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| timkraft | I-Phone applications for memory aid and "to do" lists | AAC Software | 7 | Oct 8 2009, 3:33 PM EDT by timkraft | ||||
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Thread started: Oct 6 2009, 6:26 PM EDT
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Has anyone found a really good I-phone app for use as a memory aid? We are working with an Iraq war vet with a TBI who is looking for something along the lines of a voice recorder, but with the ability to create audio reminders. At programmed times, the device would ring or vibrate, the user would look at the screen, touch an icon and hear an audio recording representing the reminder, like "Doctor Jones appointment at 3:00" and daily reminders like, "time for your 3 PM medications".
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| Janiy | Hello world | Discussion Forum | 0 | Oct 7 2009, 4:56 AM EDT by Janiy | ||||
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Thread started: Oct 7 2009, 4:56 AM EDT
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Forum results show how conflicted public thinking can be and suggest how much needs to be done.
The topic of healthcare is something should be thinking and talking about assistant Extension specialist, citizen engagement and public deliberation. When it comes to the public what will be done and what will the public be prepared to do? These are questions that need to be discussed and public forums are an excellent way for communities to come together and discuss their options and opinions. _____________ Stair lifts
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| SLPinOhio | Classic Intellikeys Keyboard: Need old software | Discussion Forum | 1 | Sep 28 2009, 6:03 AM EDT by invisiblebloke | ||||
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Thread started: Sep 27 2009, 8:48 AM EDT
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I have a PowerBook with hardly any memory on it. Does anyone have a floppy with a tiny bit of software and an overlay that I can use? The alphabet overlay is pretty boring for my profoundly impaired kids. Please email me at: flahertycarol@hotmail.com
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| akmrail | Qualified to do AT Assessments or not? | Discussion Forum | 1 | Sep 28 2009, 5:50 AM EDT by invisiblebloke | ||||
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Thread started: Sep 27 2009, 10:00 AM EDT
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I have been trying to find out for a few years now what qualifies someone to do an "AT Assessment/Eval" and keep getting mixed messages. I have a strong background in technology and accessibility but I am not an OT, PT, SLP, etc.. I have received my ATACP through CSUN and am currently working on my ATP through RESNA. I am certified through several of the major AT manufacturers and have been working for my state's AT program (funded by the Tech Act Grant) for the past 5 years. Recently an SLP spoke to a group of state leaders and announced that if someone wasn't a certified OT, PT, or SLP they are not qualified to do an AT Assessment nor make recommendations on appropriate AT. I rarely work with students, usually just as awareness or training for the district therapists. The majority of people that I work with are adults that are needing to get back to work or living independently. Our office does not deal with insurance, not even Medicaid or Medicare.
Now that I've given some background, I'm curious what other professionals backgrounds are and how qualifications are being addressed.
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| invisiblebloke | On screen keyboard review | On Screen Keyboards | 0 | Sep 2 2009, 4:01 AM EDT by invisiblebloke | ||||
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Thread started: Sep 2 2009, 4:01 AM EDT
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Ablegamers.com have reviewed a number of On screen keyboards. Here's an introduction to the article:
" Millions of disabled individuals use on-screen keyboards every day. However, what is an on-screen keyboard? An on-screen keyboard is an application that resides on top of other windows, which allows keyboard input to be passed directly from the on-screen keyboard application to the window below. There are several brands of on-screen keyboards and each have their own specific features and functionality. " Read the full article at: http://ablegamers.com/hardware-news/630-on-screen-keyboard-review-we-break-them-down.html |
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| p.a.taylor | Laptops help dyslexic dyspraxic children to access the curriculum | Laptops / Notebooks | 0 | Sep 1 2009, 2:43 PM EDT by p.a.taylor | ||||
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Thread started: Sep 1 2009, 2:43 PM EDT
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As the parent of a dyslexic and dyspraxic child who uses a personal laptop and assistive software for all of her school/homework I thought it might help other parents to start a thread on this subject. The benefits we have found in using a laptop are: printed work can be easily read by the child, free software can be downloaded for proof reading, a child who has experienced repeated failure with handwriting often finds word processing motivational, word processing gives the child independence from a TA scribe, touch typing provides finger memories of spelling, using a keyboard improves fine motor control and the child gains self esteem and confidence as their computer skills develop. .
some dos and don’ts A child with fine motor control difficulties would be unlikely to be able to touch type at speed for quite some time. Do not accept slow touch typing speed as an excuse for the school to limit the amount that the laptop is used, stress the importance of your child being able to access the curriculum independently. Do work with the school on a joint touch typing programme, but remember that to develop a fluent word processing style opportunities must be made available and encouraged within subject lessons and be part of their normal day to day recording. Do arrange a meeting with the SENCo and have targets set for when and where the laptop will be used written into the IEP. Do try to get the LEA to commission an ICT audit of your childs needs . Use the ICT report to secure you the schools permission and support for its use. Do impress on the school how important it is that your child is given every opportunity to use their laptop at school even in the early days. School staff or the childs TA should provide ongoing support for its use |
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| invisiblebloke | Speed typing | Text Help and Word Prediction | 0 | Jul 27 2009, 5:24 AM EDT by invisiblebloke | ||||
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Thread started: Jul 27 2009, 5:24 AM EDT
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A useful email recently received:
I recently came across Speed Typing. It replaces words as you type. It's freeware and I'm hooked. http://www.colorpilot.com/speed-typing.html It also caches the last 15 entries on the clipboard so that might save a lot of switching between applications for some users. I also stumbled upon phrase express. It's free for personal use and has a much nicer interface than speed typing - users can select phrases from a menu or by typing a 'trigger' or pressing shortcut keys. http://www.phraseexpress.com/. It doesn't work with lotus notes (which is why I'm using speed typing instead) Kind regards Chris |
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| invisiblebloke | Using the iPhone as an AAC device - the practicalities | AAC Hardware | 3 | Jun 5 2009, 11:26 AM EDT by invisiblebloke | ||||
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Thread started: Apr 23 2009, 11:25 AM EDT
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I asked the makers of Porloquo2Go whether anybody has any experience of using this software on the iPhone to conduct a phone call. This is what they say:
"Let me answer that question. I know that some of our beta testers used Proloquo2Go for phone conversations. There are a few things to know: 1. It is not perfect, but seems to work reasonably well. 2. Make sure you have your speaker volume high 3. You need to first start the call, then turn on Speaker phone on the iPhone and then launch Proloquo2Go 4. You should hold your phone such that it bounces off the speaker sound of your body, a table, or whatever is around. How well your communication partner at the other end of the line understands you is affected by how you hold your phone. If you just hold it in mid-air the voice will not be heard that clearly, but if you bounce it off something (say your body by holding the phone in front of you at a slight angle) it works pretty well. some home experimentation is probably good to find the best way for you to hold your phone. 5. I do not expect it to work very well in noise environments at either end of the phone line, but maybe some people who have used it in practice can chime in here.
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| invisiblebloke | New iPhone App being launched 6 June - Colour Blindness Simulator | Vision | 0 | Jun 5 2009, 10:59 AM EDT by invisiblebloke | ||||
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Thread started: Jun 5 2009, 10:59 AM EDT
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Huetility Colourblind Simulator for iPhone
This is the first product to be launched by Huetility.com. It's called Huetility Colourblind Simulator and apparently accurately models the different types of colourblindness, letting a person with normal colour vision see the world through the eyes of a person with colourblindness. It recolours images using the best models of colour vision defiency, which allows the user to compare the original picture with simulations of how different types of colourblind viewers would perceive the colours in the same image; there are different types of colourblindness (red-green, blue-yellow, complete colour-blindness) with varying degrees of severity. There are approximately 300M colourblind people worldwide. Some images and links to further info above. Watch this space for a review of this new App |
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| invisiblebloke | Turn your whole body into an X-Box controller | Accessible Games | 0 | Jun 4 2009, 10:12 AM EDT by invisiblebloke | ||||
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Thread started: Jun 4 2009, 10:12 AM EDT
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An article on the BBC's website talks about Microsoft's Project Natal which is working on technology which would allow a gamer to use their whole body as an X-Box controller. Read the full article at:
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2009-06/02/project-natal-turns-your-whole-body-into-an-xbox-controller.aspx |
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| invisiblebloke | Mouse control via a contact lens ?!! | Eye Pointing | 0 | Jun 4 2009, 4:29 AM EDT by invisiblebloke | ||||
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Thread started: Jun 4 2009, 4:29 AM EDT
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Could this be the future for eye tracking technology?
This extract was taken from an article at: http://www.yankodesign.com/2009/01/16/contact-lens-kinda-makes-you-cyborgy/ "This one’s kinda hard to swallow so take a deep breath, open your minds, and pretend it’s 2100. I CONTACT is essentially a mouse fitted to your eyeball. The lens is inserted like any other normal contact lens except it’s laced with sensors to track eye movement, relaying that position to a receiver connected to your computer. Theoretically that should give you full control over a mouse cursor. I’d imagine holding a blink correlates to mouse clicks." Read the rest of the article and see the images at: http://www.yankodesign.com/2009/01/16/contact-lens-kinda-makes-you-cyborgy/ |
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| invisiblebloke | Satogo screenreader | Screenreaders and Text to Speech | 0 | May 22 2009, 7:17 AM EDT by invisiblebloke | ||||
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Thread started: May 22 2009, 7:17 AM EDT
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I tried Satogo on my XP based computer. The Satogo webpage has only one link on it called 'begin'. First of all it tells you that Satogo works best with IE6 or later. I clicked the link and a small download commenced. Once the download had finished, I selected 'run' and Satogo started. Although it seemed to work well as a screenreader, I found that I was unable to edit the AbilityNet wetpaint wiki, whilst it was running. The cursor was flashing but the enter key appeared to have been disabled. I tried to disable Satogo, but there doesn't seem to be any way of doing this, other than closing the browser and then reloading it, or ending a process in task manager named sa.exe. I have been unable to find any help files for the program. There's nothing on the Satogo web page to explain how to get the best out of it. Am I missing something?
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| invisiblebloke | Electromagnetic sensitivity | Physical Needs | 3 | May 13 2009, 8:41 AM EDT by BioElectricShield | ||||
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Thread started: Aug 7 2008, 6:45 AM EDT
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A computer user is affected by the electromagnetic fields generated by electrical equipment - especially computers. Their question was whether there is a solution available to overcome or minimise the effects of this sensitivity. From what I have read, it is a very contentious area of ‘disability’ and either not fully understood, or at worst not even recognised in the UK.
The bottom line is, that everyone appears to be affected in an individual way. Those who use computers will need to consider various methods of screening in an attempt to minimise those effects. It will be a case of trial and error, as there is no ‘off the shelf’ package available. There are so called ‘neutralisers’ on the market, which claim to minimise or stop these electromagnetic disturbances, but I am unable say if or how well they work. One of my more experienced and knowledgeable colleagues related a story of one individual we tried to help some time ago. We tried absolutely everything, including putting the computer behind a glass screen in one room while the user sat in another – and still without success. Here are some useful links to further reading on the subject: What is electromagnetic sensitivity: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_sensitivity http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrosensitivity http://www.electrosensitivity.org/ Is your home making you ill ? : http://style.uk.msn.com/wellbeing/mindbodysoul/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5580415 Life & Style blog: http://blogs.theage.com.au/lifestyle/renovationnation/archives/2007/04/does_the_wirele.html Neutralising electro magnetic fields at home/work: http://www.nontoxic.com/electromagnetic/neutralizingmagnetic.htm Bodyshield products: http://www.e-lifeshields.com/products.htm
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| invisiblebloke | ModelTalker - Creating your own SAP15 synthesizer | Screenreaders and Text to Speech | 1 | May 8 2009, 4:24 AM EDT by invisiblebloke | ||||
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Thread started: May 6 2009, 9:09 AM EDT
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Worth a look. www.modeltalker.com where you can download a util, record several hours of your own speech, and then upload to the site where they crunch it and create a human phoneme-based SAPI5 synth for you.
Ideal for anyone who is losing their speech, or who has someone they would like to base a synth on. Why not make a synth of your own voice.
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| invisiblebloke | There Isn't Any Game that I Can't Play on A PC | Accessible Games | 0 | May 8 2009, 4:11 AM EDT by invisiblebloke | ||||
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Thread started: May 8 2009, 4:11 AM EDT
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An article written by Corey Krull, Wednesday, 06 May 2009 20:41
Since I am the new person here and this being my first article, I thought that I would tell you about how I play games. Also, to let you know what accessible devices I use and how they are used. To begin with, when I must live in the real world, I need someone to assist me with just about everything. As you know, if you have any type of MD or disability for that matter, everyday there are many obstacles and barriers that we must overcome. Whenever I live in the gaming world, it's a different story. Once I am setup on my PC and in a game, I do not need anyone to assist me with anything. I have complete freedom and control to do whatever I want. I can become whoever I want to become, live in any world and/or age that I choose and cause all the carnage that I feel. This world is mine; if you are a friend, I welcome you. If you are a foe, you are still welcome to enter but just be ready to defend yourself or it will be your death. Unless, I choose to spare your life, do not expect me to though. Wow, I think that I must have some kind of God complex or something. But in all seriousness, which world would I rather live in? If you said the gaming world, you have guessed correctly. The only way for this to happen is with the right hardware setup. Assistive devices, How I Play quadjoy.jpg. Well, you are probably wondering how I am able to play any PC game. Better yet, you may be wondering what assistive devices and software I may be using. Everyone has their own ways of playing games and some setups are better than others are. Read the rest of Corey's article at: http://ablegamers.com/general-news/542-muscular-dystrophy-doesnt-keep-me-from-gaming.html |
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| invisiblebloke | How ZoomText compares with Lunar Plus | Magnification | 0 | May 7 2009, 9:30 AM EDT by invisiblebloke | ||||
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Thread started: May 7 2009, 9:30 AM EDT
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Some useful comparison reviews of ZoomText and Lunar Plus:
http://www.axistive.com/zoomtext-9-0-vs-lunarplus-6-5.html http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw070203 http://www.magnifiers.org/reviews/screen_magnifiers/lunarplus/lunarplus.shtml#CONCLUSION |
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| krystallo | eAcces II is now available to users with disabilities! | Discussion Forum | 0 | Apr 30 2009, 6:32 AM EDT by krystallo | ||||
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Thread started: Apr 30 2009, 6:32 AM EDT
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The eAccess II project aims to provide users with disabilities, especially users with visual impairments, and motor disabilities with learning opportunities to explore accessible training content and e-training courses, which are available at the web portal of eAccess II. The training content and e-training courses are based on international specifications such as IMS Learning Design. In addition, this project delivers training for developing and sharing accessible training content and e-training courses that can be reusable among different VLEs.
eAccess II provides a training resources repository that can be envisaged to benefit two main groups of people. People with disabilities can use the free training resources uploaded in the platform for various themes of training while training providers can use the repository to exchange content with other colleagues. The repository already contains a vast amount of accessible training resources on a wide range of subjects. The eAccess II project invites users with low vision, color blindness, and motor disabilities, as well as professionals in vocational education and training fields to register in its web portal. Once they register in the web portal, they will be able to learn new skills and concepts by downloading accessible training content and e-training courses. The official webiste of eAccess II is: http://www.eaccess2learn.eu/index.php The registration link of eAccess II is: http://www.eaccess2learn.eu/register_roles.php?role=LA Please pass this out to persons, who are interested in this innovative project! Should you wish to find out more info about the project, please do not hesitate to contact e-ISOTIS. Please mention e-ISOTIS in the registration process. e-Isotis Athens (Main Office) 61 Aiantos & Athinas Athens 131 22 Greece Phone+30 210 2693760 Fax:+30 210 2693775 info@e-isotis.org
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| jogreenwell | The best way to learn Dasher? | Discussion Forum | 0 | Apr 28 2009, 2:57 PM EDT by jogreenwell | ||||
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Thread started: Apr 28 2009, 2:57 PM EDT
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Hi all ,
a friend is mine is doing research on what people find difficult when learning a new method of text entry (he is concentrating on Dasher) , and looking at ways that the learning process can be made easier. He is interested in any information that relates to: 1. Any problems encountered when initially learning to use the program 2. Any noticed patterns of use. -Example: Most users follow a pattern where they hover near the centre for a second or two while they work out where the next letter is, then they 'drive' towards it. Then repeat the process with the next letter. 3.Opinions on how much could be added to the interface before it became too confusing to use. -Example: Arrows appear to tell the user where to go if they go wrong. Any responses gratefully received in next couple of weeks would be great. JO
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| invisiblebloke | Web searching tips. Part #2 of #2 | Web browsers | 0 | Apr 20 2009, 10:00 AM EDT by invisiblebloke | ||||
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Thread started: Apr 20 2009, 10:00 AM EDT
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Following on from Part #1 . . . . .
Plus or Minus – use the + or – symbols in your search to include items or exclude them. If I wanted to find energy food that did not contain nuts, I would type ‘energy foods –nuts’ - note the minus sign is next to the word nuts after the space. If I wanted an energy drink that had orange I would type ‘energy drink +orange’. You can also use several symbols in combination, e.g. ‘energy drink +orange –sugar –caffeine’. Put your query in double quotations: “query” – when you type in a query most search engines will look for any combination of the words on a page and in some cases even variations of the words. By using double quotation marks, you are telling the search engine to show pages that contain the query exactly as you have typed it. Searching for marathon man +film found 3,420,000 results and “marathon man +film” found only 282 results in MS live Search. [All result figures are correct at time of testing.] |
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| invisiblebloke | Web searching tips. Part #1 of #2 | Web browsers | 0 | Apr 20 2009, 9:58 AM EDT by invisiblebloke | ||||
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Thread started: Apr 20 2009, 9:58 AM EDT
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I was sent this useful series of tips about getting the most from your internet searches. Thanks Sukhdev.
Typically when you do a search on the internet you will get thousands of results if not hundreds of thousands. Search the whole web or just the web contents of the country you live in – most search engines by default will search the whole web for your results but sometimes you only want information that is relevant to your country, so in the UK make sure you tick the box giving you the option to search the web or pages from the UK, usually near the search box: in Google it’s just below the search box, and above the box in Yahoo. A search on ‘London marathon’ in Yahoo gave me 27,100,000 results on the web and 9,960,000 with UK only selected. Still a lot, but the results are a bit different even on the first few pages. Keywords - think about the keywords you are going to use in your search, particularly if words have more than one meaning. Try to use between 2-6 words, and put the most important words first: some search engines give priority to the word order. In Google ‘London marathon’ produced 658,000 and ‘marathon London’ produced 264,000; some of the top results changed between the two searches. Goto Part #2 |
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