June / July 2002

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By Janet HopkinsIs your school under pressure to implement speech recognition software for students who have computer access or composition challenges? This may be an issue that your staff is facing or will have to look at eventually.Once technology becomes visible and available at retail stores, its allure can have quite an influence on the expectations of parents, students and educators. In 1997, the mother of one of my severe learning disabilities program students became enthusiastic about her 14-year-old son using speech recognition software. We decided to give IBM's Simply Speaking a try.

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When the AlphaSmart 3000 was first introduced, there was a great deal of excitement owing to the new "applet" feature. For the first time ever, it was possible to load small applications to the AlphaSmart 3000 to change its functionality and capabilities. While having a convenient calculator applet included with the AlphaSmart 3000 was a start, many of us were waiting for truly innovative smart applets to be published.

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Actually, we prefer the term "frugal"Maybe it's that tax season is still fresh in our minds. Maybe it's that the fiscal and school years are coming to a close (and so are some budgets!). Maybe..

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Special needsHere's a wide variety of new software, adaptive equipment, graphics, and utilities for teachers, all designed especially for individuals with special needs. All software is Windows and Macintosh unless otherwise noted.TouchCorders (SoftTouch: 877-763-8868 www.funsoftware.com) What a great idea! TouchCorders are small (3-inch square) pressure-sensitive black message communicators that have a puzzle base that lets them be connected in any configuration. Each has 10 seconds of digital recording time, an external switch jack, and volume control.

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For people with disabilities, modern technology is seen as "the Great Equalizer," in that it creates a level playing field in the non-disabled world. However, the employment and placement of people with disabilities in challenging careers lags far behind the pace of technological change. A 1998 employment survey by the National Organization on Disabilities revealed that only 32 percent of working age (18-64) people with disabilities work full or part-time compared to 81 percent of the non-disabled population.

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Benetech, a nonprofit technology developer with a 13-year history of providing access tools to people with print disabilities, launched Bookshare.org at the end of February. Bookshare.org is the first service to offer blind, dyslexic and other disabled individuals access to over 10,000 books on-line.What is Bookshare.org?Bookshare.org (www.bookshare.org) is a subscription-based, on-line file-sharing community that enables the upload and download of scanned books exclusively for use by people with print disabilities. Only a fraction of publications are available in specialized, accessible formats.

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By Janet HopkinsWe're used to hearing about assistive technology (AT) product innovation, which usually focuses our attention on new technology features, upgrades and applications. Sometimes we're less aware of the cooperation that takes place between companies that can lead to other benefits for technology consumers.In March, Madentec Ltd., an Edmonton, Alberta based company, announced along with Don Johnston Inc. (DJI) of Volo, Illinois that they had been working together to arrange an adoption of sorts.Madentec, known for its own line of hardware and software accessibility products, has become the new home for Don Johnston's Discover product line.

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The Handbook of Adaptive Switches and Augmentative Communication Devices, 3rd ed, is a resource book for assistive technology specialists, teachers, therapists, and others who select or help others select adaptive switches and augmentative communication devices for persons with disabilities.The Handbook provides comprehensive practical and technical information pertinent to device selection for a wide variety of commercially available switches and aug-com devices. It contains physical descriptions, pictures, laboratory test data on switch activation and release pressures, travel distances, compliance; and other functional information to help you choose the most appropriate pressure switch and augmentative device for a particular person.The latest edition of this 8 1/2 inch x 6 1/2 inch, 318-page, spiral-bound book adds over 100 new pages containing data sheets for additional devices, more indexes, and new chapters and worksheets brimming with practical information on ergonomics and physical interaction, seating and positioning, control access, and other assessment and functional concerns.The Handbook can be ordered directly from Academic Software, Inc. for $60 plus shipping.For more information, contact Academic Software, Inc., 3504 Tates Creek Rd., Lexington, KY 40517; Phone 859-233-2332; Fax 859-2331-0725; E-mail asiwel@acsw.com; Web site www.acsw.com.

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Postsecondary Education and Transition for Students with Learning Disabilities (2nd ed.), by Loring C. Brinckerhoff, Joan M. McGuire, and Stan F.

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Take a freedom break with Freedom Box. People who have never used a computer and never been on-line can enjoy all of the exciting information, entertainment, e-mail and other Internet features without ever attending a class or ever even saying the word computer. Freedom Box is a new Internet appliance that lets you go on-line, send and receive e-mail, listen to news, weather, entertainment, and even surf the Net by just listening to your choices and telling Freedom Box what you would like to do.

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Mindmaker, Inc., a developer of Artificial Intelligence Technologies, announced the release of TextAssist 4.0, an advanced reader agent that empowers the PC with the ability to synthesize human voices from any Windows application.TextAssist features multiple pre-defined voices, which can be fully customized to allow users to create new voices by changing the pitch, speed, richness, and other speech parameters. In addition, TextAssist allows customization of the way it pronounces words, and incorporates features for displaying the text with a magnified font that highlights words as they are spoken. It offers users a simple, easy-to-use interface and installation process and can be used for both business and educational purposes.

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Niemeijer Consult has announced that KeyStrokes, its popular on-screen keyboard software for the Macintosh, is now available for Mac OS X. KeyStrokes for Mac OS X, is the first fully functional on-screen keyboard to run natively on Apple's next generation operating system and one of the first accessibility solutions bringing the power of Mac OS X to people with disabilities.An on-screen keyboard is typically used by a person who, because of illness or injury, cannot use a standard keyboard. KeyStrokes for Mac OS X works by drawing a keyboard image on the display and using a mouse, trackball, head pointer or other mouse emulator to type characters into any standard Macintosh application.

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Freedom Scientific is now shipping JAWS for Windows Version 4.02. This latest version provides even greater Braille and speech responsiveness, enhancements to MSN Messenger and Lotus Notes, and stronger HTML support since the release of JAWS 4.0 in September 2001. As in the previous JAWS 4.0, this version of the screen reading software works with the new Windows XP operating system.JAWS includes a number of other significant features that boost its functionality, including full support for display color depths up to 32-bit for the Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP Professional operating systems.

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The CompUshade is a brand new product designed to improve computer monitor viewing by reducing visual distractions.Individuals with visual impairment, visual perceptual problems and those who are highly distractible would benefit from the CompUshade. The CompUshade mounts on most computer monitors creating a three-sided tunnel surrounding the viewing surface of the screen from the top and sides. By blocking visual stimuli from view, attention to the screen is improved.

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Bytes of Learning Incorporated has released the new UltraKey version 4.0.8. Among other new features, version 4.0.8 is built for Apple Computer's new OS X so UltraKey 4.0 can run as a native Macintosh OS X application when OS X or Apple's Carbon Library is present. UltraKey 4.0 features 3-D animated instruction, Interactive Virtual Reality, live classroom video, voice enhanced support, cross-platform record keeping and teacher-friendly class management.

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The Adjustable Model 6-31 offers desktop height options reaching down as low as 6 inches, as high as 31 inches, and can be locked into position anywhere in-between. Introduced in 2000, this new yet simple technology (patent pending) offers a workstation that can be adjusted in just seconds. The lowering and raising of the Model 6-31 is a virtually weightless experience.

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NextUp.com announced that its TextAloud MP3 text-to-speech (TTS) PC software is now offered with AT&T Labs' Natural Voices speech engine.The new software, which is targeted toward the consumer market, lets individuals add text-to-speech capabilities to their personal computers (PCs) with a quality that was previously available only in a server-based environment.This software enables users' PCs to read text aloud in a natural, human-sounding voice. Users can listen to Web pages, e-mail, reports, articles and practically any other type of text. Additionally, users can store their daily reading materials on MP3 audio files for portable MP3 players, Pocket PCs or Palms so they can listen while exercising, commuting or traveling.TextAloud MP3 software starts at $39.90.

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Many have experienced it themselves or seen others suffering through it – sitting in a lobby or airport trying to get some work done by balancing a laptop computer and a load of papers precariously on their lap. Now a new portable product called the Table Tote removes that awkward problem, giving new meaning to the term “lap of luxury.”The Table Tote from PC Tables, LLC gives business travelers and consumers a portable workspace to carry with them at any time. The collapsible table is a versatile, stable workstation that can be used in a variety of situations such as airports, hotel or building lobbies, even park benches and hallways.

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Kurzweil Educational Systems, Inc. a creator of assistive technology products for learning disabled, blind and visually impaired individuals, introduced the latest version of the Kurzweil 3000, its flagship product for struggling readers and writers. New features and significant product enhancements offer students and individuals with poor reading skills, dyslexia and other learning disabilities unprecedented flexibility in accessing and comprehending print and Web-based information.The Kurzweil 3000 is a solution for addressing language and literacy difficulties.

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4Developers LLC has released Talking E-mail 4.0, a Windows 9x/2000/Me/XP program that enables you to listen to your incoming e-mail messages as they arrive, via animated characters. Using nothing more than your e-mail account and sound card, Talking E-mail's voice will read aloud your e-mails, reminders and even announce the time.When an e-mail message arrives, an animated character pops up on the screen and starts reading the message. Talking E-mail is highly customizable, allowing you to specify if you want to hear who sent the message, its subject, and how many lines of the message should be read.

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