The Assistive Technology Blog

Friend-of-the-blog T. recently wrote,
"I am a college student who is looking into software and hardware solutions. I have an learning disability called an auditory processing problem. I process verbal and written information slowly, as well as writing it and speaking it. I have notetakers in most classes, extended time on tests.. all that wonderful stuff. I will be graduating soon. I fear going into meetings, walking out and remembering nothing! My classroom experience and notes from notetakers is ok, but I'd like to collaborate all this information: my own scribbly notes from a notebook, my scanned copies of notes from my notetakers, papers from class etc. I'm looking into either a tablet pc notebook, where you write on the screen, or a regular laptop. I just found out about Microsoft OneNote. I've also been thinking about using a tape recorder, and associated software that will convert the audio files to text files. I'm not going to have notetakers for my meetings at a workplace. Questions: What are your thoughts on this? What have other students and adults with ADHD and a learning disability has to say about these tools? What software works best? Is a tablet PC more problematic than helpful?"

Whew! That's a tall order. Let's start with the Tablet PC issue. Karen McCall is the guru on this. She has presented at CSUN and Closing the Gap on issues surrounding the Tablet PC and people with disabilities; some of her info can be found at http://www.karlencommunications.com/tablet-technology.htm.

In terms of specific hardware, the best comparison seem to be at Tablet PC Talk:
http://www.tabletpctalk.com/faqs/hwcomparison.shtml. As a tablet user, I subscribe to their RSS feeds (http://www.tabletpctalk.com/rss.shtml) and can recommend them as a good source.

As to the entire question about notebook PC vs. slate/tablet PC, it comes down to preference. Convertible tablets, which include a keyboard but still allow writing with a stylus on the screen, are becoming more reasonably priced but will be V-E-R-Y heavy. Not an issue? Than you are fine with a convertible. Otherwise, small slates (like the half-sized Motion tablets) can be used with a USB plug-in keyboard that weighs next to nothing, or even the bluetooth laser keyboard!

MS OneNote is a popular and sturdy (won't crash) product, but also consider Agilix's Go Binder. A comparison of the two can be begun through these links:
http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/showthread.php?t=8401.
http://www.paperlessundergrad.co.uk/pu/2006/02/call_me_fickle_.html
>http://www.paperlessundergrad.co.uk/pu/2006/02/onenote_vs_gobi_1.html

As you're exploring all of these, be sure to visit our TechTuesday wiki on Organization: >http://ttactechtuesday.pbwiki.com/Organizing which includes info on reminder systems and productivity software that meets the needs of people with and without disabilities.

As with all assistive technology, it's going to boil down to "which do you like better--and are therefore more likely to use?" The prettiest and most fun-to-use product is not necessarily going to be the most useful to you in life after graduation.