The Assistive Technology Blog

Engineers at Georgia Institute of Technology have developed tongue-operated assistive technology. According to the July 28, 2008 ADVANCE for Speech-Language Pathologists & Audiologists, this new technology could allow “individuals with disabilities to operate a computer, control a powered wheelchair, and interact with their environment simply by moving their tongue.” According to ADVANCE, the users only need to be able to move their tongue to make the Tongue Drive system work. A magnet is implanted (or adhered to the tongue with adhesive) and the tongue’s motion moves a cursor. Sensors mounted on a headset detect the movement of the magnet on the tongue. The researchers have tested this for computer commands and for wheelchair operations with success. They are in the process of developing software so that the Tongue Drive system can be used with various communication tools. Such Tongue Driven technology could help those who have more significant disabilities such as spinal cord injuries become more independent and productive.
A more detailed description will be published in the upcoming issue of the Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development.

Linda Oggel, SLP

With the start of another school year, we are pleased to announce that our popular Technology Tuesday events are back this year. We have schedule 5 free events during the year. Interested? Download the registration form and FAX it in today. Due to space limitations in our office we limit the number of participants.

So asks one of our readers...and here is the beginning of an answer!

Adaptive technologies refer to special versions of already existing technologies or tools, usually used by people with disabilities such as limitations to vision, hearing, and mobility. For example, in the early 1900s, FDR used a special car with hand controls because he was paralyzed from polio (an interesting vehicle-look it up!).

Assistive technology is a broader term encompassing any light-, mid-, or high-tech tool or device that helps people with disabilities perform a tasks with greater ease and/or independence.

A few weeks ago I wrote about the new apps for the iTouch and iPhone. I told you how much fun I've had playing the games. I've now had more time to explore some of the educational and productivity apps. There are so many educational apps available even several for preschoolers, all about learning colors and shapes; elementary math, foreign languages, physics and chemistry. There are also several apps available for making flash cards for studying. On the productivity side is the to do app, which manages your to do list and sets an alarm to remind you of important tasks. Oh, the possibilities are endless. Check them out, you'll be surprised to see there's more than games available. Although I'm still partial to the games as well.

An interesting article on windshield enhancement may eventually have ramifications for our students with vision concerns.

"General Motors Corp. researchers are working on a windshield that combines lasers, infrared sensors and a camera to take what's happening on the road and enhance it, so aging drivers with vision problems are able to see a little more clearly...GM's new windshield won't improve their vision, but it will make objects stand out that could otherwise go unnoticed...It is enhancing just a few objects that are already in a driver's view, not splashing distracting information onto the glass...For example, during a foggy drive, a laser projects a blue line onto the windshield that follows the edge of the road. Or if infrared sensors detect a person or animal in the driver's path during a night drive, its outline is projected on the windshield to highlight its location. It's possible because of a transparent coating on the windshield that lights up when struck by ultraviolet light. Of course, much more goes into it than that. Sensors have to determine the position of the car in relation to the road, while other devices track the driver's head and eye movement to make sure the image on the windshield isn't skewed. The technological issues mean it probably will be a while before the view through the windshield of a Buick looks anything like a pilot's head-up display in an F-16."

The people at AFB AccessWorld recently published an article pertaining to the accessiblity features of portable digital media players. Specifically in this article they were evaluating the popular mainstream devices for their accessbility to the blind or visually impaired population. They looked into the popular players including the iPod, Zune, Kindle, and Olympus Digital voice recorder. They were particularly interested in using these devices for digital music, books and other forms of digital information. Not surprisingly they found that only 3 mainstream digital players were accessible to the visually impaired population, and only 1 player, the Olympus DS-50 had speech output of the menu screen. This is what the article said about the Oympus digital recorder:

This device is marketed as a digital voice recorder, but it also plays MP3 and Windows Media music files and podcasts, as well as Audible.com books. It is the only mainstream player we found that has both tactilely discernable buttons and speech output for navigating menus.

To read the entire article go to:

Ok, I know this really isn't assistive technology in its true form but it is fun technology and it did assist me in entertaining my son during a long plane flight and train ride. The new apps for the Apple iPod touch and iPhone are truly addictive!! I downloaded a game that is similar to Mario Kart. We had so much fun turning and twisting the iTouch to keep the cars on the road. It had amazing graphics and was challenging even to my video game addicted son. The app cost $9.99 but was well worth the money considering he didn't complain once about being stuck in an airport or train terminal. I also go a free app that was a game with a screen reminiscent of Guitar Hero. By touching dropping buttons to the beat of the music you would score points and unlock more songs.

Upgrades for the app store are available for purchase through iTunes. And yes, there are other more educationally related and business related apps but I haven't chosen to explore those yet. Just trying to have a little summer time fun.

From our local rep:

"Atomic Learning just released a new assistive technology training product – the Assistive Technology Collection. The collection utilizes Atomic Learning’s proven tutorial training approach to help Special Education staff, paraprofessionals, parents and others working with assistive technology devices further understand the software, hardware, tools and devices that they may need to utilize on a daily basis.
The Assistive Technology Collection includes tutorials on assistive technology devices, specialized software, and accessibility features of common software applications. Tutorial series include:
Overboard 2
Boardmaker Plus 6
Read & Write Gold 8.1
Speak Q 2
Word Q 2
Co:Writer SOLO
Thera Simplicity
And tutorials on the Accessibility features of:
Mac OX X 10.4 Tiger
Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
Windows XP & Windows Vista
Office 2003 & Office 2007
Additional series and tutorials will be added later in August."

When we talk about assistive technology, often people think about computers and the infusion of high technologies. However, as speakers Kelly Fonner and Bob Kellar pointed out last week at the AT and Reading conferences, simple strategies such as highlightWEB.jpg highlighting printed or digital texts can make such a difference for struggling readers. Lifting out important words or passages through color-coding can help bring the eyes to a targeted area of text or meaning.

Other low tech AT tools such as a finger writing aid fingerholderWEB.jpg can provide stabilization for those who struggling with handwriting.

Last week my AT colleague Estela Landeros-Dugourd (VDOE Training and Technical Assistance Center at George Mason University) estellaWEB.jpg shared a plethora of e-book readers at the AT and reading conferences. I was impressed with how quickly technology innovations have created these portable and fully functioning tools. For example, the Kindle from Amazon.com provides an electronic book reader that can offer this on-the-go assistance with many of their online books. Other readers such as the Bookeen and the Iliad estellaWEB2.jpg add additional features for reading electronic books, subscriptions to newspapers, and the ability to write with a stylus. For more information, potential users might consider reviewing information at:

From the Rehab Tool website:

ENABLE: People with Disabilities and Computers is a new video that profiles the positive impact of technology on the lives of people with disabilities, including blindness, speech, hearing and mobility impairments, stroke, and cerebral palsy. The video, which examines technology in the lives of actual users, is recommended for educators, disability professionals, caregivers, employers, and for anyone with a disability. ENABLE: People with Disabilities and Computers is closed-captioned and includes narrative descriptions for the visually impaired. It is distributed on a nonprofit basis by RehabTool.com for $17.95 (U.S. shipping included) and is available in VHS, bundled with a digitized version which will play on most computers equipped with CD/DVD players.

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."

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

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).

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

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.

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:

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.

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

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.”

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:

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.

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.

Don Johnston will be partnering with Benetech/ Bookshare.org to provide their Read:Outloud reader as the text reader for providing access to reading materials. This is in conjunction with the recent $32 million U.S. Department of Education OSEP award to Bookshare.org and providing access to reading materials for students with print disabilities. For more information read the link below:

Lately I have found excellent YouTube videos that demonstrate a variety of topics from teachers demonstrating math solutions to children using AAC devices. These videos are valuable when providing training or supporting struggling students in the classroom. But how can you store these videos for ease of access? Try converting these videos and storing them on an iPod. Here is a free program which you can download that will do the work for you.

Just in from the FCTD folks,

Looking for a way to convert video files to be used in power point presentations or stored and play on your iPod or other portable video player? Here is a free conversion tool called Any Video Coverter. This is what they have to say about it on their website:

There is open source software to perform almost every task for video conversion. But if you are one of these windows users who are looking for an All-in-One video converting tool with easy-to-use graphical interface, Any Video Converter provides just that, allowing you to effortlessly convert video files between every format, for FREE!

Wondering where those keyboard shortcuts are in Word 2007? Hold down the ALT key on your keyboard to view all these shortcuts on the screen/ menu

I recently attended a session at ATIA with Linda Burkhart. I have always struggled with positioning a laptop close enough to a child along with switches and objects. Well, Linda solved this problem for me. She made a cover for her laptop keyboard using a corrugated board covered with tempo loop fabric . She then attached small "bumpers" made out of cardboard on the back side, then attached a wide piece of elastic to the corrugated board. And presto.....she was able to slide the board over the keys on her laptop, thus giving the child access to a work surface to place switches and objects, be closer to the screen and also eliminate the possibility of those little hands banging on the keys of the computer!! How great is that simple invention. Thanks so much Linda. I always learn something new from you.

Did you know that the new Windows VISTA operating system includes speech recognition? This added functionality adds a new dimension to the Windows operating system and allows a user to train their voice in less that a few paragraphs. Once trained, they can then use that speech engine behind any open program. Try it in Word for a voice activated word-processing experience. To explore and customize,

Open the Control Panel in VISTA
Open Speech Recognition Options
Start speech training!!

Sometimes it is hard to really explain the impact that AT can have on ones life. Hearing or seeing it first hand is a great way to get the message across. Now with the popularity of You Tube there are many great videos that need to be shared that actually show real people using AT. Check Ellen out on this You Tube site. Ellen demonstrates and explains scanning and how she can activate multitude of devices through her communciation device.

Driving Aids Development Corporation (DADC) has been in operation since 1985. They developed and patented the DADC “500” hand-control system, that allows those who cannot access foot pedals to drive and control a vehicle independently with their hands. Their website includes the products, hand-control installers in each state and connections to automobile manufacturers that may pay the cost of installation of the hand-controls. Anything is possible!

The Center for Implementing Technology in Education (CITEd) has updated and revised the Tech Matrix for writing and assistive technology. If you haven't seen or used this matrix, check it out. The TechMatrix is a powerful tool for finding assistive and learning technology products for students with special needs. The matirx compares features of several products so you can make more informed decisions for your students. Check it out at this link:

The National Center for Technology Innovation (NCTI) recognized several companies for their new innovations in AT at the 2007 annual conference. These are noted below:

Check out this new concept in portable reading devices! v3-ergo__V4948249_.jpg
This electronic device is the size of a paperback book with the ability to wirelessly download books, blogs, magazines, and newspapers. It uses electronic paper, a revolutionary new display technology, to provide a screen that is sharp and easy to focus on in bright and dim light. Text can be enlarged with the click of a button and pages are turned using switches located on the left and right of the page. It’s easy to “save your place” and book mark pages. Kindle holds over 200 books. It’s available at www.amazon.com for $399.00. Visit Amazon to view the video demonstrating Kindle.

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.

J. Rose Plaxen, author of “Adapt, My World!” shares her creativity in this book and on the web by demonstrating how as a parent, she adapted her child’s environment, furniture, materials etc. so that her daughter could participate in life.
Here is a statement from the website
At that time, I realized that with adaptation, Lori is able to reach goals that her non-disabled peers reach with a little creativity. The excitement came when we noticed that she was able to live more independently. When Lori wants to do something that is a challenge, I develop a way to help her become self-reliant.
Something we all need to remember...

ATIA, in partnership with the Special Education Assistive Technology (SEAT) Center at Illinois State University, produces Assistive Technology Outcomes and Benefits (ATOB) to promote the outcomes and benefits of assistive technology for persons with disabilities across the lifespan. The journal is free for download and available in multiple accessible formats.