The Assistive Technology Funding Manual by the Institute on Disability/UAP can be downloaded in Adobe Acrobat format from http://iod.unh.edu/publications/pdf/manual-AT-Funding.pdf.
This is a detailed guide to Assistive Technology funding sources, from Medicaid and Medicare to private health insurances, and see your rights under IDEA.
This is a fun tool useful in a variety of areas. YackPack is an online audio messaging system that allows the user to give comments, messages and feedback to individuals or groups. Messages are stored and listeners can hear the message at their convenience. YackPack is being used by educators for foreign language learning, distance education, collaboration, and providing narrative feedback. You assign members to your Pack and then you can communicate with all members of your pack or select individuals.
Watch this short video that explains how YackPack works. Then give it a try!
Click on http://www.freedomscientific.com/downloads/magic/MAGic11-promo-dl.asp to access "the MAGic® 11.0 promotional release...a trial offer that lets you try the newest MAGic screen magnification release, which can run with or without the latest release of JAWS® 9.0. This promotional version operates without interruption until September 2008, so that you can try out the most recent product enhancements or take the opportunity to try MAGic in combination with JAWS."
Remember hearing about the KNFB reader?
"Combining a state-of-the-art digital camera with a powerful personal data assistant housed in a custom-designed, attractive case, the knfb Reader Classic puts the best available character recognition software together with text-to-speech conversion technology, all in the palm of your hand. Hold the Reader's camera over print - a restaurant menu, directions, or a memo from your boss - and snap a picture. In seconds you can hear the contents of the printed document in clear synthetic speech. Scan, read, and discard pages; store them for later reading; or transfer to a computer or Braille-aware PDA. The Reader even has a headphone jack so you won't disturb your neighbors...a joint venture between Kurzweil Technologies and the National Federation of the Blind."
Well, we all thought that the knfb reader is cool, but hearing the success stories is cooler:
http://www.knfbreader.com/stories.php.
Click on http://www.microsoft.com/enable/news/newsletter/jul08.aspx to read "Accessibility in Action: Microsoft Lead Software Development Engineer Talks About His AT Solutions for Low Vision." In a video clip, a Microsoft software development engineer talks about his AT solutions for low vision including screen readers, multiple monitors, and screen settings.
Click on http://in.reuters.com/article/health/idINN2934810420080630 to read about how A new device that uses a tiny magnet can help people with physical disabilities steer a wheelchair or operate a computer using only the tip of the tongue. From the report: The magnet, the size of a grain of rice, lets people direct the movement of a cursor across a computer screen or a powered wheelchair around a room. It is easily implanted under the tongue, the team at the Georgia Institute of Technology said. "We chose the tongue to operate the system because unlike hands and feet, which are controlled by the brain through the spinal cord, the tongue is directly connected to the brain by a cranial nerve that generally escapes damage in severe spinal cord injuries or neuromuscular diseases," said Maysam Ghovanloo, an assistant professor who helped direct the work. "Tongue movements are also fast, accurate and do not require much thinking, concentration or effort." A headset with magnetic field sensors detects the magnetic tracer on the tongue and transmits wireless signals to a portable computer, which can be carried on the user's clothing or wheelchair. "This device could revolutionize the field of assistive technologies by helping individuals with severe disabilities, such as those with high-level spinal cord injuries, return to rich, active, independent and productive lives," Ghovanloo said in a statement.
Technology Tuesdays are back for the month of July with our series "Turning Up the Heat on Technology Tuesdays". These sessions will focus more on the "technology" part of instruction. We will be hosting sessions on creating digital media for instruction, creating content for iPod use, and creating mini tutorials for instruction. All of our sessions are full but you can obtain the handouts at our wiki site: ttactechtuesday.pbwiki.com. Look for more sessions starting again in the fall.
Do you want to spend your summer catching up on what has been happening with technology in education? Are you searching for research to support the use of technology to teach content to reach all learners. TechMatrix has a list of nice research articles with abstracts for AT, Math, Reading and Writing, that are current and worth reviewing. You will have to search elsewhere for the full article, but it's nice to have a place to start.
Look on their website under "Research"
http://www.techmatrix.org/
The Role of Psychology in Assistive Technology is addressed in http://www.apa.org/science/psa/jan08role_prnt.html. From the article:
“We know that technology-person mismatches can have a series of repercussions including wasted resources, and people not performing at their functional best. On the service delivery level, device abandonment represents ineffective use of an assistive technology, all of which can be addressed through psychological science.”
Farfalla is "an attempt to create an accessibility platform integrating various assistive technologies." Click on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zA4LbZvBNA to see "a small collection of screencasts of some features of the web application Farfalla, like 5-keys and text-to-speech." The creator plans to release the source code soon- follow along at www.farfalla-project.org.
Here is a great resource for teachers and AT centers. Often times we are asked how a particular device works or can be programmed. Ablenet has created many short videos highlighting the use and programming of particular Ablenet products. Check them out at this link:
http://www.ablenetinc.com/press/multimedia.aspx
Think of the time saver this will be for AT consultants, most practicioners will be able to follow the directions on these short video clips.
Click on http://www.edutopia.org/assistivetechnology to read "Disabled Bodies, Able Minds: Giving Voice, Movement, and Independence to the Physically Challenged." It's a nice piece on AT, mobility, and school participation.
Click on http://www.tmcnet.com/channels/speech-recognition/articles/29308-loquendo-brings-speech-technology-into-home-with-voice.htm to read about a "voice-controlled oven"!
From the press release:
Now, speech technology has also made its way into the home with the introduction of Sophius, a fully voice- controlled oven from Indesit Company. The prototype of Sophius was presented by the company as its latest concept and makes use of Loquendo (News - Alert) TTS and Amuser, a multimedia solutions provider, to allow users to interact with the oven using their natural voice to command Sophius on the temperature and cooking time. For example, "Cook pizza at 180 degrees for 20 minutes."
From the "land down under" comes this wiki which has great information regarding research in the field of assistive technology. This wiki contains links to articles and presentations. It also highlights the need to continue to develop a good research base for use of assistive technology. Check it out: Keeping Up To Date With Assistive Technology Research
Click on http://www.microsoft.com/enable/casestudy/default.aspx to read:
Accessibility case studies [which] showcase organizations that have integrated accessible technology solutions into their technology plans to help individuals with various types of impairments maintain productivity on the job. Case studies feature best practices and lessons learned, as well as examples of why it makes good business sense to provide accessible technology in the workplace.
Case studies include:
- Texthelp Read&Write Software Provides Valuable Productivity Tool for Microsoft Technology Specialist
- Kurzweil 3000 Reading and Comprehension Software Helps Business Leader Reach Full Potential
- State of Georgia: Computers and Assistive Technology Remove Barriers for State of Georgia Employee with Learning Disability
Check out http://callierlibrary.wordpress.com/ for the COMD News: Events and Research in Speech, Language, and Hearing Disorders blog. Description from the blog:
The Callier Library is located at the Callier Center for Communication Disorders and supports the graduate-level programs and faculty in communications sciences which are located at the center. It also supports the work of clinicians in hearing and speech disorders who work at both campuses of the Callier Center. One of the missions of Callier Library is to be a useful source of information to the international community of researchers and clinicians in communication disorders. To that end, this web log of citations and news in the field has been built and maintained by Allen Clayton, the Callier Center Librarian. These news items are gleaned from over 400 sources on the Internet and are provided as a service to our patrons.
Click on http://blog.blindaccessjournal.com/ to read the many entries in Blind Access Journal blog. Description from the blog:
This blog and podcast is all about the blind and our quest for the greatest possible access to all the information available in the world around us. Karen and I chronicle our experiences dealing with a variety of issues as a blind couple, show how we have dealt with various blindness situations and seek comments on ways to constructively address the concrete concerns of accessibility and transportation we face on a daily basis.
Anne Banton and Matthew Press of the ConnSENSE Bulletin have created a great article summarizing all the new Assitive Technology tools presented by vendors at ATIA 2008. In it they highlight a new interactive station to allow wheelchair access to whiteboard technology, the new Intelliswitch Joystick, a multitude of new AAC devices, including a new wearable device from AbleNet, and many, many more devices and applicatons. Click here for the full 25 page report.
ATworkshops is pleased to announce that this workshop is on and space is still available!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
“Making Books Talk for Beginning, Struggling, or Non-Readers”
9:00am – 3:30 pm
Children’s Center School, Winston-Salem, NC
Ken Whitley, B.S., M.A., CCC-SLP, ATworkshops
Workshop Description:
Many persons have difficulty reading. These may be pre-literate children, non-readers exhibiting cognitive involvement, or those exhibiting learning difficulties. This does not mean, however, that these persons are not interested in books, magazines, newspapers, or text-based materials on the internet.
Tools now exist that turn printed text (paper or on-screen) into talking text. Other tools can be used to create talking on-screen books using personalized graphics, sounds, and videos. This workshop will explore how to make text-based materials usable, effective, and enjoyable for persons who are either non-literate or who struggle with literacy. Tools to be examined include the BookWorm, SwitchIt! Maker 2, My Own Book Shelf, IntelliTools Classroom Suite, and WYNN.
Session Objectives: Participants will learn about:
- Non-computer tools that employ recordings to make books talk
- Tools that are used to create on-screen talking books
- Tools which can convert paper or onscreen text into talking text through
the use of OCR scanning
- Using your own digital pictures, videos, and recordings in creating
talking books
Please note: This is a literacy workshop, not a blind/low vision workshop.
Cost: $45.00, payable to ATworkshops through pre-registration. To register, print out the registration form from the web page below:
http://www.atworkshops.com/Making%20Books%20Talk%20Regist.%20Form%20for%20Web%20%206-12-08.doc
Print, complete and fax or mail to ATworkshops. For questions, call ATworkshops at 888-433-5303. Space in this workshop is limited and requires a minimum of 35 participants pre-registered in order to be held.
To view all of ATworkshops’ upcoming trainings simply click on the link below for our calendar.
http://www.atworkshops.com/upcoming_workshops.htm
Info of ATworkshops
info@atworkshops.com
ATworkshops www.atworkshops.com
411 South King Street
Morganton, NC 28655
Phone: 828-433-5302
Toll Free: 888-433-5303
Click on http://www.letsgomobile.org/en/3521/phone-blind-people/ to read more about a "Nokia N82 mobile phone [that is] the first of its kind...The mobile reader enables users to take pictures of and then read most printed materials at the push of a button, using the high-resolution camera in the state-of-the-art Nokia N82 cell phone. Users can hear documents, signs, menus, receipts - most any printed text - read aloud in clear synthetic speech, at an adjustable speed."
Here is a great web site that is worth spending some time reviewing. It is especially helpful to school divisions who are trying to develop implementation plans and consideration guidelines for assistive technology.
The Maryland Assistive Technology Network's new site, MATNOnline is a project from John Hopkins University's Center for Technology in Education (CTE).
MATNONline has a wealth of resources on AT from Consideration through Implementation and Data Collection, efficient summaries of a variety of articles on AT, video interviews with AT experts including Penny Reed and Kelly Fonner, and the MATNOnline Wiki, which is in part a place to house UDL lesson plans and curriculum materials. It also has a variety of How To's for AT products and software (Boardmaker, Intellitools Classroom Suite).
Visit the Maryland Assistive Technology Network at:
http://www.matnonline.com/olms/output/page.php?id=9514
Are you looking for an easy and convenient way to learn about technology, without spending a dime? Except for may be the snack and drink. Slater Software is partnering with Roxanne Butterfield to provide free customized on-line training for your staff!
Some examples include
- Reading & Writing in the Life Skills Curriculum
- Using Symbols for Literacy
- Adapting the Curriculum with Picture it
- Beginning Writers Succeed with PixWriter
- Special Topic by Your Request
For more information:
Email: Roxanne@slatersoftware.com
or call her at 501-525-4893 to discuss your needs and arrange your on line training.
http://www.slatersoftware.com/webinar-info.html
The Virginia Department of Education has recently announced the debut of the "Accessible Instructional Materials in Virginia" (AIM-VA) website at http://kihd.gmu.edu/aim. This resource helps educators find resources and solutions for creating accessible, digital materials for all students with print disabilities.
Here's a new wiki on assistive technology from our friends at the Center for Technology Innovation,
http://simmonsatshowcase.wikispaces.com/The+Read-Write+Web
Here's a new resource for considering universal design in the workplace, http://www.onestops.info/. A great resource that offers a systems matrix for aligning approaches, links to relevant webcast, and links to important resources.
I know that we have posted this in the past but it is worth highlighting again because this list is kept current with the latest technology that is free. Posted on Karen Janowski's blog "EdTech Solutions Teaching Every Student" this entry is valuable to those of us working to create universally designed instruction.
As Karen state is her intro:
My passion is to remove the obstacles to learning for all students and these free tools offer opportunities for struggling learners that promote academic success. When material is digital or electronic, it is flexible and accessible. It is our responsibility as educators to provide materials that promote success. Please encourage all educators to consider using these free tools.
http://teachingeverystudent.blogspot.com/2007/06/free-technology-toolkit-for-udl-in-all.html
Wondering how to stay abreast of the latest trends in technology and learning? Wondering how to locate assistive technology resources on a national scale? Visit the Center for Technology Innovation at http://www.cited.org. Several new resources provide:
A virtual space for taking online courses from the American Institutes of Research.
Links to the Executive Brief, Moving Forward with Technology.
CITEd's Tech Matrix for searching technology/ assistive technology tools, http://www.TechMatrix.org
...and much more!
Take a peek, explore this summer!
There is a growing surge in the market to make laptops more portable and durable. In April HP announced the release of their HP Mini priced around $500. This computer is being marketed for educational purposes so that all students can have access to a computer at their desk and at home. Read more about this product at:
http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2008/080408xc.html
If you want to view the HP Mini. Here's a you tube clip:
Click on http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080509/LOCAL180201/805090496/1274/LOCAL06 to read about how one Indianapolis-area public library offers patrons "such features as magnification software, screen reading software and a video magnifier for printed materials. The workstations include an advanced document scanning/reading system and a large print keyboard."
Now, how great would it be if these were features of ALL workstations?!
Click on http://healthcare.zdnet.com/?p=924 to read "Can Assistive Technology Save Computing," which addresses accessibility and talks about a center for disability support whose projects include:
- DISCO, which uses light, sound, and tactile stimulation to create a learning environment with positive feedback for people with significant disabilities
- BUTTON MAKER, a computing interface for people with significant disabilities aimed at enabling learning.
- VAPP, a videoconferencing system for people with physical disabilities aimed at distance learning.
- Nexus, a home controller with a visual programming language to help people with physical disabilities control their environment.
Cool!
Have you visited the Wikipedia entry on assistive technology? Lots of other people have! Consider taking a look at it and picking up some new knowledge, correcting or augmenting what's there, or just exploring some of the links...click on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assistive_technology to see the entry.
Click on http://media.www.thelantern.com/media/storage/paper333/news/2008/04/24/Campus/Student.Projects.Bring.Disability.Issues.To.Light-3347252.shtml to read more about how Ohio State University has students present research or ideas about disability, instruction, and support at the Eighth Annual Multiple Perspectives on Access, Inclusion and Disability conference this month. The event is two days in length and involves faculty, staff and students attending and presenting sessions about topics relating to disability issues such as universal design, accommodating disabled students in classrooms and translating Shakespeare into sign language.
What a great idea-pulls in supports from more than just the classroom and keeps disability support and AT in the forefront. Every university school of education should do this!
This is so awesome. You've got to try it. Now you have the capability of sending e-mails by using your cell phone (or any phone). By calling a toll free number and speaking your message, your message is then converted to text and sent via e-mail. It can also send your message via a text message. Or how about this one, set your cell phone as a reminder to go off for an appointment. Oh, the uses we can have for this. Check it out and start Jotting.
Wonder what an article about AT in your classroom might look like in your local paper? Click on http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2008/04/21/technology_puts_more_pupils_in_the_mainstream/ to read a recent article in the Boston Globe about a teacher's use of "universal design" class and her students' use of AT devices.
Sometimes it is hard keeping up with all of the new resources that have been created to help our school divisions learn more about assistive technology. The Georgia Assistive Technology Project (GPAT) has been a national leader in assistive technology for years. Many of us use their assistive technology resource guide with AT teams in school divisions. I recently discovered that GPAT has now linked video clips to their Assistive Technology Resource Guide. This is a great resource for many of our school divisions who are still struggling to learn about AT. Thanks to GPAT for providing us with another great tool!!
Looking for a web-based tool to convert text or other files to an audio format? Something that could be an Mp3 file that you could download to an Mp3 player (such as an iPod)? Something that could offer flexibility to a range of users styles and approaches? Consider Spoken Text!
Spoken Text offers that functionality and allows users to easily convert the following into Mp3 formats:
Convert pdf to mp3
Convert doc to mp3
Convert ppt to mp3
Convert txt to mp3
Convert html to mp3
Enter text directly to convert to mp3
Convert RSS feeds to mp3
Convert emails to mp3
Convert web pages to mp3
For more information, visit http://www.spokentext.net
Click on http://itp.nyu.edu/assistive/blog/ to read the Assistive Technology Blog of the
Interactive Telecommunications Program at NYU. Very cool! Check out the Camera 4K project...
Click on http://www.usnews.com/blogs/on-medicine/2008/3/28/to-stay-at-home-seniors-will-embrace-technology.html to read a summary of (and access links to) recent reports on getting assistive technology devices and solutions into the hands of members of the increasingly aging US population. Tips for family/caregivers are also referred to in the article.
Making flash cards to memorize all those words and terms? Well, flash cards are handy but could get messy. Or maybe you're using a study guide. Less messy...but they tend to be as big as telephone books straining more than your brain muscle. Now, with Mobile Prep you can study right from your cell phone!! Mobile Prep delivers flashcards, multiple choice quizes, and study guides right to your cell phone. Check out their website for more information. What a cool idea!
The Family Center on Technology and Disability has an interesting article this month on the history of AT. As they note,
"In the beginning the technology had no defining name. Its pioneers included earnest engineers aiming to help their own kids with disabilities or their friends’ children, or a neighbor or a school. Then, in 1982, a writer specializing in this emerging technology, while researching an article he was preparing for the Washington Post, tried to conjure an evocative name for what he was describing. “The story was about a blind user of a talking terminal. I began to jot down possible names for the technology, but I couldn’t pronounce them,” recalls the writer, John M. Williams a lifelong stutterer. “All the words were associated with ‘aids’ or ‘helps.’ Then I arrived at the word ‘assists.’ I looked at that word on my writing pad and said to myself, ‘Yes, that’s what the technology does, it assists. But I couldn’t pronounce the various forms of ‘assists’ - until I came to assistive technology. That was a term I could pronounce. I used the term in the story and the editor let it go by.” Soon, he remembers, friends and colleagues began telling him how much they liked the name assistive technology. “They said it was unique, accurate and memorable.”
To read more, visit http://www.fctd.info/resources/newsletters/index.php
The folks at EASI have shared some of their previous webinars on the growing explosion around digital text. These include both the Powerpoint with audio files and transcription (a great example of accessibility in action). To review these, note below:
Bookshare audio: http://easi.cc/archive/bshare/bshare.htm
Bookshare Web: http://www.bookshare.org
NLS audio: http://easi.cc/archive/nls/lib.mp3
NLS Web: http://loc.gov/nls
The Wall Street Journal just posted an article about how "the prospect of renovating to accommodate...disabilities may seem daunting, experts say there are ways to keep costs down, including potential federal tax deductions and assistance from nonprofit and government groups." Click on http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120742884133292721.html?mod=googlenews_wsj to read more.
Here's a trick for printing on your Post-It Notes. The possibilities are endless for using this trick. Use it for making quick data checklists, create proofreading checklists for your students, enter information for the student to create a timeline, etc.
Here's the trick: Open power point. Select file. Select Page Set Up. Change width and height to 7.5. Select OK. Create your layout for the Post-It note. If you want to make the same Post It note then select duplicate slide from the Insert menu. Create 4 slides. Then from File menu, select print. Print handouts, 4 to a page. Print. Then take post it notes and lay over each image on the sheet. (See how great it fits). Run that page back though your printer again by selecting Print, handouts, 4 to a page. The trick will be orienting the page correctly in your printer.
Here's a new cool tool for reading the text online. Readthewords provides the ability to enter text and have audio reading for the user's listening pleasure. To read more, visit http://readthewords.com
Use the conditional formatting tool in excel to create a self checking activity for your students. The possibilities are endless. A definition can be entered into one cell and the student will be asked to type in the corresponding vocabulary word into the blank cell. By selecting conditional formatting from the format menu you can format the cell to turn green if the correct word is entered. Then format the cell to turn red if the word is not correct. The same procedures can apply for entering algebra or other math equations. Thanks to Tammy Worcester from ESSDACK in Kansas for this wonderful tip.
The "IT Director" (http://www.it-director.com/business/compliance/content.php?cid=10317) recently posted an article about the Epoc Headset from Emotive Systems.
"The headset is a lightweight ‘hat’ which uses electroencephalography (EEG), to measure brainwaves, and a gyroscope, to detect head movements. The signals are sent wirelessly to a processor. Analysis of the signals enables the system to recognise such things as Facial expressions...Desired force (lift an object or push it way)."
This is why he says it is cool:
"The market for this device is for serious gamers so their avatar can replicate facial expressions, or if boredom sets in, the game could be made more compelling. The thing that really excited me about this device is the price; it is being suggested that when it becomes publicly available later this year it will retail for around 300 US dollars. I assume it is this inexpensive because it is aimed at a very large potential market...the headset could be used for more mundane computing tasks such as moving a mouse pointer on a screen, drag and drop (focus on an object, close one eye to indicate drag, move the head and then open the eye to drop) etc."Click on the link above to read more!