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Glossary

Assistive Technology

Any device or software that helps someone do a task they would otherwise struggle with — from reachers to voice dictation.

Assistive technology (AT) covers any tool — low-tech or high-tech — that helps someone with a disability or age-related decline do a task more independently. Low-tech examples include grab bars, pencil grips, dressing aids, and jar openers; mid-tech includes weighted utensils, adapted keyboards, and visual timers; high-tech covers eye-gaze communication devices, voice-recognition software, and power wheelchairs. An OT's role is to match the right AT to the person, the environment, and the task. In Malaysia, some AT is covered by SOCSO (for workplace injury), by JKM (for registered persons with disability), and by employer group insurance; much is purchased out of pocket.