June / July 2005

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Three years ago, assistive technology specialists from the Georgia Project for Assistive Technology (GPAT) developed six, 50-hour professional learning courses that focused on the integration of educational and assistive technologies into classroom instructional programs. The courses included: Academic and Learning Aids, Technology for Students with Severe Cognitive Impairments, Technology for Young Children, Technology for Students with Significant Physical Impairments, Speech, Language, and Hearing Technology, and Vision Aids. The courses were based on Georgia Technology Standards for Educators and on Assistive Technology Competencies developed by GPAT.

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Our group, The Assistive Technology Research and Development Collaborative on Cognitive Disabilities (The AT Collaborative)* set out to study generic technology applications for persons with disabilities in 2001 with funding from the National Institute on Disabilities Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). After a technology use survey, our focus became electronic organizers, such as the Palm Pilot, whose name has become almost synonymous with the term “personal data assistant”. The AT Collaborative addresses the needs of individuals with intellectual disabilities or traumatic brain injury, and at the University of Akron, School of Speech-Language Pathology, the focus of the study is applications for young people ages 8-22.

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For many individuals who are unable to speak due to a variety of conditions, environmental control can become a frustrating and difficult process. Without the ability to communicate effectively, these individuals are left with few alternatives to indicate their wants and needs. In these situations, we often find that they turn to behavioral alternatives when no acceptable communicative response is available to them.

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As we began preparing to write this article, we started to consider a question, “What is writing?” A simple question, but critical for us as educators to understand its complexity. After wrestling with many definitions, we finally surmised that writing is a process of formulating and expressing ones thoughts on paper. It’s a process..

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AAC assessments are frequently conducted through Assistive Technology teams within public school districts, or, in some cases, by outside consultants. This process can take anywhere from several hours to several weeks to complete. Although the assessment process is a critical first step in a child’s educational progress, it’s only the first step.

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The situation Zach Bryant is a lively 6th grader in school in Carroll County, a suburban public school district located about 45 minutes from Baltimore, MD and one hour from Washington, DC. Since the passage of the Assistive Technology Act in 1998, the district has been actively investing in software and has strived to provide appropriate software for its students with special needs, like Zach.

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For the last three years, I have been using an Origin Instruments HeadMouse for Portables. I had been a Macintosh user since 1987, so I bought an Apple ibook when I became unable to use a standard keyboard in 2000. A year later, when I could no longer use a keyboard at all, I switched to the on-screen keyboard KeyStrokes, pointing and clicking with a Microsoft IntelliMouse enhanced by USB Overdrive (a multi-purpose mouse driver).

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The topic of screen reading software has me eating brownies and cleaning my office, desk and even keyboard in procrastination. Why do screen readers seem so intimidating? At first glance, they are simple – software which translates the screen information to the user via auditory feedback. In reality, the task of a screen reader is far more complex; the few software that make up this hallowed group are wonders of technology.

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HumanWare, the new business created through the recent merger of VisuAide and Pulse Data International, is pleased to announce the recent version 3.0 major upgrade to its Victor Reader Classic players is now also available for the original Victor Reader Classic 100/101 (with rotating knobs) as well as for the Victor Reader Pro.

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AssistiveWare announces the release of SwitchXS 2.0, LayoutKitchen 1.0 and KeyStrokes 3.5.1. SwitchXS is a switch access solution that provides virtually complete access to Mac OS X and all standard Mac applications for people who cannot use a mouse or keyboard. It offers full mouse and keyboard emulation by means of a so-called scanning mode.

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Don Johnston Incorporated announces a new version of their Start-to-Finish Librarycomputer books and audio books is now shipping. This exciting new version takesthe already successful Start-to-Finish Library and streamlines it to really focuson providing a rich reading experience to students of all abilities that motivatesthem to participate in the curriculum and interact with their peers.

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Now both programs include Spanish! Pictures + Spanish Text brings literacy growth to English, Spanish and bilingual speakers.

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Students often read past or skip words they don’t know to avoid embarrassment and undue attention, lowering their ability to comprehend text and learn new vocabulary. To alleviate this problem, The Reading Pen Group, the nation’s only provider of pens that scan and read any printed text, announces Readingpen for all learners to improve their reading skills. Surpassing the limitations of the traditional dictionary, Readingpen, the personal reading assistant, provides immediate, discreet support to readers as they encounter unfamiliar words without interrupting the flow of reading.

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PRC (Prentke Romich Company) announces the addition of Window CE Applicationsas a possible option to their already powerful augmentative communication device,Pathfinder. With this new Productivity Bundle, Pathfinder device users are onlytwo keystrokes away from: • Wordpad – A word processor based on Microsoft Word. • Spread CE – A spreadsheet for business, math – even databases. • Pocket On-Schedule Time Manager Program – Keep a calendar, scheduleappointments, write a journal, build a contact list, etc. Bundle includes softwareto allow syncing with Microsoft Outlook. • Pocket MBA Calculator – An advanced function business calculator. • Windows Media Player – Works with MP3, WAV, MOV, and other files. • PDF Viewer Software – Allows you to see PDF files. • Image Viewer Software – View GIF, JPG, and other common file formats. • Windows Pocket Paint Program – Basic graphic editing in BMP format. • Windows CE Task Manager – Lets you move between open CE applications.

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Macintosh speech recognition authority MacSpeech announces version 1.6.8 of iListen with many enhancements, including new features to support Mac OS X v10.4 “Tiger”. The new version allows users to access Spotlight and Automator applications by voice. Spotlight is Apple’s new lightning-fast way for users to find virtually anything stored on their Mac.

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AT KidSystems, the manufacturer of products originating from the human factorsengineering research and development initiatives of AnthroTronix, Inc., openedthe Council for Exceptional Children Expo with demonstrations of Cosmo’sLearning Systems. An innovation in learning and therapy, Cosmo’s LearningSystems offers a suite of tools for children with disabilities.

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Don Johnston Incorporated announces the release of SOLO – one completelyintegrated solution that moves students from guided reading comprehension througha considerate and structured environment that facilitates written expressionin multiple genres and content areas. SOLO provides incomparable supports thatempower students to become independent thinkers, readers and writers.

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Many exciting new features and enhancements can be found in JAWS for Windows6.10, now available for download from the Freedom Scientific Web site. This isa free update to customers running 6.0, and many of the revolutionary featuresintroduced in this version have been improved to provide greater functionality.JAWS 6.10 also contains over 300 bug fixes, making it the most stable and responsiveversion to date.

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GW Micro announces the launch of their new Window-Eyes lease-to-own program. The program will allow customers to pay for Window-Eyes in monthly installments while they’re using it.

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Assistive Technology (AT) has been frequently associated with students who exhibit severe disabilities, particularly those with physical and/or orthopedic challenges. However, only 1.3 percent of the six million students with disabilities (ages 6-21) under IDEA fall under this category. So, many special educators working with other less severe disabilities have not looked for AT solutions to help their students.

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CoolSoft, LLC announces the release of SpeakToText 2.0, its flagship voice recognition software. SpeakToText 2.0 is a speech to text software solution that allows users to dictate text and copy it to almost any application, including most popular chat programs, e-mail clients and Microsoft Word. The SpeakToText 2.0 automatic send message feature even lets users dictate and send chat messages without touching a mouse or keyboard.

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