ICTs and accessibility

This page provides links to resources, initiatives and organisations working with ICTs to support people with disabilities, grouped by type of disability (see also Practical Advice sub-page):

General

• AbilityNet – UK focus – a wide range of free expert resources about the many ways that technology can help people with disabilities.
• ADD International – fights for independence, equality and opportunity for people with disabilities living in poverty in Africa and Asia.
• Apple – Accessibility – Apple has been a long-standing champion of universal accessibility.
• Business Taskforce on Accessible Technology
• CAST – Universal Design for Learning – a nonprofit research and development organisation.
• Closing the Gap – helping link children with disabilities with the right technologies
• Community Inclusion Through Technology International – The CITTI Project builds capacity of communities in developing countries to use assistive technology for people with disabilities.
• David Banes Access – access and inclusion through technology
• European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education
• G3ICT – The Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs
• IBM Accessibility creating an accessible workplace, including hardware checklist
• Inclusive Design Research Centre at OCAD University.
• ITU Persons with Disabilities pages on digital inclusion
• Living Inclusion – an initiative and campaign by GIZ on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, offering persons with disabilities from different regions a platform for their stories.
• Microsoft’s guides and resources: Microsoft’s Accessibility in Education – guides and resources for education for those using Microsoft software; Microsoft’s Accessibility in the Classroom – guides and resources on accessibility in the classroom.
• MyAccessible.eu – Collective awareness platform. Developing tools for collectively gathering and sharing information on the accessibility of public places in Europe.
• Shambles ICT and Special Needs listing.
• Telecentre for Disabilities – a group working to promote and improve telecentres’ knowledge on ICTs for people with disabilities.
• UNESCO feature on people with disabilities and ICT
• University of Buffalo Assistive Technology Training Online Project
• University of Toronto Adaptive Technology Resource Centre
• W3C World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Accessibility Initiative
• World Health Organisation Global Cooperation on Assistive Technology (GATE) initiative

Autism Spectrum Disorders (and wider intellectual disabilities)

• Autism-PDD Resources Network
• Autism Support Network
• Autism Society of America‘s web-site
• BitIRA – Alexandra Chappell’s Teaching Math and Computer Science to Kids with Special Needs with a particular focus on autism and an emphasis on its use for the cryptocurrency sector
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (USA) – Autism Spectrum Disorder links
• DXC Dandelion Programme – building  valuable Information Technology skills and careers for people on the autism spectrum
• Hao2 – social firm promoting inclusive innovation, especially for autism
• National Autistic Society (UK)
• National Autism Center (USA) – resources for families
• Pacific Medical Training – Autism Spectrum Disorder, focusing on diagnosis, behaviours and risk factors
• University of Washington, Seattle (USA) DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology) Center – Accommodation Resources: Autism Spectrum Disorders/Asperger Syndrome
• Wonder Moms – a project by three moms to share real talk, helpful information, and practical advice with parents of kids who have intellectual disabilities, Down syndrome, autism, language and speech delays, deafness, chronic illness, and traumatic brain injury.

Blind and Visually impaired

• Adaptive Technology Centre for the Blind Ethiopia
• Be My Eyes – connects blind people with volunteer helpers from around the world via live video chat.
• DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System) consortium.
• European Blind Union – works towards an accessible and inclusive society with equal opportunities for blind and partially sighted people to fully participate in all aspects of social, economic, cultural and political life.
• Inable – Empowering blind and visually impaired students in Africa through assistive computer technology.
• JAWS (Job Access With Speech)
• National Federation of the Blind of the UK
• Natural Reader – Text to Speech software with natural sounding voices.
• NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access) is a free “screen reader” which enables blind and vision impaired people to use computers.
• Royal National institute of Blind People (UK)
• Sightsavers International seeking to eliminate avoidable blindness and equality for people with disabilities.
• Special Books by Special Kids (and Facebook page) –  mission is to show the beauty of our differences while promoting unity.
• TapTapSee – a mobile camera application designed specifically for the blind and visually impaired iOS users.
• World Blind Union

Deaf and Hearing Impaired

• American Sign Language browser showing clips of signing
• British Sign Language site showing clips of signing
• Royal National Institute for Deaf People (UK)

Learning disabilities (including reading)

• Lucid Research‘s SPOT online dyslexia screening and positive strengths profiler
• Tawasol – bilingual Arabic / English symbol dictionary of the most frequently used words in spoken and written communication (Tawasol in Arabic) represented by images and pictograms
• Teachers with Apps: 50 best iPad Apps for Reading Disabilities

Physical (including chemical and neurological)

• C-Leg prosthetics – The C-Leg is the original, most popular computerized prosthetic leg
• Cleaner Indoor Air Campaign – focusing on the importance of cleaner indoor air, especially for those with chemical sensitivities
• OptiKey – an assistive on-screen keyboard which runs on Windows. It is designed to be used with a low cost eye-tracking device to bring keyboard control, mouse control and speech to people with motor and speech limitations, such as people living with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) / Motor Neuron Disease (MND)

Sensory processing

• Airfilters – useful page on home solutions for those with sensory processing issues and sensitivities

Especial thanks to Sarah Brian and Alexandra Chappell for suggestions of material that has been added to this page.

Updated 6 January 2023