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| Started By | Thread Subject | Location | Replies | Last Post | ||||
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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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Keyword tags:
digital literacy
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free courses
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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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| Boulevardier | My experience with headtracking and dwell click software | Head Tracking | 0 | Apr 16 2009, 1:19 PM EDT by Boulevardier | ||||
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Thread started: Apr 16 2009, 1:19 PM EDT
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This wiki on headtracking hardware is excellent, thank you.
Please read my blog to see how I used this technology to control an entire audio video entertainment system with a head tracker PC-boulevardier.blogspot.com
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MS ALS handsfree computing
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| Boulevardier | Hands free computing with head-trackers and dwell-and-click software | Physical Needs | 1 | Apr 15 2009, 8:45 AM EDT by invisiblebloke | ||||
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Thread started: Apr 14 2009, 6:22 PM EDT
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For my experiences and recommendations check out my blog at:
pc-boulevardier.blogspot.com I also briefly discuss my solution to controlling an entire entertainment setup (TV, radio etc.) using a hands-free setup.
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| invisiblebloke | Print screen errors in Vista | Vista | 0 | Apr 14 2009, 4:31 AM EDT by invisiblebloke | ||||
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Thread started: Apr 14 2009, 4:31 AM EDT
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A user was getting an 'out of memory' error every time they tried to take a screen shot and then paste into Windows Paint. You apparrently can't uninstall and reinstall Paint on it's own as it's part of the operating system. After trying several options, the problem was eventually traced to the settings in Paint itself. Ginto Paint and select 'Image' from the toolbar. Check what the image attributes are. If they are set too high, then you may not have enough memory to store the image in the clipboard. Select the default setting and this should cure the problem.
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| invisiblebloke | Tools for successful aging - Facebook making their website user friend | Aging | 0 | Apr 8 2009, 6:41 AM EDT by invisiblebloke | ||||
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Thread started: Apr 8 2009, 6:41 AM EDT
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Tools for Successful Aging: Facebook makes its site user friendly ...
By Michael Carbine Facebook now has an accessibility-specific Help Center with instructions on how to use the accessibility functions it has built into its pages. And it also uses the center to collect feedback from people with visual impairments on how ... We recently launched TOOLS for Independence, a program that empowers caregivers by alerting them to the vast array of gadgets, devices and other kinds of assistive technology that can make living at home easier and safer both for those ... Tools for Successful Aging - http://toolsforsuccessfulaging.blogspot.com/ |
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| fizzbook | Fizzbook Spin | Laptops / Notebooks | 0 | Apr 4 2009, 3:01 PM EDT by fizzbook | ||||
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Thread started: Apr 4 2009, 3:01 PM EDT
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The Fizzbook Spin is an updated version of this children’s laptop and offers educational organisations more choice of specification, performance and usability.
Like the original Fizzbook Bang, the Spin is an adapted version of Intel's Classmate PC and features a swivelling screen and the ability to transform into a modern tablet style pc with a touch-screen input interface. Read more about the Fizzbook Spin here... http://www.thefizzbook.co.uk/fizzbook-spin.html
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| Elettaria | New blog about disability and computer accessibility | Discussion Forum | 3 | Apr 2 2009, 5:22 PM EDT by p.a.taylor | ||||
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Thread started: Mar 5 2009, 10:26 AM EST
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Hello everyone! I've started blogging about disability and computer accessibility at
http://elettaria.livejournal.com/tag/accessibility+blogging I'm reviewing various products and software and generally talking about what it's like actually using all this stuff with a disability. It'll mostly be from my perspective as someone with severe ME/CFS, but I'll be reviewing anything I can get my hands on and trying to consider it from as many perspectives as I can. I'm very keen to hear from other people with disabilities, so please do drop into the blog and let me know your opinions and experiences.
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| invisiblebloke | Vista 64 bit operating system | Vista | 1 | Mar 27 2009, 12:27 PM EDT by DamianChick | ||||
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Thread started: Mar 24 2009, 7:19 AM EDT
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Some assistive technology is not presently fully compatible with Vista 64 bit OS. A guy with C5 paraplegia recently had problems getting Dragon Naturally Speaking to work on his new Vista 64 bit OS based laptop. When he bought it, he was unaware of this incompatibility. Unfortunately, although he eventually managed to cancel his purchase agreement with the laptop supplier, it has still cost him his (substantial) deposit. I understand that Dragon Naturally Speaking Version 10.1 is due to be released sometime in March 2009 and this is expected to be fully Vista 64 bit OS compaitible. This is the second enquiry I have handled regarding 64 bit OS compatibility with assistive software. I recommend you carefully check compatibility of assistive software with particular operating systems, before you buy. It could be a costly mistake. That advice includes any operating system and not just 64 bit.
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