The healthcare industry is constantly changing to incorporate new advances in science and to address new needs within society. Recent developments in communication technology have greatly facilitated the exchange of information and expertise. Telehealth is an emerging field in which health services are transmitted over a long distance using technologies such as videoconferencing, the Internet, store-and-forward imaging, streaming media, satellites, and wireless communications. Telehealth promises to impact the ways that clinical healthcare, health-related education, public health, and health administration are approached. The field of assistive technology is a fast growing area of study. With the increasing awareness of disabilities in society today, and the rapid aging of many Western nations, it will continue to increase in importance. Healthcare costs in the Western world are exploding, and assistive technology is becoming an indispensable tool in keeping costs down while helping to integrate various disability groups into mainstream society. Web accessibility is often an issue for people with visual, aural, or learning disabilities. The discipline of assistive software technology addresses many of these concerns through interfaces such as screen readers, teletext, and mind mapping software. Advances in the area of assistive ergonomics help disabled people adapt to the challenges posed by their physical environments, while assistive rehabilitative technology attempts to obviate these challenges by improving the disabled person's condition. Assistive medical technology is closely related to assistive ergonomics and rehabilitation. It encompasses various devices used in treating and caring for the disabled, such as audiometers, wearable devices and telecare (remote monitoring systems). Telehealth and Assistive Technology 2009 is intended to be an international forum for researchers and practitioners interested in the advances in and applications of Telehealth, assistive software technology, assistive ergonomics technology, assistive rehabilitative technology, and assistive medical technology; to exchange the latest research, results, and ideas in these areas. All papers submitted to this conference will be double-blind peer reviewed by at least two members of the International Program Committee and related technical committees. Acceptance will be based primarily on originality, significance, technical soundness, presentation, and references. The conference chair makes the final decision on the acceptance or rejection of the paper. TAT 2009 will be held in conjunction with the IASTED International Conferences on: · Robotics and Applications (RA 2009) · Intelligent Systems and Control (ISC 2009) · Parallel and Distributed Computing and Systems (PDCS 2009) · Software Engineering and Applications (SEA 2009)