Assistive Technology is used to describe devices and services that lessen or remove barriers faced by persons with disabilities. Although the term is contemporary, the use of assistive technology is not uncommon. For a long period of time, individuals with disabilities have used a variety of assistive technology to help them overcome demands in the environments and education. Many types of assistive technologies are available on computer to assist in reading information, keyboarding, etc. Some of the assistive technologies are available at the UWI Office for Special Students Services such as:
- JAWS for windows
JAWS is a screen reader for Microsoft Windows offered by Freedom Scientific Inc. JAWS will assist users who are blind or low-vision to use a Windows computer. JAWS has a variety of features, including Braille support, multi-lingual speech synthesis and multi-screen support.
- Dragon Naturally Speaking
Dragon Naturally Speaking is a software that assist students with physical disabilities. It converts speech to text and allows an individual with a physical disability to interact in a normal way with the computer.
Referral to other on-campus resources
The University of the West Indies has campus career services offices, which includes both UWICDS, Office for Special Students Services and Career Placement Services (CPS). These entities/departments gives a wide array of support to students with disabilities. The student with disability is required to take personal responsibility to seek the support that he or she needs.