Telephone speed dialing, caller ID, free 411 directory assistance, and hand-held voice organizers assist access by telephone. Digital watches, talking clocks, and digital timers help tell time and stay on task. Electronic calendars and computer organizers help manage schedules and other personal information. Assistive technology helps people of all ages and disabilities learn, practice, and use the skills necessary to be independent and successful. Books on tape make textbooks and popular works accessible to people with reading difficulties.
Tape recorders help students review class materials.
Changing a computer monitor's background colors assists reading. It may help people become tax-paying citizens. Computers that talk help people with reading and writing difficulties. Talking calculators assist those with math or perceptual disabilities. An optical character recognition system lets the worker enter text or printed material into a computer by use of a scanner.