Developing an Open Source Assistive Technology Online Community

Information Technology has changed the world in every aspect. Society has seen its impact amongst nations, finance, medical services, education, and ourselves [1]. Entering into the 21st century, computers and the Internet greatly expanded [2]. Individuals use the Internet daily, whether it is email, logging into Facebook and checking statuses, or conducting research, the Internet is here to stay and will only continue to be further integrated within our lives. As much as the numbers of younger people who use the Internet increase, there are also older people that use the Internet and computers to communicate online, as well as perform other leisure activities. Unfortunately, the majority of people and engineers within the computing industry have not realized the difficulty between computers and people with disabilities. That is now evident in today’s world. Assistive Technologies (AT) has allowed people with disabilities to use modified computer components and software to explore the potential of Information Technology.