"Thanks to some ingenious assistive technology, this high school student didn't let a birth condition stifle his passion for music. He played euphonium in his school's award-winning marching band from his wheelchair." Click here to read and see more: http://www.edutopia.org/assistive-technology-lukas-bratcher
Click on http://southcountyjournal.stltoday.com/articles/2008/05/05/news/sj2tn20080505-0507aff-atfair0.ii1.txt for "Technology helps the disabled find recreation: A consumer fair for demos and devices."
From the article:
Assistive technology equipment has also helped Kerri Morgan, an instructor in the occupational therapy program at Washington University School of Medicine. She uses a manual wheelchair for everyday use and work. For a while she was using crutches, but that wasn't doing the trick.
"It took to much energy," said Morgan, 33, of the Loft District. Besides her manual wheelchair, Morgan has one she uses for rugby. She is paralyzed from the chest down as a result of being diagnosed with transverse myelitis at age 1. "Technology really helps make things possible for people with disabilities," Morgan said. "I use assistive technology so I tell people we may not do it like everyone else, but I do it with the appropriate assistive technology."
Can you tell I am in the summer mode and looking for something fun to do outside? I found another site that has some larger adaptable “toys” for the park and playground. If you know someone who is building a playground, or if you can convince your community to build one, consider sending them information about how they could make the playground accessible for all. Special Needs Toys (http://www.specialneedstoys.com) has a lot of really cool swings, rockers and other products that might just stimulate some really fun ideas! If anyone has been part of building an accessible playground, please share your ideas and resources!
I was surfing Teacher Tube (www.teachertube.com) the other day and found the motherlode of student-created PhotoStory talking books! Click on http://www.teachertube.com/uvideos.php?UID=51495 to see "Professor McGonagall's" students' books-from No David to The Giving Tree! She even has a TeacherTube video about how she had the students make them! Got to love her...
Toys R Us has been making adaptable toys for many years. They produce a catalog of toys that are labeled with special guides that make toy selection easy. Many of the toys are typical and can be used by any child. If you would like to request a catalog or peruse some of the toys, go to their website: http://www.toysrus.com/graphics/coupon/TRUS_2007-Diff-Abled-Guide2.pdf
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!
Check out this site for some free music that you kids might just love! Music is very motivating for many people as they are working, learning, exercising, etc. You might find something here that “makes the connection” to your student that might be hard to reach. See what you think!
Click on http://www.jonathanbishop.com/Web/Projects/Publications/Display.asp?NoID=62&MID=9&NID=62&Item=9&Anchor=Download#Download to read The Internet for educating individuals with social impairments, which investigates the social and practical implications of using mobile Internet technology to deliver information relating to participation in a social situation.
I know we’ve shown you switch adapted digital cameras before, but we found another one you might be interested in. This camera features a flexible LCD viewing screen and it can also take short video clips. The price is still reasonable and it’s light weight. Check it out on the web and see what you think.
I know this is late for the holidays but I spent some time over the holidays looking at toys and remembering how difficult it can be at times to find the right toy for a child with a disability. Thanks to the internet a lot of the searching can be eliminated. Here are a few excellent resources for finding just the right toy for a child with a disability.
This first document is a booklet created by the Alliance for Technology Access. It highlights the features of several commercially available toys.
http://www.ataccess.org/resources/fpic/accesstoys/letsplay2006/LetsPlay2006.pdf
Able Play is a toy rating system and website that provides comprehensive information on toys for children with special needs so parents, special educators, therapist and others can make the best choices for the children in their lives with disabilities. Check it out at their website:
This resource includes information about recreational opportunities in Virginia for people with cognitive and physical disabilities. It also includes National recreational resources that are available. This document was compiled by VCU and funded by a grant from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center and the National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). There is a PDF copy on the web at
Continue reading "Virginia Recreational Resources for People with Disabilities" »
In a follow up to the blog posting on Friday....Hear Sara sing the National Anthem before a Pittsburg Pirates game using her Dynavox communication device.
Click on http://www.oneswitch.org.uk/4/games/0index.htm for One Switch, a resource for folks interested in "Switch Gaming." The website highlights the latest switch and game accessibility news.
A snippet from the website:
Video games are fun and also give people the power to do amazing things that they would be unable to in real life. With the right specialised hardware, many standard video games can be played by anyone, no matter the disability. "One Switch Gaming" is especially interested in games playable with a single switch, and in campaigning for accessibility features in all games.
Recent Switch Game News
November 2007: 4Noah revealed. A PC utility allowing one switch gamers to control games using 2 to 6 buttons.
October 2007: The Playstation 2 Switch Interface Deluxe is hinted at. The first easy to use switch interface that is 99% compatible with Playstation 2 games is almost here. It's here!
Another free, switch accessible program from Inclusive Technology. This program allows you to record your voice or other sound file and have it played back while a face is animated on the screen. A great motivator for young children who loves the sound of their parents voice. This program allows for one or two switch scanning, mouse or touchscreen and keyboard shortcuts.
You can choose from seven faces that animate, including Santa Claus.
Download it free from this website:
http://www.inclusive.co.uk/downloads/downloads.shtml#talkingfaces
Last week I introduced free switch games for cause and effect available through Brillsoft. Check out this additional game for developing scanning skills.
Rockets! Is a single switch game which introduces the concept of scanning. That is you press the switch when the pointer is aligned with one of the buttons. You load rockets into a container, then press fire and watch the fireworks! It can also be used with a mouse, this is configured on the opening screen.
Download the game at the following web site.
http://www.brillsoft.com/Index_files/Page654.htm
Dredging up some old web articles the other day found this gem, "Fueling the Creation of New Electronic Curbcuts."
An excerpt:
Television (TV) manufacturers in the U.S. will tell you that their caption decoders for the deaf wound up benefiting tens-of-millions more consumers than originally intended. As the electronic curb cut effect has shown in the past, televisions with decoders are simply better than those without. For example, captioning can enable TV viewers to:(Click http://www.accessiblesociety.org/topics/technology/eleccurbcut.htm to keep reading! It's a fun overview of accessbility and you might learn something!)
-search for and retrieve video content, by word, through the use of multimedia databases;
-listen to programs in silence while someone is sleeping;
-listen to programs in noisy environments like sports bars;
-watch their favorite program while talking on the telephone, without appearing rude to the person being spoken to;
-read more effectively, and at an earlier age, by enabling them to see the words being spoken at the same time they hear them (i.e. Sesame Street);
-Learn to read/speak a second language by displaying foreign words at the same time they are being spoken; and,
-Understand foreign programming through the use of native language captions.What follows is a listing of IT innovations, originally developed by, or in support of, people with disabilities that wound up benefiting everyone.
Fab Four consists of 4 single switch games for users with special needs. These are cause and effect games for users with special needs. Download it to try! After all it is completely free, however if you are able, a donation to keep the website running would be appreciated. I particularly enjoyed the pinball game!!
James River Park System is taking a step to raise awareness of accessibility with the publication of "Shockoe Slip: From Top to Bottom," a slim tour book aimed at people in wheelchairs who often are discouraged from seeing historic sites because of physical barriers.
The tour book is the creation of Ralph White, manager of the James River Park System. He got the idea from an aunt who visited Richmond years ago. She used a wheelchair and was frustrated by the obstacles to sightseeing at the city's many historic locations.
Check out the article published in the Richmond Times Dispatch
http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/search.PrintView.-content-articles-RTD-2007-07-11-0009.html
Checkout the Visual Search Mode of the VCU T/TAC online library. Icons are used as search buttons for categories or subject areas. Selecting the Assistive Technology search button opens up several other search buttons for easy “one-touch” searching for AT items, software or helpful links. If you would like to checkout AT Library items call us at 800-426-1595 and ask for our library, or come by the VCU T/TAC at 10 E. Franklin St in Richmond.
Continue reading "Using Visual Search Mode for Assistive Technology on VCU T/TAC Online Library" »
From the National Endowment for the Arts' website:
The National Endowment for the Arts’ Office for AccessAbility is the advocacy-technical assistance arm of the Arts Endowment to make the arts accessible for people with disabilities, older adults, veterans, and people living in institutions. The Office works in a myriad of ways to accomplish its goals, such as providing technical assistance to individuals and organizations in the following areas: to open existing programs and make the arts fully accessible to people with disabilities, older adults, and people living in institutions; and to comply with the Endowment's Section 504 Regulations and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The AccessAbility Office develops a wide range of partnerships with the public and private sectors, including:
The Arts Endowment’s leadership initiative to educate designers, schools of design, and others on Universal Design continues to advance. This design process goes beyond "special accommodations" to incorporate features that may be used by everyone at all stages of life. This initiative includes a 2001 collection of 32 universal exemplars in the five major design fields on CD-Rom developed by the Center for Universal Design in Raleigh, NC (http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud/). On October 2-3, 2003, the Endowment convened a Universal Design Meeting in partnership with the U.S. Department of Education/ NIDRR that brought together experts from academia, the design field, consumer groups, and government agencies to develop recommendations for future funding priorities that would broaden knowledge and encourage the practice of universal design. For a report on this meeting, see the Endowment’s Web site: ud/contents.html.
Careers in the Arts for People with DisabilitiesIn partnership with the U.S. Department of Education, Health & Human Services, and the Social Security Administration, this initiative began in June 14-16, 1998 with a National Forum on Careers in the Arts at the John F. Kennedy Center where 300 participants focused on training, funding, and jobs. Currently, a mentorship program that sponsors artists and arts administrators with disabilities, is supported in partnership with the U.S. Dept. of Education. For more info, contact the Kennedy Center at http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org. Further, a series of state-wide forums on Careers in the Arts are supported with VSA arts and organized by UCLA's National Arts and Disabilities Center (for more information, visit http://nadc.ucla.edu/).
Communicate: Webwide from Widgit software, bills itself as "first symbol-supported web browser" and is intended to turn websites into different levels of picture supported text with full speech support if needed. Communicate: Webwide is a subscription-based service which gives users a flexible means of accessing information online. It will help any reader who has difficulty accessing the text in standard English language web pages.
According to the website, "You can choose between the coloured and black & white Widgit Literacy symbols (previously know as Widgit Rebus). These have a vocabulary of over 29,000 words. You can save your favorites through an easy to access manager. You can add an icon or graphic to remind you what the site is about. There is also a web portal that has links to sites that work well in symbols."
Most interesting, perhaps, is that the product is portable: "Symbols are accessed over the Internet, not from your machine. Widgit are constantly updating the online repository of symbols and vocabulary that powers Webwide. Because Communicate: Webwide is a subscription service, the symbols don't need to be installed on your machine. This means that you will get access to new symbols and extended vocabulary instantly. Every time the program is launched any available updates are installed, so you'll never need to worry about upgrading to receive new features."
Visit http://www.widgit.com/products/webwide/index.htm for a 30 day free trial.
There is a gold mine hidden in Caroline Musselwhite and Julie Maro’s web site, www.aacintervention.com! The May “Tip of the Month” talks you through 10 reasons why learning to use iTunes can simplify your life. Each reason is supported by an explanation of why you need to know it, and how to accomplish it. In most cases, there are references to on-line tutorials that can cover the topic in greater depth. Check this out and dig deeper into her site for lots of other practical information! We gotta love Caroline and Julie for the creative ideas that go into their web site!
Thanks to Vicki for a question about recommend adaptive devices for digital cameras: shutter switches, tripods for wheelchair trays or arms.
I'm not sure if these have exactly what you're looking for but, usually offer some great ideas on AT. Try:
http://www.enablemart.com/
http://www.orcca.com/
http://www.abledata.com/
I'm definitely an iPod fan. I'm trying to be more inclusive in my language by using mp3 player as a generic term but I find it hard to do all of the time. Check out this switch accessible device that allows the iPod (and probably other mp3 players) to be operated by individuals with physical limitations.
http://www.tecsol.com.au/pdfs/switchPod%20Instructions2.pdf
I've also seen an Intellikeys overlay that allows the user to play music that has been stored in the iTunes folder on your computer. Search the activity exchange portion of the Intellitools website for this adaptation.
The Gorillapod firmly secures your compact digital camera to just about anything – anywhere and everywhere! It wraps around posts, trees, and railings, even sides of rocks, to form a stable anchor for compact cameras. Think about how this might provide options for photographers with physical challenges. And at only $14.99---it's a deal!
Go to http://www.jessops.com
and search for "gorilla pod"
Know anyone who would enjoy woodworking but may not know how to make the hobby/trade more accessible? Check out The Able Workshop at http://www.ableworkshop.com/
From the website:
A Site for Woodworkers who have a Disability: The Ableworkshop Forum is the place to get answers, suggestions, tips, tricks, share your knowledge and chat with other users. Photos, tips & tricks include: wheelchair accessible workbench, modifying a bandsaw, scroll saw, accessible storage, barrier-free workshop, and making money with a craft business. These pages are dedicated to sharing that information with others, and hopefully helping those who thought they COULD NOT work in the shop, and make creative wood projects.
Looking for some fun this summer!!!! Check out this website for free downloads of switch accessbile games. I had a great time playing the bubble pop game.
Some of the resources found and referenced by the good folks at the South Carolina Assistive Technology Program website: http://www.sc.edu/scatp/recreation.htm (visit this site! It's clear and easy for those of us on dial-up connections!)
NEW! We Can Play has many ideas for families with kids with disabilities. It can be accessed at www.ataccess.org/resources/fpic/default.html. Toy adaptation instructions can be found at http://www.ataccess.org/resources/fpic/accesstoys/.
NEW! Levelgames has a website devoted to accessible computer games. There are some inexpensive computer games that can be downloaded for free. Their web site is at http://www.arcess.com/
NEW! Deaf Gamers reviews computer games for accessibility from the standpoint of people with deafness. www.deafgamers.com
NEW! Guide to Low-Cost/No-Cost Online Tools for People with Disabilities 2005. Developed by The Alliance for Technology Access (ATA) with the Northern Illinois Center for Adaptive Technology. Online resources are organized by category, free game and recreation downloads are provided. http://www.ataccess.org/resources/lowcostnocost.html
North Carolina's Recreation Access Project has detailed fact sheets on adaptations in specific sports, arts and theatre http://www.pat.org/RAP/activity.html
Giggles Baby locks out the system and lets babies touch any key at all for fun onscreen feedback. Great for fine and gross motor skills, cause-and-effect, low cognitive function, speech-language pathology, visual learners, music appreciation, etc. Every button push results in something captivating happening onscreen. Each title includes 14 activities and over 50 great songs.
Do you work with little ones? Check out this program!
I've been thinking a lot lately about computer games, social networks like Second Life, and access for all people. I went out on the web looking for who else is thinking about it and ran across this great 2005 account of one person's desire to have fun while working on his AT use.
http://www.csun.edu/cod/conf/2005/proceedings/2233.htm is the link for "FUNCTION FOLLOWS FUN: HOW GAMES HELPED ME TO DEVELOP MY SWITCH SKILLS."
Do you work with secondary students? Do your students access the computer using switches? Are you always trying to find age appropriate software? Well, I explored the latest volume of Closing the Gap's Resource Directory and identified many cool academic and recreational tools. We have a lot of these in our AT lending library too! Check out the list below and please add any additional titles that you have discovered!
Test Me, Score Me
Teen Tunes Plus
Attention TeensSoftTouch, Inc.
www.softtouch.com
Switching on Science: Habitats
Switching on Science: Earth
Switching On American HistorySoftTouch, Inc.
www.softtouch.com
Cowriter: Solo
DraftBuilder: Solo
Buildability
Start to Finish Literacy Starters
Don Johnston, Inc.
www.donjohnston.com
Simply Science: Animals
Simply Science: Energy
PixWriterSlater Software, Inc.
www.slatersoftware.com
Functional Life Skills
Functional Literacy SkillsThe Conover Company
www.conovercompany.com
ClickIt!
Intellitools Classroom SuiteIntellitools, Inc
www.intellitools.com
Poetry Power CDAAC Intervention
www.aacintervention.com
Drum Kit
Switch ItInclusive TLC
www.inclusivetlc.com
Check out: http://aimstar.knowbility.org/index.html. The site also has info on AT and recreation---http://aimstar.knowbility.org/at_recreation_leisure.htm
I heard about this just a few minutes ago: Saturday, 03 March 2007
9am - 8:30pm (Phone 851-9890)
Wintergreen Resort: An all-day affair featuring Mardi Gras costumes, tubing and skiing contests, a silent auction, tons of food, and a formal dance. Proceeds benefit Wintergreen Adaptive Skiing, a nonprofit that helps disabled persons hit the slopes.
Check out this article from LD Online: Boosting Inclusion in After School Activities with AT and Supplemental Services (2006) by National Center for Technology Innovation and Center for Implementing Technology in Education
The Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act (IDEA 2004) mandates that supplemental services and assistive technology be provided when necessary to students who receive special education services. While the benefits of such supports can be used to meet the academic needs of students with disabilities, supplemental services can also contribute to the social needs of students in activities outside the regular school day. NCTI has suggestions for how assistive and accessible technologies and other supplemental services can help make activities more inclusive for students with special needs...It is critical that education professionals keep pace with students' desire to be involved with extracurricular activities by making certain that they have access to the necessary assistive and adaptive technology and other supplemental services. This is important not only because such resources are often necessary for students to be successful, but also because federal legislation mandates that students with disabilities have access to after school programs that take place on school grounds. Because many staff members and volunteers involved with after school activities are outside of the field of special education, it is imperative that they are informed of students' abilities and needs, as well as strategies, assistive and adaptive technologies, and other supplemental services that can help address their needs while capitalizing on their strengths.
Click here to keep reading: http://www.ldonline.org/article/9924
Check out this article fron Schwab Learning: Resources for Locating Electronic Text on the Internet: A Valuable Tool for Students with LD .
Electronic (computer-displayed) text can be an important resource for students with learning disabilities (LD), because it can be altered to meet their needs. A child with LD may benefit from changes to the appearance or organization of electronic text. These and other strategies are described in the article, Making the Most of Standard Technology to Enhance Learning.If you and your child are looking for a specific piece of literature or information on a particular topic related to a school assignment, you will find the Internet is a rich resource. You may also search the Internet to locate high-interest material that appeals to your child. There are thousands of books and a growing collection of electronic texts on the Internet, including books still in copyright. Some websites have been enhanced with sound, images, and text that can support struggling readers.
This article details some particularly useful Internet resources for electronic text that may be helpful for your child.
Click here to keep reading: http://www.schwablearning.org/articles.aspx?r=1117
Everyone else seems to know about this except me, so I'm adding this to the blog for others who are also in the dark about it:
http://www.workshopsolutions.com/ has cool environmental accessibility solutions that are (apparently) not copyrighted and anyone can look at and duplicate. Examples:
1. ASHMOBILE (skier) to get people who do not walk without the aid of crutches or a walker to downhill ski.
2. BEACH WHEELCHAIR to allow a wheelchair to travel in sand
3. BOCCIA BALL RAMP to allow a person with very limited movement to compete in boccia ball
4. BOCCIA BALL RAMP 2 to allow a person with very limited movement to compete in boccia ball
5. BOCCIA BALL RAMP 3 to allow a person with very limited movement to compete in boccia ball
6. CAMERA HOLDER to operate a camera with limited use of hands.
7. CAMERA HOLDER 2 to operate a camera with one hand
8. CAMERA HOLDER to allow photos to be taken from a wheelchail without having to be held
9. CAMERA HOLDER 4 to operate a digital camera with one hand
10. CANOPY,WHEELCHAIR to provide protection for those that are light sensitive
11. DRINK HOLDER a wheelchair attachment to hold a variety of glasses, cups and mugs
12. FISHING RIG to allow fishing from a wheelchair without the use of hands
13. FLOATBOARD COMMUNICATOR to communicate by symbols when in the pool.
14. SKEASY (skier) to get people who do not walk without the aid of crutches or a walker to downhill ski.
15. ADAPTED SKIPOLE to accommodate a hand without grip
16. HOCKEY (WHEELCHAIR) to provide a means for a quadraplegic to play hockey.
17. SANDBOX TABLE a raised sandbox for use by a wheelchair bound child
18. SIGNAL GLOVE to indicate directions for those with very little mobility
19. SKIING WHEELCHAIR to allow a wheelchair to be taken along on a cross country ski trip.
20. TOILET - PORTABLE; folds neatly into a carrying case
21. TRICYCLE BACK SUPPORT to give support while in the sitting position.
22. OUTDOOR STANDER a portable unit to assist standing outdoors
23. MODIFIED JOGGING STROLLER to accommodate a growing youngster
24. RACING WHEELCHAIR STABILIZER for to assist in transfer to a racing wheelchair
Looking for Boardmaker or picture recipes for your students to follow during measurement and cooking units? Look no further, as Cindy Glew, Autistic Support Teacher, Karen Conard, Paraprofessional, Lorie Schwartz, Paraprofessional, and Katy Bruno, Speech Language Pathologist, have highlighted their classroom's recipes on their class website. (Don't go here if you're teaching nutrition and healthy eating right now, though!) Their classroom is "a highly structured setting dedicated to supporting students with Autistic Spectrum Disorders" and has students in grades 3-5.
Click on http://www.angelfire.com/pa5/as/cooking.html to see the following recipes (and a lot more):
Cookie Snowman (Made with Boardmaker, PDF file)Microwave Fudge (Made with Boardmaker, PDF file)
Valentine's Day Oreo Cookie Dessert (PDF file - Made with Boardmaker)Will be uploaded during the month of February!
Valentine's Day Parfait Dessert (PDF file - Made with Boardmaker)Will be uploaded during the month of February!
Monster Crisp Snacks (PDF file) You will need butter (witch fat), mini marshmallows (ghost toes), Rice Krispies (werewolf toenails), candy corn (infected vampire teeth), mini chocolate chips (frog warts), red food coloring (vampire blood), and yellow food coloring (yellow spider blood).Will be uploaded during the month of October!
November Pumpkin Pie (Made with Boardmaker)
December Cookie Wreaths (Made with Boardmaker)
Gardening in Raised Beds and Containers for Individuals with Disabilities is a resource from the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service at Virginia Tech. It offers guidelines for setting up garden areas for people with restricted movement, and with the popularity of gardening these days, may give you ideas for planning leisure activities for students (or yourself!). Click on http://www.ext.vt.edu/departments/envirohort/factsheets2/landsnurs/aug93pr5.html.
Also available is "The Unlimited Garden" which has suggestions for working with people with limited vision and mobility: http://www.ext.vt.edu/departments/envirohort/articles2/unlimit.html
From today's Washington Post:
By the hundreds every day, parents and children are flocking to Clemyjontri, the McLean playground with the odd name that has become one gi-normous hit since opening last month.
In its first 25 days of operation, the playground has drawn 12,000 visitors - an average of 475 a day.
At two acres, this field of dreams is 10 times bigger than the typical Fairfax County playground and millions of dollars more expensive. Yet for those who have visited it, the crowds - the 81-space parking lot is overwhelmed - are a small price to pay for the delights of the spacious facility built on a $900,000 rubberized carpet as soft as a putting green.
Designed for disabled and able-bodied children, the park (pronounced Clem-mee-JOHN-tree) sprawls with brightly colored equipment. More than 20 pieces are innovations, including climbable rainbow arches, a wheelchair-accessible maze and a “helicopter? with ramps, allowing children with physical disabilities to fly into the imaginary skies with more able-bodied companions...
Continue reading "Universal design and appeal at Clemyjontri playground in McLean, VA" »
...so let the students make their own spinners.
Wet-erase spinner boards can be used by students and teachers to address a variety of concepts in a user-friendly, hands-on way that allows students to be part of decision-making.
Students can write the options onto the spinners with a wet-erase marker and either use their own or trade with another student.
Assignment length, task type, or specific operations are just a few of the things that can be determined by this participant-centered tool.
Spinners can be used in independent student centers or stations, small group activities, whole class instruction, and extension activities.
Our AT Lab has several sets of 8 of these light, reusable spinners for checkout, complete with markers. Do you teach in Central Virginia and are you interested in checking a set out of our AT Lab for a few weeks to use in your classroom? Call us at 800-426-1595 and ask for our library, or come by the VCU T/TAC at 10 E. Franklin St in Richmond!
Tech4Learning has a wonderful resource, Recipe4Success, for supporting teachers and students using technology in the classroom. This resource includes software tutorials and guides for particular features, tools for creating graphic organizers or rubrics, as well as a multitude of many other resources available for free once your subscribe. This resource will save you lots of time and will allow your students to become more self-directed learners and better cooks! You need to check it out! Go to http://www.myt4l.com/
We like the Savvy Technologist enough to wander through his old postings--and struck gold!
In a 2005 posting, the Savvy Technologist interviewed Earle Harrison, an assistive technology consultant and owner of Triumph Technology, a source for adaptive technology and adaptive media solutions. They talked about universal design, assistive technology, and accessible Web design. Earle mentioned many different hardware and software products during the conversation, including:
* macvisionaries.com
* FreedomBox products including the Key To Freedom
* BrailleSense notetaker
* Kurzweil Educational Systems
* Mobile Speak
* StreetTalk GPS software
* JAWS for Windows screen reader
* Windows-Eyes screen reader
* Building Accessible Websites (With CD-ROM) by Joe Clark
* Constructing Accessible Web Sites by Jim Thatcher
Interested? Click on the link to hear the podcast of their conversation (http://technosavvy.org/?p=298)
...because we can't stop brainstorming uses for the wax-covered yarn and are so glad to see even more ideas posted online at wikkistix.com:
...and the manufacturer's site now posts occupational therapy uses for the cool light-tech learning tools (http://www.wikkistix.com/otuses.htm) as well as general educational uses (http://www.wikkistix.com/educational.htm).
