Assistive technology (AT) is a critical part of creating inclusive workplaces.

Choosing the right solution for your organization can feel complex. “Assistive technology” is a broad category that can include everything from screen readers and magnification tools to specialized keyboards and spelling aids. The market also includes many free and consumer-level solutions, which can make workplace decisions more difficult.  It’s a lot to sift through, especially for the uninitiated. The good news is that organizations can narrow the field effectively. In many cases, the best place to start is with the employees and teams who will actually use the technology.  First, however, it’s important to understand AT and how it helps employees who are blind or have low vision.

What is Assistive Technology?

Assistive technology is any tool that helps people with disabilities to access information, use digital systems, and perform everyday tasks more effectively. For employees who are blind or have low vision, this can include screen readers that convert on-screen text into speech, magnification tools that enlarge and enhance screens, and a wide range of other solutions. The goal of assistive technology is to support independence, productivity, and participation. It helps people who are blind or have low vision work, communicate, and advance in their careers.  In 2026, organizations must think about assistive technology in two distinct ways: supporting employees who rely on it to do their jobs and enabling teams who design, build, and test digital experiences for accessibility. Understanding these different use cases is the first step in choosing the right assistive technology for your organization.

Six steps to choosing the right AT for your organization

1. Start with your employees’ needs

It’s critical to start with the people who will actually use the technology. Before anything else, talk to the people who are going to use it.  Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), employers are required to provide reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities. In practice, that means the right assistive technology is typically the one that works best for the individual employee.  One of the biggest mistakes organizations make is choosing a tool without consulting the employee who will use it. When employers make decisions without that conversation, they risk providing technology that doesn’t actually meet the employee’s needs. The result can be reduced productivity, frustration, or even potential compliance issues. A collaborative approach leads to better outcomes for both employees and employers.

2. Know the difference between consumer and workplace tools

Some assistive technologies are available as free or consumer-level tools. These options can be useful for everyday activities like browsing the web or checking email, but workplace environments often require robust capabilities that simply aren’t offered by free alternatives.   For example, enterprise assistive technology solutions typically offer:

  • Greater reliability and compatibility with workplace applications
  • Faster updates when software changes create accessibility issues
  • Integration with complex business tools and workflows
  • Access to training and technical support

In many cases, these tools act as workplace enablers, helping employees perform complex tasks efficiently and independently.

3. Consider centralized access and licensing

As organizations grow, managing assistive technology across departments can become complex. Some companies allow employees to individually purchase assistive technology and request reimbursement. While this approach may work in small environments, it can create inefficiencies and inconsistent access at scale.  A centralized licensing strategy often provides advantages such as:

  • Lower overall costs through enterprise agreements
  • Easier deployment across teams
  • Consistent version management
  • Simplified access for employees who need assistive technology

In some cases, organizations may even make assistive technology available in shared environments so that developers, testers, and designers can access it when needed.

4. Make assistive technology available for accessibility testing

Assistive technology is not only important to the employees who rely on it. It’s also a valuable tool for the teams that design and build accessible digital experiences.  Developers, designers, and quality assurance teams often use assistive technology to test whether websites, applications, and other digital tools work properly for people with disabilities. However, the goal for these teams is different. They don’t need the same depth of expertise required by daily users of AT. Instead, they need enough familiarity to perform functional testing to validate whether accessibility efforts are effective.  Providing developers and testers with access to assistive technology can help teams identify problems earlier in the design and development process. It can also encourage accessibility and assistive technology to become a natural part of the development lifecycle rather than something addressed at the end. For accessibility testing, consumer AT can be very effective. But when organizations provide designers, developers, and testers access to the same enterprise AT that employees use, this helps cover a broader and more realistic set of usage scenarios.

5. Avoid designing for assumptions

Another common challenge occurs when teams test accessibility without fully understanding how assistive technology is actually used. Well-meaning designers or developers sometimes test their work using a screen reader but rely on assumptions about how people navigate digital content.  For example, a developer might assume that screen reader users navigate a website using the Tab key. Based on that assumption, they might try to make every piece of content reachable through tab navigation. In reality, however, experienced screen reader users rely on many different keyboard commands. They may jump between headings, move through lines of text, or use other shortcuts designed specifically for efficient navigation.  Designing around incorrect assumptions can create new accessibility problems instead of solving existing ones.  This is one reason organizations benefit from involving people with disabilities in usability testing. Real users provide insights that automated testing or limited experimentation cannot replicate.

5. Provide training and support

Assistive technology is powerful, but like any professional tool, it requires training to use effectively.  Employees who rely on assistive technology for their work often need deeper training to integrate it into their daily tasks. Developers and testers may only need introductory training to understand how the technology interacts with digital interfaces.  Organizations that invest in training can improve both adoption and effectiveness. Without that support, even excellent tools can go underused. When evaluating assistive technology providers, it can be helpful to consider whether training, consulting, or support services are available alongside the software.

Building an accessible workplace in 2026

Choosing the right assistive technology is more than a technical decision. It’s part of a broader commitment to workplace accessibility and inclusion.  Organizations that take a thoughtful approach—listening to employees, equipping development teams, and supporting users with training and resources—create environments where assistive technology can support productivity at scale. When the right tools are paired with the right knowledge and support, assistive technology becomes more than an accommodation. It becomes part of how organizations enable employees to contribute fully and succeed in their roles.  Choosing the right assistive technology is an important step in building a more accessible workplace. Vispero helps organizations evaluate employee needs, support accessibility testing, and deliver assistive technology at scale through solutions such as JAWS, ZoomText, and Fusion.

To learn more about enterprise licensing, training, and implementation support, connect with a Vispero accessibility expert.