Summary

If you have a disability or injury, you may use a number of assistive devices. These are tools, products or types of equipment that help you perform tasks and activities. They may help you move around, see, communicate, eat, or get dressed. Some are high-tech tools, such as computers. Others are much simpler, like a "reacher" - a tool that helps you grab an object you can't reach.

Learn More

• Assistive Devices for People with Hearing, Voice, Speech, or Language Disorders (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)
• Assistive Devices: Positioning Aids (Slideshow) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Assistive Technology (Administration for Community Living)
• How Does Rehabilitative Technology Benefit People with Disabilities? (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish
• Rehabilitation Engineering: What is Rehabilitation Engineering? (National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering) Also in Spanish
• Rehabilitative and Assistive Technology: Overview (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish
• Speech to Speech Relay Service (Federal Communications Commission)
• The WREX Orthosis: Assistive Device (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Travelers with Disabilities and Medical Conditions (Transportation Security Administration)
• What Are Some Types of Assistive Devices and How Are They Used? (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish
• What Are Some Types of Rehabilitative Technologies? (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Development of Priority Assistive Product Lists in Three African Countries.
• Article: Assistive Technology to Support Dementia Management: Protocol for a Scoping Review...
• Article: Integrating Digital Assistive Technologies Into Care Processes: Mixed Methods Study.
• Assistive Devices -- see more articles

Patient Handouts

• Home Healthcare Medical Devices: A Checklist (Food and Drug Administration)