Assistive Technology to Enhance Leisure Activities 

Leisure activities often get overlooked when discussing areas where AT is important. Many people don't see the ability to participate in leisure activities as a necessary component of living independently. Think of all of the leisure activities people take part in everyday, what would it be like not to be able to read a book, watch TV, or play a game independently? Fortunately, for people with disabilities, there are AT adaptations that allow people with various disabilities to independently participate in just about any leisure activity.  There are so many AT devices for leisure activities, it would be nearly impossible to name them all, but here are some examples broken down into categories by disability

There are many types of AT that help people with visual impairments independently participate in leisure activities. One of the most common activities people with visual impairments will have difficulty with is reading books. To provide accessibility, books are available in large print, Braille, or audio form. The National Library Service for the Blind has a vast collection of large print books, Braille books, and books-on-tape that are available on loan to people with visual impairments free of charge. Other examples of AT for leisure activities include large print or Braille playing cards, dice, game boards, dominoes, and bingo boards.

When discussing leisure activity-related AT for people with various types of physical impairments, keep in mind that there is most likely some type of AT for whatever leisure activity that person would like to pursue. If the individual would like to read a book, but has problems turning pages, electronic page turners with various access methods are available. If the individual enjoys playing video games but cannot access small buttons, there are adapted controllers available either with larger buttons or that can be accessed through a sip and puff switch. In the previous paragraph, playing card options were discussed for people with visual impairments. For people with physical impairments, card holders and automatic shufflers make it easier to participate independently in card games. For any activity where gripping something is involved (painting, writing, gardening, etc.), AT devices that make objects easier to grip (larger handled paint brushes, large diameter pencils, shovels that can hook around one's hand) are available. There are even AT devices allowing people with physical disabilities to participate in sports. One of the most popular devices is a bowling ramp which allows the user to bowl by aiming the ramp, and then pushing the ball down the ramp toward the pins, bypassing the user's inability to grip and roll the ball with force. There are also special golf carts which have swiveling seats that allow the user to be strapped into a seat and placed in a standing position near the ball so they can swing and hit the golf ball if they cannot independently stand. These are only a few AT examples from a broad range of activities.

Closed captioning and closed captioning devices are important leisure-activity AT options for people with hearing impairments. Closed captioning allows people with hearing impairments to enjoy dialogue they are otherwise unable to hear on TV shows, movies, videos, or DVDs. Captioning devices are handheld devices which necessary text is delivered for people with hearing impairments to read. These devices are best used where text isn't typically already displayed such as movie theaters, theme parks, zoos, or tours with a lot of spoken information.

Whether they are perceived to be important or not, leisure activities play a large role in everyone's life. Thus having independent access to desired leisure activities is essential to living independently. This section has given a few examples of AT devices for people with visual, hearing, and physical disabilities. It is important to understand that regardless of disability, there is most likely an AT device to help participate independently in the desired activity. 

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