Presented is a report of findings of a 1990 National Health Interview Survey on Assistive Devices which indicated that about 5.3 percent of the American population are using assistive technology to accommodate physical impairments. Background information defines "assistive technology," describe uses, and reviews recent federal legislative and policy initiatives in this area. The interview protocol is described in some detail. Findings are reported for: (1) prevalence of assistive technology devices and home accessibility features (e.g., about 13 million Americans use assistive devices and 7.1 million live in homes adapted for persons with impairments; (2) age patterns (52 percent of users are over 65 years of age); (3) prevalence rates in the general population (1 percent of persons under 25 and nearly 35 percent of persons over 75 years of age); (4) source of payment (48 percent said self or family paid for the devices); (5) unmet needs (2.5 million persons appear to have unmet needs for assistive technology devices; (6) poverty (people with low family incomes are more likely to use such devices); and trends (use of these devices increased faster than did the population even when data is adjusted for an aging population). Seven tables detail the findings. (DB)