Adaptive Technology is a broad term used to describe products and services that aid in making applications and tasks more easily accessible by those with special needs. Some examples of a few forms of adaptive technology are briefly explored below.
iOS voice over is a gesture-based screen reader. When enabled, it can describe anything and everything happening on the screen aloud. This program was designed for those who are blind or visually impared; as it's made so that you can effectively use your device even if you can't actually see the screen. iOS Voice Over comes built in free in all Apple devices and can be activated in the settings menu.
Android Assistant is an app designed to easily and efficiently manage android smartphones and tablets. It can speed up a device's running speed and save battery. This app is split into three sections. Firstly, monitor, which looks into things like battery temperature and overall battery health of the phone. Secondly, process, which looks at individual apps and how they consume battery percentage. And thirdly, tools, which help the user access things like a file manager or perform a system clean up to keep the device running smoothly. This app would be useful to those with plenty of apps constantly running, to help stay organized and informed about their devices. The app can be downloaded for free or upgraded for 1.19$ to remove ads.
High Contrast Colour Schemes are used on many webpages to ensure that those who are visually impared, (many amongst them partially or fully colourblind), can read and see everything happening on a given site. Colour schemes are also helpful as they makes content much easier to read on small screens, lower quality monitors and even in poor lighting. Colour Scheme can be adjusted on Windows 7 (through 10) in the settings menu.
Described video is an additional narration track playing along with the original. It has a narrator talking through the presentation, describing what is happening on the screen during the pauses in the audio, and sometimes during dialogue if deemed necessary. Audio Descriptions are made primarily for those who are blind or visually impared and are being seen more in all types of media as the years have gone on. (Not only TV and movies, but also things like theatre and dance).
Adaptive mouses come in many different types, but mostly fall under the umbrella of helping those with motor disabilities navagate on the computer where you'd otherwise use a standard mouse. Prices for these products depend on type of mouse. Different types use different techniques; some like Head Wand or Single-Switch Access use the movement of the head to complete tasks, whereas something like Sip and Puff switch would respond to a users breath. Another example, (that even some people without disabilities prefer to a standard mouse), is an Oversized Trackball mouse as it is more sturdy and hence, less likely for the cursor to get bumped out of place.
A TTY (or a "text telephone") is a device that resembles a normal keyboard, that lets people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech-impaired use the telephone to communicate. It works by allowing each sender to type messages back and forth to one another instead of talking and listening. A TTY is required at both ends of the conversation in order for a call to go through. They aren't so popular these days, but a few can still be purchased online for around 100$.
Guided Access is another iOS feature found in current Apple products specially made for people with autism or other attention and sensory challenges to help them stay focused on the task presented on screen. This feature can be controlled by a parent, teacher or therapist to disable certain applications on the smart device, like the home button or the keyboard. Similar to iOS Voiceover, Guided Access can be ajusted via the settings menu.