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Guides by Impairment

Resource Guide for Individuals with Language and Communication Difficulties and Impairments

About Language and Communication Difficulties and Impairments

Language and communication difficulties and impairments include conditions such as aphasia (loss or impairment of the power to use or comprehend words, often as a result of brain damage), delayed speech (a symptom of cognitive impairment), and other conditions resulting in difficulties remembering, solving problems, or perceiving sensory information. For people who have these difficulties and impairments, complex or inconsistent visual displays or word choices can make using computers more difficult.

Assistive Technology

You can shop for assistive technology products compatible with Microsoft Windows operating systems made by independent assistive technology manufacturers. People who have language or communication difficulties and impairments may be interested in the following assistive technology:

• Keyboard filters include typing aids such as word prediction utilities and add-on spelling checkers. These products reduce the required number of keystrokes. Certain keyboard filters enable users to quickly access the letters they need and to avoid inadvertently selecting keys they don't want.
• Speech recognition systems, also called voice recognition programs, allow people to give commands and enter data using their voices rather than a mouse or keyboard.
• Screen review utilities make on-screen information available as synthesized speech and pairs the speech with a visual representation of a word, for example, highlighting a word as it is spoken. Screen review utilities convert the text that appears on screen into a computer voice. This helps some people with language difficulties and impairments by giving them information visually and aurally at the same time.
• Touch screens are devices placed on the computer monitor (or built into it) that allow direct selection or activation of the computer by touching the screen.
• Speech synthesizers (often referred to as text-to-speech (TTS) systems) receive information going to the screen in the form of letters, numbers, and punctuation marks, and then "speak" it out loud.

Adjusting Computers for Language and Communication Needs

Find tutorials helpful for individuals with language and communication difficulties and impairments.