WCAG requirements: 1.3.1 (info and relationships) and 3.1.1 (language of page) ensure reading tools can correctly interpret and present content.

6. Closed Captioning and Transcripts

Captions provide synchronized text versions of spoken content in multimedia, primarily video. Transcripts, on the other hand, offer a written version of audio content, typically in a separate document or webpage.

Who benefits: Both methods are designed for people who are deaf or hard of hearing; however, they can benefit other users, including:

• Individuals in sound-sensitive environments (a quiet library or a noisy environment)

• Non-native speakers who benefit from reading along with spoken content

• Users with auditory processing disorders who need visual reinforcement

Popular Tools: YouTube auto-captioning, Google Live Captions, Otter.ai for real-time transcription, and caption file formats (VTT, SRT) supported by all major video platforms.

WCAG requirements: 1.2.2 (captions, prerecorded) and 1.2.4 (captions, live). Auto-generated captions require review and correction before they meet WCAG standards.

7. Screen Magnifiers

Screen magnifiers are software or built-in accessibility tools that enlarge on-screen text, images, and interface elements, making them easier to see. Some magnifiers also offer color contrast adjustments or text smoothing to increase readability.

Who benefits: People with low vision or difficulty reading small text may use screen magnifiers to help understand text. 

For someone with low vision, a screen magnifier might be used to zoom into a specific area of the screen to read an email or fill out a form. 

For someone with a cognitive reading difficulty, magnification can reduce visual clutter by focusing attention on a smaller portion of text at a time, making it easier to process without feeling overwhelmed by a full page of content.

Popular tools

• ZoomText (by Freedom Scientific) is the leading dedicated screen magnification product. 

• Windows Magnifier and macOS Zoom are built into their respective operating systems. Handheld or electronic magnifiers help users read printed materials by enlarging text on a digital display.

WCAG requirements: 1.4.4 (resize text) requires text to be resizable to 200 percent without loss of functionality. 1.4.10 (reflow) requires content to reflow at 400 percent zoom without horizontal scrolling.

8. Braille Displays

A refreshable braille display is a hardware device that converts on-screen text into braille in real time, allowing users to read digital content through touch rather than sight. 

They work alongside screen readers as an output device, receiving content simultaneously alongside audio so users can read silently in braille, listen via speech, or use both at once.

Who benefits: People who are blind or deafblind, and those who are proficient in braille and prefer reading over listening. Braille displays are especially valued by users who work with code, foreign languages, or technical content where accuracy is critical and audio output can be ambiguous.

Popular tools: HumanWare Brailliant is a well-regarded refreshable braille display that connects to computers, tablets, and smartphones via Bluetooth or USB and is compatible with major screen readers, including JAWS, NVDA, and VoiceOver.

WCAG requirements: As braille displays rely on screen readers to relay content, the same requirements apply: 1.3.1 (info and relationships), 1.1.1 (non-text content), and 4.1.2 (name, role, value) ensure that all content and interface elements can be correctly interpreted and passed through to the display.

9. Cognitive and Learning Tools

Cognitive and learning tools are assistive technologies that help users read, write, and process digital content more effectively by reducing cognitive load, supporting focus, and adapting how information is presented. 

Who benefits: People with dyslexia, ADHD, autism, or cognitive disabilities such as those caused by brain injury or intellectual disability. 

• Dyslexia: Text-to-speech paired with word highlighting helps users follow along more easily when reading.

• ADHD: Simplified reading modes strip away distracting page elements so users can focus on one paragraph at a time.

• Autism: Tools that reduce visual clutter and offer predictable layouts support more independent browsing.

• Cognitive disabilities: Breaking content into smaller chunks and removing unnecessary complexity can make the difference between a user being able to complete a task independently or not.

Popular tools

• Read&Write by Texthelp and Microsoft Immersive Reader both offer text-to-speech, distraction-free reading modes, and visual customization.

• Grammarly supports users who struggle with written expression through real-time grammar and clarity suggestions.

WCAG requirements: 1.3.1 (info and relationships), 1.4.8 (visual presentation), and 3.1.5 (reading level) support cognitive accessibility by ensuring content is clearly structured, visually adaptable, and written at an appropriate level of complexity.

How Websites Support Assistive Technology Users

Understanding assistive technology is only half the picture. For assistive technology to work, the websites and digital products users visit must be built to support it.

For a website to work with common assistive technologies, it needs to support:

• Screen readers: Clean, semantic HTML so that headings, lists, buttons, and form fields are correctly identified and announced.

• Voice control: Visible, descriptive labels on interactive elements so spoken commands like "click submit" or "go to contact" map reliably to the right targets.

• Keyboard-only navigation: Every interactive element must be reachable without a mouse, with a clear visible focus indicator at all times.

These requirements overlap significantly. A site built with accessibility in mind tends to support all assistive technology users better across the board. The international standard that codifies these requirements is WCAG 2.1, and meeting Level AA is the most widely recognized benchmark for accessibility compliance.

For a full breakdown of what WCAG requires, see our WCAG compliance guide. To check how your website currently performs, try our free website accessibility checker.

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Make Your Website More Accessible with AudioEye

There are hundreds of types of assistive technologies, and the people who use them need your website to work with each one. The good news is that you don’t need to account for every tool individually.

Following the accessibility standards outlined in the WCAG helps you create digital content that is assistive technology-friendly. Additionally, because WCAG is a standard for non-discrimination laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act(opens in a new tab) (ADA), following these standards will help you earn and maintain compliance.

That’s where AudioEye comes in. From our free Website Accessibility Checker, which finds 2.5x more WCAG issues than other tools, to our Automatic Fixes and Expert Audits, AudioEye simplifies your path to accessibility and compliance. 

Ready to see how accessible — and assistive technology-friendly — your digital content is? Enter your site’s URL in our free website scanner to receive instant feedback. Or book a demo with our team to see our accessibility tech in action.