April / May 2003

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This month in All Things Matt we look at repairing a Mac running OS9, as well as a really keen Web site that can virtually take you back to the mid-90’s. Well, as much it pains me to admit this, Macs are not perfect. They can crash, just like a Windows machine. Well… maybe not just like a Windows machine, because with a Mac running OS9, what you see when you crash is likely to be a frozen screen, left there to taunt you while your mind starts racing… trying to remember how long it’s been since you last saved your work.

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Preschool and Kindergarten, Part II In the February/March DISKoveries, Preschool Programs, Part I included new preschool programs that starred favorite television stars. This issue’s feature has new programs with favorite friends from the movies (Stuart Little), from books and toys (Curious George, Thomas the Train), and from Disney. Some other programs star familiar computer friends (Reader Rabbit and the Jump Start friends) and also some new characters.

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School-based teams responsible for decisions about assistive technology (AT) have become aware of the paradigm shift toward evidence-based education (EBE). Professional organizations involved with the provision of special education services are promoting the use of systematic and scientific principles and practices in accordance with the principles of evidence-based practice (ASHA 2001). Although IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) mandates outcomes measurement to document educational performance in the individualized education program (IEP), in-service training in writing and reporting outcomes may not have identified performance data as a component of EBE.

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While users of the Dana by Alphasmart will find many uses for this portable computing device, many of us in the field of assistive technology will, in all likelihood, rely on this device as an alternative to a laptop computer for written work. Many of the students that we work with have poor fine-motor skills or have been more formally classified with “dysgraphia,” which literally translates to “difficulty drawing.” Children with this disorder often struggle to keep up with their peers when they have to do written assignments. While it often takes students with dysgraphia longer to do their written work, it is also very often very difficult to read what they have turned in to their teachers.

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As Plainfield School District 202 continues to grow by leaps and bounds, it is trying to close the gap between special education and regular education. Sometimes, like many other districts, we are met with lines that have been drawn that divide Special Ed and Regular Ed. We don’t want those lines to become etched in stone.

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The general education curriculum poses many challenges and opportunities for students with special needs. Parents, educators, researchers, and policy makers now have the opportunity to utilize and test the limits of affordable handheld computers known as PDAs to connect more students to the general curriculum. This is contrary to current practices that utilize instructional material and technology that are alternate or parallel to the general curriculum that all students receive.

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Letter-based communication systems can provide a reliable means of communication for individuals with severe speech disorders stemming from acquired or congenital neurological impairments. The systems, also referred to as spelling-based systems, can be divided into two categories—low-tech manual boards or speech-generating keyboard devices. It is essential to determine, based on the physical and cognitive abilities of the augmented communicator, which type of system is most appropriate.

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The handheld Polyana is a dedicated speech generating device (SGD), meeting the requirements of various medical assistance agencies. This augmentative/alternative communication (AAC) aid is small and lightweight, features instant on—the unit is always in standby—and has a long battery life with each charge.

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GW Micro, creator of Window-Eyes, is proud to announce the release of Window-Eyes Standard 4.21 and Window-Eyes Professional 4.21. Window-Eyes is a software screen reader for people who are blind that gives them the power to carry out complicated tasks with the ease previously enjoyed only by the mouse user.

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The moment GW Micro announced their plan for training by company staff, the technology team for the New Mexico Commission for the Blind contacted Clarence Whaley, Director Of Sales And Marketing, to coordinate a training seminar. With unfaltering support from New Mexico Commission for the Blind administration, and GW Micro staff, the seminar was held on December 10-12, 2002. The event took place at the Commission’s Computer Labs in Albuquerque, and there were three seminar groups: a Beginner Group comprised of Commission consumers, a Beginner Group comprised of Commission staff and employees of other agencies, and an Intermediate group comprised of more advanced consumers and Commission staff.

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RJ Cooper & Associates, Inc. is requesting SwitchHopper USB (Mac and/or Windows) owners to return their product for a *free* fix of a potential problem inside the switch interface. SwitchHopper is our inexpensive switch interface that allows switches to be plugged into a computer.

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Slater Software, Inc. announces upgrades for their software, Picture It, and PixWriter. The programs have new features which have been requested by educators across the country.

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Three of Freedom Scientific’s most popular software products just gotbetter. Updates for MAGic 8.01 Screen Magnification with Speech and OpenBook6.01 Scanning and Reading updates are now available to users of MAGic 8.0 andOpenBook 6.0 respectively via download. Current JAWS 4.5 users also can downloadthe JAWS 4.51 public beta.

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Customers who purchase JAWS for Windows Professional Edition will now save $100 as Freedom Scientific will drop the price of its screen reading software to $1,095 (U.S. Dollars).

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Personal productivity and efficiency are all about user interface. Windows CE enables developers to create the best possible user interface that meets a user’s unique needs. BrailleNote has an intuitive and efficient user interface designed specifically for blind users through years of user feedback.

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Signing Online, LLC has launched a revolutionary new learning Web site, <www.signingonline.com>. The Web site brings sign language education to anyone with an Internet connection, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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Softdiv Software announces the release of Easy Talking Notepad 1.0, a talking program for the Windows 95/98/Me/XP/NT/2000 platforms that enables your computer to talk and read your e-mails, documents, and Web pages, and save them in MP3 or WAV format.

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Pulse Data International, a manufacturer of products designed for people who are blind and visually impaired, and Benetech, the Silicon Valley technology nonprofit formerly known as Arkenstone, have announced a formal collaboration integrating Benetech’s Bookshare.org initiative with Pulse Data’s BrailleNote family of products. Bookshare.org is a subscription service that provides an extensive online library of accessible digital books to U.S. residents with severe visual, reading and mobility disabilities.

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MacSpeech, Inc., announces the release of four new ScriptPaks for iListen on Mac OS X 10.2.x (Jaguar).

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Kurzweil Educational Systems, innovator of reading technology products for individuals with learning and visual disabilities, announced the rollout of the Kurzweil 3000 Professional Development Program (PDP). The PDP is a training program designed to help school districts and educators effectively integrate Kurzweil 3000, into today’s classrooms. Additionally, teachers can benefit by submitting the program ‘certificate of completion’ to their state to apply for Continuing Educational Units (CEUs).

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IntelliTools is pleased to announce the release of two new titles in its line of ReadyMade curriculum products. The new titles are: Primary Literacy, for grades K-2 language arts, and Lewis and Clark, for grades 3-5 social studies units.

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