Where can I access assistive technology for the home within South Australia?
Aidacare:
Provider of healthcare equipment and assistive techology
Multiple locations throughout Adelaide and country regions
Ph: 1300 133 120
Blind Tech Help
David Beames, Adelaide
Ph: 0421 011 420
Can:Do Hearing
Can:Do Hearing is an independent not-for-profit audiology service providing hearing solutions to the South Australian community for over a decade.
59-61 Grange Rd, Welland
Ph: (08) 8100 8209
Catalyst Foundation – Independent Living Centre SA
A source for advice on equipment choices, suppliers, services and training
1/47 Tynte Street, North Adelaide
Ph: 1800 445 272
Home Care Equipment
Provides assistive and mobility products to people living with a disability
Unit 2 / 27 Anzac Hwy, Keswick
Ph: (08) 8293 5503
Independent Living Solutions
Medical and homecare equipment supplier
161-165 Grote Street, Adelaide
Ph: (08) 8410 7335
Link Assistive
Assistive, interactive and sensory technology
11B MAB Eastern Promenade, Tonsley
Ph: (08) 7120 6002
NovitaTech
Assistive Technology Solutions
31 Manton Street, Hindmarsh
Ph: (08) 8424 6160
Stretchy Tech
Inclusive mainstream technologies for people living with disability
104 Greenhill Rd, Unley
Ph: 1300 043 837
TADSA – Technology for Ageing and Disability SA
Assistive technology solutions for disability and age related matters
31 Blacks Rd, Gilles Plains
Ph: (08) 8261 2922
Xtracare Equipment
Technology to improve lives
622-624 Regency Rd, Broadview
Ph: (08) 8266 7000
Your local library may also offer the ability to borrow equipment to test and use.
You can also search for “assistive technology” online, using search engines such as Google. Please share with us any new providers that we can include.
*Please note, resources and service providers that supply assistive technology change frequently. This list is up to date as of August 2022.
Nationwide Resources
Australian Disability Clearinghouse on Education and Training
Resource on disability in tertiary education. Supporting student success by empowering inclusivity and accessibility.
www.adcet.edu.au/inclusive-technology
Assistive Tech
Assistive Tech is a specialist reseller of low-cost assistive technology and augmented and assistive (AAC) devices.
Assistive Tech For All
The Assistive Technology for All (ATFA) campaign is an initiative of Council on the Ageing (COTA) Victoria. Their work is coordinated by a national alliance of peak bodies and consumer advocates spanning the health, ageing and disability sectors. They have joined forces to advocate for a single assistive technology program to meet the needs of people with disability who are excluded from the NDIS.
www.assistivetechforall.org.au
Assistive Tech Australia
Assistive Tech Australia’s purpose is to provide impartial advice, information and leadership that builds capacity and optimises the value of assistive technology in leading a life of choice. www.at-aust.org
Deafblind Information Australia
Deafblind Information Australia does not supply equipment, however they have a database of suppliers from across Australia who do provide equipment for people with deafblindess.
www.deafblindinformation.org.au/services/directory-of-services/suppliers-technology-and-equipment
National Equipment Database (Previously Independent Living Centres):
Through the efforts of Independent Living Centres across Australia, NED has grown to become Australia’s largest assistive technology database with over 20,000 products. NED improves Australia’s connection with assistive technology.
Royal Society for the Blind (RSB)
The RSB’s Independent Living Services provide people with vision loss with the necessary skills, equipment and strategies to live life as safely and as independently as possible.
www.rsb.org.au/product-category/assistive-technology
TAD Australia
TAD Australia provides assistive technology and equipment solutions to help people achieve their goals. Their priority is to provide solutions that are safe, high quality and appropriate. www.tadaustralia.org.au
Vision Australia
Vision Australia provides a range of tools, products and technology to assist people who are blind or have low vision to live the life they choose.
Hearing impairment:
Remote microphone technologies such as the Roger Pen can enhance student’s living with hearing impairments capacity to learn. This device is used by teachers and peers. The speaker speaks into a microphone and this is transmitted directly to a hearing aid or cochlear implant.
Live Remote Captioner is where someone captions what the teacher is saying after hearing it through a microphone.
Physical Disability:
Eye Gaze Technology can be used by people with significant physical disability to operate devices such as computers, tablets and phones with their eyes.
Ergonomic desks, mice and keyboards come in many different forms to support people living with physical disability
Dragon Software is speech recognition software. Whatever you speak is typed on to your screen.
Vision Impairment:
Screen readers such as JAWS can support people living with vision impairment through text to speech software, JAWS is a computer screen reader that support people living with vision impairment by reading what is on the screen.
Magnifiers: Computers and mobile phone cameras can be used to magnify photos and text to support people living with vision impairment.
Want to use assistive technology such as apps, devices or programs? It may be beneficial to talk to your local service provider who may be able to support you with training.
Computers
People living with disability can use assistive technology to access digital devices such as computers. Some examples include keyboards with large, bold letters, Microsoft’s Ease of Access Centre and screen magnifying software, for example ZoomText. Screen readers are another form of assistive technology that supports people living with vision impairment access technology. Examples of these are JAWS software and Apple’s Voiceover.
Mobile Devices
Did you know that mobile devices can be a great form of assistive technology? Many mobile devices contain features that increase the independence of people living with disability. It is important to note that accessibility features change depending on what device you have. For example an Apple iPhone has different features to an Android phone.
Accessibility features include:
- Text to speech. This feature allows the user to select text to be read out loud
- Speech to text: This feature allows the user to speak text they want written down
- Magnification: zoom in on objects using your mobile phone
- Shortcuts for easy access
There are many accessibility features to support your vision, physical and motor, hearing, and learning needs. Learn how to configure these features and set up shortcuts for easy access in Workshop 1: Digital Assistive Technology
Find out more about accessibility features on iOS devices on Apple's support page regarding accessibility features.
Details of Android accessibility features can be found on Google's support page regarding accessibility.
Apps for mobile phones
In addition to the inbuilt accessibility features on most smart phones, there are many different apps available that support people to increase their independence. These include seeing AI, Be my Eyes and Evernote. There are many different services available to support you to use Apps on your phone for accessibility.