Assistive technology, adaptive strategies, and accessibility

6 min read · BoK 1BC· p. 9–10

Learning objectives (3)

Distinguish assistive technology, adaptive strategy, and accessibility
Give ICT and physical environment examples of each
Identify who is responsible for each type of support

Why it matters

Before you can remove barriers, you need shared vocabulary. The three concepts in this lesson — assistive technology, adaptive strategies, and accessibility — often get confused or used interchangeably in the field. Knowing which is which sharpens both your analysis and your recommendations. (BoK p. 9)

Assistive technology

Assistive technology (AT) is any hardware or software whose primary purpose is to help a person with a disability complete tasks. The BoK distinguishes two layers: (BoK p. 9)

Purpose-built AT is designed from the start for access: a screen reader, a refreshable braille display, a power wheelchair.
Adaptive technology repurposes mainstream technology: a standard keyboard fitted with a keyguard overlay, or a tablet mounted to a wheelchair arm.

The user, not the organization, typically owns and controls their AT. Employers and schools may fund AT, but the technology travels with the person.

ICT examples

Screen readers (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver) translate on-screen content to synthesized speech or braille.
Switch-access devices allow a user to navigate an interface with one or two physical switches.
Magnification software enlarges on-screen content for users with low vision.

Physical environment examples

A power lift on a vehicle is AT for a wheelchair user.
Captioning equipment in a conference room is AT for a person who is deaf.

Adaptive strategies

An adaptive strategy is a technique — not a device — that a person uses to work around a limitation using tools that are already present. No specialized hardware is required. (BoK p. 9)

Examples:

Increasing the system font size in the operating system’s accessibility settings.
Using keyboard shortcuts exclusively to avoid a mouse (useful for people with repetitive strain injury).
Tilting a monitor to reduce glare for someone with light sensitivity.

Adaptive strategies are user-controlled and personal. They adapt mainstream technology without modifying it.

Accessibility

Accessibility is a property of the design itself — how well a product, space, or service works for people with diverse abilities, without requiring the user to bring their own tools. (BoK p. 10)

When a website has properly coded headings, descriptive link text, and captions on videos, it is accessible. The user does not need to own any AT to benefit. When a building has ramps, wide doorways, and tactile flooring, it is physically accessible.

Who is responsible?

This is the key policy distinction:

AT is often the user’s responsibility (though employers, schools, and programs fund it).
Adaptive strategies are entirely the user’s choice and toolbox.
Accessibility is the responsibility of the designer, developer, or organization. (BoK p. 10)

A law like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) targets accessibility — it holds organizations responsible for what they build, not what users bring.

Real-world example

A government agency launches a new benefits portal. A screen reader user finds the forms unlabeled — AT can read the page but cannot interpret it. The fix is not “make users get better AT.” The fix is to add proper form labels: an accessibility improvement that benefits all AT users and reduces the agency’s legal exposure.

Key terms

Assistive technology (AT): Hardware or software that helps a person with a disability perform tasks that would otherwise be difficult or impossible. (BoK p. 9)
Adaptive technology: Technology modified from its original purpose to support a person's functional needs — a subset of AT. (BoK p. 9)
User agent: Any software that retrieves and renders web content — browsers, media players, screen readers — and through which AT often interfaces. (BoK p. 9)
Adaptive strategy: A technique a person uses to interact with mainstream technology in a non-standard way, without specialized hardware. (BoK p. 9)
Accessibility: The degree to which a product, environment, or service is designed to be usable by people with the widest possible range of abilities. (BoK p. 10)
ICT: Information and Communications Technology — the broad category covering computers, mobile devices, software, and web content. (BoK p. 10)

Check yourself

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A user with a repetitive strain injury avoids using a mouse entirely and navigates their computer using only keyboard shortcuts built into the operating system. No specialized hardware is involved. Which term best describes what this user is doing?

a) Using assistive technology
b) Employing an adaptive strategy — correct answer
c) Relying on built-in accessibility
d) Using adaptive technology

Explanation: Adaptive strategies are personal techniques that use mainstream technology in non-standard ways without requiring specialized hardware. Keyboard-only navigation using built-in OS shortcuts is a textbook example. AT, by contrast, is a specific product (screen reader, switch, etc.) whose primary purpose is access support (BoK p. 9).

A bank's online account portal is redesigned so that all form fields have visible labels, sufficient color contrast, and keyboard-navigable controls. No specialized software is required for a screen reader user to complete a transaction. According to the BoK, who bears primary responsibility for this improvement?

a) The user, by configuring their screen reader to handle unlabeled fields
b) The AT vendor, by updating the screen reader to parse the portal
c) The organization that designed and deployed the portal — correct answer
d) The browser vendors, through built-in accessibility features

Explanation: The BoK distinguishes clearly: AT is the user's tool; accessibility is the organization's responsibility. A portal with proper labels and keyboard navigation is accessible — users need not bring specialized tools to gain equal access. This responsibility distinction is a recurring exam theme (BoK p. 10).

A standard office keyboard is fitted with a keyguard — a plastic overlay with holes over each key to help a user with motor tremor press individual keys accurately. How does the BoK categorize a keyguard?

a) An accessibility feature, because it enables keyboard use for more people
b) An adaptive strategy, because the user chose this approach themselves
c) Adaptive technology, because it repurposes a standard keyboard for a specific functional need — correct answer
d) A user agent, because it interfaces between the user and the computer

Explanation: The BoK defines adaptive technology as mainstream technology modified or repurposed to meet a disability-related need — a subset of the broader AT category. A keyguard is the classic physical example: it takes a standard keyboard and adapts it for users who cannot reliably press a single key at a time (BoK p. 9).

Sources

BoK references

Section 1BC — IAAP CPACC Body of Knowledge v4.0 (Oct 2023), p. 9–10