The Different Perspectives Women with Disabilities Bring to Technology Use.

There are over 20,000 Assistive technologies (ATs) available today, thereby giving persons with disabilities unprecedented opportunities for full societal participation, yet women with disabilities are frequently less able to take full advantage of these opportunities. In addition to lack of information about ATs and the inability in many cases to afford them, as a group women have typically not had much exposure to and experience with technologies and can find them intimidating and frustrating. This paper first presents a definition of assistive technologies, giving examples of different types. It then examines who uses ATs and identifies the desirability of a model to more appropriately match women and technology. Characteristics of the technology and service delivery, of the disabled person, and of the psychosocial environment in which he or she exists are discussed. The final section of the paper focuses on achieving the best and most appropriate match of person and AT. A list of sample questions to consider about a device's usability is included at the end. (Contains 16 references.) (AEF)