Databases of Assistive Technology

By presenting and describing these resources, Industry Canada hopes:

• The public will find it easier to identify sources for information about assistive technology products and services for their needs and
  
• Manufacturers, vendors and service providers will be better able to decide which databases they should be registered with to promote their products and services.
  

Information about the AT-databases

Information for users
Briefly describes each database and provides a link to its host organization and to the main page of the database.

Information for submitters
Describes how to contact the database administrators and summarizes the information required for submission to that database.

Choosing the Right Databases
A simple tool to help AT organizations decide which databases they should be registered with to ensure the best national and international exposure for their products and services. Answer these questions to see our suggestions.

About this section.

These databases are created and maintained by a wide variety of sources — commercial organizations, research centres, government agencies, community organizations and interested individuals.

Although some of these databases make an attempt to be comprehensive listings, most are generally restricted by geographical or political boundaries (e.g. by province or country) or by discipline (e.g. specializing in rehabilitation or vision products). Another reason for limited content is that most of these databases require the manufacturer, distributor or vendor of a product or service to approach the database owners and request that entries be created.

With so many databases — hosted by so many different organizations — competing for the attention of consumers, it is not surprising that businesses haven't been able to keep up with the administrative work necessary to populate all these resources. For those companies that have made the effort to list their products and services widely, it is a further task to make sure that up-to-date information is maintained in these databases. It is usually the responsibility of the submitter to ensure this currency of information. Very few of the organizations that host these databases have any automatic mechanism for reminding submitters to periodically review and renew their product or company information.