Health Markets:

Business Communications Company Inc.
Management Report  December 2005

INTRODUCTION

Assistive technology products are designed to assist people who, because of specific disabilities or the general infirmities that often accompany old age, would otherwise be unable to participate meaningfully in economic, social, political, cultural and other forms of human activity in their communities. Assistive technology encompasses a broad range of devices, from “low tech” products such as eyeglasses and large-print books, to technologically sophisticated products such as voice synthesizers, Braille readers, and wireless monitoring devices.

Not only do many disabled and elderly people feel the need to perform basic activities for themselves, but their life expectations have undergone a revolution. They may now expect to be gainfully employed, participate in the political process, and attend cultural and social events, to name only some of the possibilities. Further, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 says, in essence, that participation in the mainstream of daily life is an American right, regardless of race, religion, or disability.

This BCC report assesses the U.S. market for the various types of devices and products that are on the market or under development to enable disabled and elderly persons to move about, see, hear, speak, dress themselves, and perform many other everyday activities as “normally” as possible.

SCOPE OF STUDY

The report contains:

*An overview of technologies used in disabled and elderly care products
*Discussion of conditions and applications addressed
*Analysis of product types
*Discussion of legal, regulatory, and insurance issues
*Discussion of patent and IP issues
*Market analysis, including market size and segmentation and projections through 2010
*Analysis of market drivers
*Discussion of the industry’s size, structure, competition and market shares.

REPORT HIGHLIGHTS

The U.S. market for assistive technologies is projected to rise from $30.7 billion in 2005 to $39.4 billion in 2010, an AAGR (average annual growth rate) of 5.2%.

The market excluding eyeglasses and contacts is estimated at $8.7 billion and rising to $11.3 billion in 2010, an AAGR of 5.4%.

The largest market segments after vision and reading aids are daily living aids, mobility aids (expected to drop from 7.2% of the market to 5.7% in 2010) and communication aids.

Access aids appear poised to increase their market share from 2.9% in 2004 to 4.3% in 2010.

For full details, please email jenniferc@cmsinfo.com

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