To celebrate the AT Help Desk’s 10th anniversary, we’ve compiled a list of our top ten tips for adopting assistive technology. If you’re someone who has recently been recommended assistive technology, or if you’ve been using AT for years but you’re wondering how to use it as effectively as possible, then this list is for you!

Take a task-oriented approach

When it comes to recommending assistive technology, it’s always best to focus on the specific task you wish to accomplish. It’s a lot more productive (and less intimidating) to focus on one particular task first, find the proper solution, and then move on to the next item that needs to be addressed.

Understand and utilize your strengths

It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the things you struggle with, but it’s much better to focus on what you can do. Keeping sight of that will help you make better decisions when it comes to choosing the ideal technology for you.

Know your tool

Both before and after purchasing a piece of technology, it’s important to do your research! Assistive technology manufacturers typically have great websites full of important information that is relevant to your particular tool.

Fine-tune your preferences

Any device or app you put your hands on will have settings that can be adjusted to better suit your specific needs. The complexity and depth of those settings might vary, but we encourage you to check those settings as soon as you start exploring a new piece of technology.

Understand your environment

When adopting new technology, it’s important that you ask yourself where this technology is being used. Some technology may not work well in a loud or chaotic environment. Or, you may need to add another piece of technology like noise-cancelling headphones to make it work. In any case, consider your environment before you make any decisions.

Take advantage of the internet

If you’re having an issue with your technology, there’s so much information available online including customer forums, FAQs, YouTube tutorials and more. Of course, the AT Help Desk is also here for you, so don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have any kind of question about your technology.

Don’t over-complicate your life

Keep it simple. Don’t overextend yourself and adopt too much too soon. We always encourage our clients to choose the simplest technology possible. There’s no need to overcomplicate our lives with more technology than we really need!

Technology changes over time

In the world of technology, what was true one year ago may not be true today, so we encourage AT users to try to stay up to date with their technology, and it can be as simple as googling “__ patch notes or updates”.

Learn to troubleshoot

Troubleshooting is a more universal skill than you may realize. For example, most issues can be fixed by restarting the device and/or app, reconnecting to the internet, or running a repair scan on their device or app (PC users). Once you learn the most common areas to address first, you’ll feel much more confident that if something does go wrong you will be able to fix it in a timely manner.

Consult an AT expert

The AT Help Desk is here for you throughout the entirety of your assistive technology journey. We can make recommendations, provide training, and if you get stuck along the way, we are only an email, text, or call away.

This post originally appeared on the AT Help Desk website.

Tags: apps, assistive technology, AT HelpDesk, Atlantic Regional Office