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Introduction to Assistive Technology

bit.ly/AT-summer

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Presenters

Mike Williamson

Assistant Director/Deputy Digital Accessibility Officer, University of Colorado Boulder
Adjunct Faculty, Cal State, Northridge
Certified Assistive Technology Professional (ATP)

Marisha

Accessibility & Usability Assessment Manager since end of 2021.
BS in mathematics, PhD in Research Methodology

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Agenda

Welcome and agenda
What is assistive technology
AT Device Rundown

Vision
Hearing
Memory and Cognitive
Mobility

Level Setting: Technology as a "magic solution"

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Please Note

There is a great amount of available assistive technology available for implementation with various people in various situations. With that understanding, there is no possible way we can cover every piece of available technology in the 6 hours we’ve been allotted for this session.
Instead of covering all technology, we will talk in more general terms and themes so that we can provide you with a high level understand of what assistive technology is, and what you should consider when implementing it.

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We're Not All at the Same Place...�And That's Okay

Learning/understanding is a process

We have to start somewhere

You may be at different places than others
Do not judge yourself by others in this space
Embrace the journey

We want to acknowledge that there are probably different levels of understanding and different levels of system process from all audience members. That's okay, we all have to start somewhere. The fact that you're here hopefully means that accessibility is meaningful to you or your organization in some way – and that's where we want you.

We also want to note that we're going to be sharing details of how we do things in our office at CU Boulder. We understand that not everyone has the same resources and not everyone will approach accessibility in the same way. Again, that's okay. Our hope is that we provide you some higher level consideration about the need for manual accessibility testing weather you're doing the testing yourself, or you're purchasing a product and relying on a vendor's assurances.

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What is assistive technology

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Assistive Technology

Assistive technology device means any item, equipment, or product system—whether acquired commercially, modified, or customized—that increases, maintains, or improves the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.

*Assistive Technology Act

Assistive technology service means any service that directly assists a child (person) with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device.

*Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

The evaluation of the needs of a child with a disability, including a functional evaluation of the child in the child’s customary environment;
Purchasing, leasing, or otherwise providing for the acquisition of assistive technology devices by children with disabilities;
Selecting, designing, fitting, customizing, adapting, applying, maintaining, repairing, or replacing assistive technology devices;
Coordinating and using other therapies, interventions, or services with assistive technology devices, such as those associated with existing education and rehabilitation plans and programs;
Training or technical assistance for a child with a disability or, if appropriate, that child’s family; and
Training or technical assistance for professionals (including individuals providing education or rehabilitation services), employers, or other individuals who provide services to, employ, or are otherwise substantially involved in the major life functions of that child.

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“Game” – Is It Assistive Technology?

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Rubber Bands

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Rubber bands can be AT!

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Straws

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Straws can be AT!

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Cardboard

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Cardboard can be AT!

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“Tiers” of Assistive Technology

Low Tech

devices or equipment that don't require much training, may be less expensive and do not have complex or mechanical features

Mid Tech

may have some complex features, may be electronic or battery operated, and may require some training to learn how to use

High Tech

the most complex devices or equipment, that have digital or electronic components, may be computerized, will likely require training and effort to learn how to use and cost the most.

*Definitions obtained from Tools for Life (Georgia’s AT Act Program)

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Low Tech AT Examples

Handheld optical magnifiers
Large print text
Paper and pen for communication
Canes and walkers
Reachers / grabbers
Specialized pen or pencil grips

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Mid Tech AT Examples

Talking spell checkers
Manual wheelchairs
Electronic organizers
Video magnifiers/CCTVs
Amplifiers
Books on CD
Environmental control units (ECU)
Alternate mouse or keyboard

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High Tech AT Examples

Power wheelchairs and scooters
Digital hearing aids
Computers with specialized software such as voice recognition or magnification software
Electronic aids to daily living
Digital hands-free headsets
Voice activated telephones
Communication devices with voices
Bluetooth integration
Digi-drive technology (operating a vehicle with a joystick)

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Some legislation dealing with AT in the United States

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA)
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (“Rehab Act”)

Section 504
Section 508

Assistive Technology Act (“Tech Act”)
21^st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA)

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Assistive Technology for those with Low Vision or Blindness

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Vision Aids for Independence

Lighting

Kitchen and cooking aids

Talking watches

Writing guides

Tactile locators

Money Identifiers

Item identifiers

OttLite natural lighting desklamp
contrasted coffee mug and liquid leveling device
talking watch
writing guide; there are also check writing guides and full page writing guides (mention full page clipboard with metal guide)
different types of locator dots. Come in many sizes, colors, shapes, even textures. Adhesive on one side to allow them to stick to a surface.
Orbit Research iBill reader – free money reading device from US Bureau of Engraving and Printing. One simply places the corner of the bill into the reading area and the denomination is read aloud.
Pen Friend device – To use this, the user selects an item to be identified, sticks a label the item, Touches the tip of PenFriend to the label and then records a message to identify the item. Now the user can simply press the tip of the pen to the label and hear the message that was recorded. This can be used simply to identify what the item is, or have specific instructions (such as baking instructions or dosage instructions).

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Braille Reading

Refreshable Braille Displays

Braille Notetakers

There are two basic ways to create braille – using paper or digitally. The current slide shows various tools that can be used to create physical braille or electronic braille.

Before we go further though, let’s explain how a braille cell is set up. Think of a braille cell as the 6 side on a die. There are six dot areas divided into two columns. Column one has braille dots 1,2, and 3, and column two has dots 4, 5, 6. Combinations of each of these numbers is what creates readable braille. Dot 1 = A, Dot 1 and 2 = B, Dot 1 and 4 = C. On electronic braille devices the braille cell may have 8, rather than 6 dots for reading computer braille, now a part of the Unified English Braille (UEB) standard.

Computer braille - precise representation of computer-related materials such as programs, program lines, computer commands, and filenames

At the very basic level, we can create braille using a slate and stylus. A braille creator will slide a piece of heavy paper in between the two pieces of the slate and then punch dots into the paper using the stylus. One thing to note, when creating braille in this way, the user will essentially be writing each word in reverse so that when the paper is flipped over the dots that are created read in the proper order.

Another way to create physical braille is with a braille typewriter, such as the Perkins Brailler device. With this device, a user will slide a piece of heavy paper into the rollers and then using the perkins style keyboard they can punch dots into the paper. The perkins style keyboard provides three finger keys on the left and right (four on a braile display). The braille creator will depress any of the 6 keys in order to create braille. The keys are numbered 1 through 6, with 1 through 3 on the left and 4 through 6 on the right. Additionally, the keys are numbered from the inside out, with 1 being on the inside left and 4 being on the inside right.

One way to create electronic braille is through the use of a refreshable braille display – this one is the Focus 40 from Freedom Scientific/VFO. Refreshable braille displays can connect wirelessly, via Bluetooth to most devices (Computers, tablets and smartphones) and, if necessary, can also be connected via USB cable. Braille displays come in different sizes, 80, cell 40 cell, 32 cell, so on and so forth. The majority of braille displays have the Perkin’s style keyboard, with six to eight keys, however, some manufacturers provide braille displays with qwerty keyboards as well. These devices are generally not standalone devices, although a few do have limited memory and applications onboard.

Braille notetakers, on the other hand are meant to be function as standalone devices (although with some you can connect the and also use them as a braille display). Think of braille notetakers as little computers or tablets, that generally don’t have display screens. Older notetakers have limited memory and may have limited functionality when compared to traditional computers and/or tablets, but new lines of notetakers are built on mainstream operating systems (Windows 10, Android). Braille notetakers, as little computers, generally allow you to search the web, create and save documents.

Finally, individuals can create braille print documents from a computer by using braille translation software, such as the product from Duxbury, which we can see in the following video.

You can create braille directly from Duxbury, but you can also create you documents in word processing software, such as Microsoft Word and then import it into Duxbury. Duxbury actually has a Word plugin so the process can be pretty seamless when creating braille documents.

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Magnification

Things to Know

Two types:

Optical – using a physical lens (glass or plastic)
Electronic/Video – using a camera

Varying sizes
Stronger the power, the lower the visual field (what a person is able to see at one time) .
May need multiple devices for different tasks, different times of day.

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Video Magnifiers

Handheld

Mid-range

Desktop

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Video Magnifiers – Things to Consider

Type of reading that will be done
Features (too little or too much can be negative)
Size/weight
Mobility considerations with reaching, twisting, pulling, etc.
Field of vision (screen size on video magnifiers)
Clarity of image and image quality

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Screen Magnification Technology

Enhances the image on the screen (makes larger, adjust colors/contrast)
As magnification increases, visual field is lessened
On-screen image may be difficult to control/understand at first.
Larger than 10x we start thinking about using a screen reader.
Common available magnifiers:

ZoomText
Windows Magnifier
Zoom (macOS and iOS)

Video Demonstration of Screen Magnifier

From AFB” A screen magnification system enlarges text and graphics on a computer screen. It is loaded into the computer’s memory and functions similarly to a magnifying glass moving over a page, following the cursor, and magnifying the area around it. Using a mouse or keyboard commands, a user positions the cursor on the section of the screen to be magnified or has the cursor move automatically across and down a magnified page at a preset speed. The magnified area may also be emphasized with color and shading, so that users who lose their place on screen may easily locate a magnified area. Fonts used in magnification programs are usually designed to smooth out the jagged or pixelated appearance of computer-produced diagonal or curved lines. Today’s full-featured screen magnifiers can magnify all items on a screen, including the mouse pointer, text cursor, icons, buttons, and title bars. The magnifiers also provide a set of mouse tracking features.”

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Screen Reading Technology

Synthesized speech informs the user what is on the screen and what is happening on the computer and/or inside an application or webpage.
Read linearly (top to bottom, left to right)
Uses keyboard or gestures for access
Different screen readers have different commands to complete actions (read document, navigate table, etc.)
Commonly used Screen Readers:

JAWS (Job Access with Speech)
NVDA (Nonvisual Desktop Access)
Windows Narrator
VoiceOver (macOS and iOS)
Talkback (Android)

Video Demonstration Screen Reader

From AFB: Screen readers are software programs that allow blind or visually impaired users to read the text that is displayed on the computer screen with a speech synthesizer or braille display. A screen reader is the interface between the computer's operating system, its applications, and the user. The user sends commands by pressing different combinations of keys on the computer keyboard or braille display to instruct the speech synthesizer what to say and to speak automatically when changes occur on the computer screen. A command can instruct the synthesizer to read or spell a word, read a line or full screen of text, find a string of text on the screen, announce the location of the computer's cursor or focused item, and so on. In addition, it allows users to perform more advanced functions, such as locating text displayed in a certain color, reading pre-designated parts of the screen on demand, reading highlighted text, and identifying the active choice in a menu. Users may also use the spell checker in a word processor or read the cells of a spreadsheet with a screen reader.

Windows based screen readers use many of the common windows commands to operate base elements of the computer and applications, VoiceOver, on the other hand, fundamentally alters how I interact with my machine.

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Widely Used Mobile Apps

OCR – OneStep Reader

General Identification – Be My Eyes

Money Identification – EyeNote (iOS Only)

Item Identification – Tap Tap See

Although we’ll cover mobile access in the next module, I wanted to briefly touch on smartphone and tablet apps as a tool for those with visual impairments and blindness. Apps are fantastic, if you can locate the right one for the job. On this slide, I’ve listed a few of the most widely used apps (or one’s I’m more inclined to like <grin>) for different purposes.

Top Left is an image of the OCR app KNFB Reader Mobile. This app allows an individual to scan a document or other printed item have the text captured and then read back aloud to the user. As depicted in this image, if the user does have some usable vision, he/she can also follow along as the content is being read. The app provides a field of vision report feature that allows the user to better determine where the capturable text is in relation to the camera. The captured text and images can be saved for later use. Wonderful app – real game changer in OCR functionality. It’s available on both iOS and Android and I think its at $20 now, down from $100. There are stands that can be purchased and even made to assist in stabilization – our own Sarah Mak has actually made some of these stands herself!

The top right image is of the Tap Tap See app which allows the user to take a picture of an unknown object and then have the object voiced back to him/her. Great app for use in the home when trying to find different food items. Available for free on both iOS and Android

The bottom left image is of the Color ID app. With this app, the user places the camera over the item in question and the app can voice the color of the item. Best to use in good lighting, and stable hand as the identifier works quick and can tell you something is one color at one point and then tell you it’s another at a different point. The nice thing is you can set this app up to only identify colors in basic terms: green, blue, etc.

The bottom right image is of the EyeNote money identification app. This app allows the user to place paper money in front of the camera and then have the denomination read back to him/her. This app is produced by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, who also gave us the iBill money identifier. Android has a few listed money identifiers; IDEAL US Currency Identifier being one of them.

All these apps require some degree of finesse to ensure that the item is scanned appropriately, but they have gotten markedly better and don’t require such a bullseye when capturing the images. What I tell users to do is place the device flat on top of the item being scanned and then pull the device straight up from the item 2-4 inches, at least when first learning how to use the app.

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Other Identifier Apps

Microsoft Seeing AI

Lookout Assisted Vision - Android

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Assistive Technology for D/deaf and Hard of Hearing

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Degrees of “Hearing Loss”

Mild hearing loss: Hearing loss of 20 to 40 decibels.
Moderate hearing loss: Hearing loss of 41 to 60 decibels.
Severe hearing loss: Hearing loss of 61 to 80 decibels.
Profound hearing loss or deafness: Hearing loss of more than 81 decibels.

*Information obtained from ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Deaf, deaf, and hard of hearing

Upper case “D” when referring to a particular group of deaf people who share a language (e.g. ASL) and a culture.
Lower case “d” when referring to the audiological condition of not hearing.
Hard of hearing is used when someone has mild to moderate hearing loss.

According to Carol Padden and Tom Humphries, in Deaf in America: Voices from a Culture (1988):

We use the lowercase deaf when referring to the audiological condition of not hearing, and the uppercase Deaf when referring to a particular group of deaf people who share a language – American Sign Language (ASL) – and a culture. The members of this group have inherited their sign language, use it as a primary means of communication among themselves, and hold a set of beliefs about themselves and their connection to the larger society. We distinguish them from, for example, those who find themselves losing their hearing because of illness, trauma or age; although these people share the condition of not hearing, they do not have access to the knowledge, beliefs, and practices that make up the culture of Deaf people.

Padden and Humphries comment, “this knowledge of Deaf people is not simply a camaraderie with others who have a similar physical condition, but is, like many other cultures in the traditional sense of the term, historically created and actively transmitted across generations.” The authors also add that Deaf people “have found ways to define and express themselves through their rituals, tales, performances, and everyday social encounters. The richness of their sign language affords them the possibilities of insight, invention, and irony.” The relationship Deaf people have with their sign language is a strong one, and “the mistaken belief that ASL is a set of simple gestures with no internal structure has led to the tragic misconception that the relationship of Deaf people to their sign language is a casual one that can be easily severed and replaced.” (Padden & Humphries)

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Technology for Hearing Loss

Amplified phones

Hearing aids

Caption phones

Alerting devices

Hearing aid capable cellular phones

Describe different technology featured:

Top Left: Clarity amplified phone – corded, cordless and Bluetooth for cellular!!!

An amplified cordless phone is a telephone designed to amplify sound for those who may be hard of hearing on a phone but feel they do not need a full-time hearing aid. The first priority of the amplified cordless phone is simply to increase the sound capacity. After that is accomplished, the next task is to make sure the sound is as clear as possible.
An amplified cordless phone works by taking the energy used for sound creation and making it just a little stronger, much the way a speaker system works for public addresses. In fact, there is very little difference between an amplified telephone and a speakerphone. Both work on the same principal of increasing the decibel level.
While all phones usually have a certain amount of volume control, an amplified cordless phone will usually take this to another level. Some phones will increase the volume by as much as 30 to 50 decibels. Normally, a phone can only make a difference of a few decibels

Top Middle: Phonak hearing aids showing different “types:”

In the ear (ITE)

Invisible in canal – sits deeply in canal
Completely in canal – does not sit as deeply in ear

Both these styles are for mild to moderate hearing loss; lack manual controls

In the canal are visible and sit in the outer ear bowl

Behind the ear (BTE)

Receiver in the ear/receiver in canal
BTE w/ ear mold

Top Right: Clarity Caption Phone (Ensemble) - amplification and captioning of conversation

Utilizes free captioning service ClearCaptions – live captionist listens to conversation and provides real time transcription of conversation
Also available as an Android and iPhone app

Bottom left: Alertmaster from Clarity – visual alert system. Alerts to doorbell, telephone and can be used to alert to other items

Bottom Middlet: Snapfon: enhanced volume and volume control; hearing aid compatible, LED flash

Bottom Right: Closed captioning on TV

1993 – all analog TVs with 13 inch screens needed CC decoder
2002 – digital TVs needed CC decoder
1996 – Video programming distributors needed to provide CC for tv programs
New rules for 2014 – improve captioning quality and better guidance to VPDs and programmers on how to provide CC

http://www.fcc.gov/guides/closed-captioning

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Assistive Listening Systems

Hearing loop (or induction loop) systems
FM Systems
Infrared systems
Personal amplifiers

Hearing Loop

FM System

Infrared System

Hearing loop (or induction loop) systems use electromagnetic energy to transmit sound. A hearing loop system involves four parts:

A sound source, such as a public address system, microphone, or home TV or telephone

An amplifier

A thin loop of wire that encircles a room or branches out beneath carpeting

A receiver worn in the ears or as a headset

Amplified sound travels through the loop and creates an electromagnetic field that is picked up directly by a hearing loop receiver or a telecoil (see sidebar), a miniature wireless receiver that is built into many hearing aids and cochlear implants. To pick up the signal, a listener must be wearing the receiver and be within or near the loop. Because the sound is picked up directly by the receiver, the sound is much clearer, without as much of the competing background noise associated with many listening environments. Some loop systems are portable, making it possible for people with hearing loss to improve their listening environments, as needed, as they proceed with their daily activities. A hearing loop can be connected to a public address system, a television, or any other audio source. For those who don’t have hearing aids with embedded telecoils, portable loop receivers are also available.

FM systems use radio signals to transmit amplified sounds. They are often used in classrooms, where the instructor wears a small microphone connected to a transmitter and the student wears the receiver, which is tuned to a specific frequency, or channel. People who have a telecoil inside their hearing aid or cochlear implant may also wear a wire around the neck (called a neckloop) or behind their aid or implant (called a silhouette inductor) to convert the signal into magnetic signals that can be picked up directly by the telecoil. FM systems can transmit signals up to 300 feet and are able to be used in many public places. However, because radio signals are able to penetrate walls, listeners in one room may need to listen to a different channel than those in another room to avoid receiving mixed signals. Personal FM systems operate in the same way as larger scale systems and can be used to help people with hearing loss to follow one-on-one conversations.

Infrared systems use infrared light to transmit sound. A transmitter converts sound into a light signal and beams it to a receiver that is worn by a listener. The receiver decodes the infrared signal back to sound. As with FM systems, people whose hearing aids or cochlear implants have a telecoil may also wear a neckloop or silhouette inductor to convert the infrared signal into a magnetic signal, which can be picked up through their telecoil. Unlike induction loop or FM systems, the infrared signal cannot pass through walls, making it particularly useful in courtrooms, where confidential information is often discussed, and in buildings where competing signals can be a problem, such as classrooms or movie theaters. However, infrared systems cannot be used in environments with too many competing light sources, such as outdoors or in strongly lit rooms.

Personal amplifiers are useful in places in which the above systems are unavailable or when watching TV, being outdoors, or traveling in a car. About the size of a cell phone, these devices increase sound levels and reduce background noise for a listener. Some have directional microphones that can be angled toward a speaker or other source of sound. As with other ALDs, the amplified sound can be picked up by a receiver that the listener is wearing, either as a headset or as earbuds.

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Apps / Tools for D/deaf and hard of hearing

Transcription

Google Live Transcribe
Hearing Helper (iOS)
Ava
Rogervoice (during phone conversations)
Whisper / Otter.ai

Sound enhancement

Chatable
Airpods

Google Live Transcribe

Allows users to see words appear on the screen as they talk

Hearing Helper

Offers real time captioning by pressing and holding the button on the app. Whatever is spoken while the button is pressed will appear on the screen

AVA

If a person who is deaf or who has hearing loss is with a group of friends, they can get those friends to connect to the app - then the person(s) who has hearing loss will see live transcriptions of the group conversation.

The speech is picked up using the phone’s microphone and on screen the name of the person talking is displayed in front of what that person says.

**Features**�- live transcribe�- voice to text�- live captions�- text to speech

Rogervoice

Rogervoice is an app which produces live transcription during phone calls in more than 100 different languages. People who are deaf and those who have hearing loss, or someone who has difficulty speaking can use the phone to have a conversation with someone, and receive a typed text (on their phone) of what the other person is saying.

1. Dial any number. Call your friends, your coworkers, your doctor, or any number, local or international.�2. Read your calls in real time. During a call, simply hold your smartphone in front of you to read the transcribed text.�3. Reply by talking using your voice, or reply by typing. When you type, your contact will hear your message.

Chatable

Chatable is an app for iOS(Apple) and Android devices which works much like a remote microphone, wherein the phone is placed close to the persons speaking and you listen using a pair of wired or bluetooth headphones. Those with compatible hearing aids and cochlear implants may also be able to send the processed sound from Chatable into their devices (please note that you may require additional equipment from the manufacturer of your hearing devices in order to do this)

The app is suitable for any level of hearing loss with volume boost and background noise adjustable settings and could prove very helpful at this time, especially when talking to people wearing face masks in places such as hospitals, supermarkets, and even in pubs and restaurants. Some have even found the speech enhancement capabilities useful when watching television at home.

There is a free and a paid for version of the app, the difference being how much you can modify the volume and level of background noise.

Features: noise reduction, volume boost

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Assistive Technology for Memory and Cognition

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AT for Memory and Cognition

Functional categories that may be impacted:

Memory (short and long-term)
Problem-solving (processing speed, logic, and reasoning)
Attention
Reading, linguistic, and verbal comprehension
Math comprehension
Visual comprehension

Cognitive disability (also known as intellectual disability) is a nebulous term describing a person who has greater difficulty with mental tasks than the average person. Cognitive disabilities are by far the most common type of disability.

Most cognitive disabilities are rooted in biology or physiology. The connection between biology and mental processes is most obvious in cases of traumatic brain injury and genetic disorders, but even the more subtle cognitive disabilities stem from brain structure or chemistry. People with profound cognitive disabilities may need assistance with nearly every aspect of daily living. Someone with a minor learning disability, however, may be able to function adequately, even to the extent that the disability is never diagnosed.

IDEA, defines a intellectual disability as "significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning, existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior and manifested during the developmental period, that adversely affects a child's educational performance." [34 Code of Federal Regulations §300.7(c)(6)]

Short-Term Memory – the ability to retain information for short periods of time

Long-Term Memory – the ability to store and recall information for later use

Processing Speed – the rate at which the brain handles information

Logic & Reasoning – the ability to reason, prioritize and plan

Attention – ability to focus and keep focused on the current task

Language Processing – the ability to recognize letters and words and the ability to understand written or spoken language

Math Processing – the ability to recognize numbers and symbols and the ability to understand and calculate simple math

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Support Tools for Memory & Cognition

Reminders
To Do Lists
Calendaring
Note-Taking
Recording
Text to Speech
Speech to Text

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Technology to Assist with Memory and Cognition

Visual Schedule

Smart phones and tablets

Digital voice recorder

Picture phones

Pill dispensers

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Additional Technology

Writing assistance

Co:writer Universal
Read and Write
Ginger and Grammarly

Reading assistance

Snap and Read
Read and Write
Kurzweil 3000

Productivity

Inspiration (mind mapping and graphic organizer)
Genio

Writing assistance tools often provide:

Word prediction, flexible spelling, speech to text, topic dictionaries, text to speech

Co:writer Universal (subscription-based) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJwx_ri0lU8 (1:17)

Co:writer Universal is a comprehensive software for Google Chrome and iOS with exceptional word prediction abilities. While it can be used by anyone, it’s useful for helping people with IDDs communicate more easily. Users can access the speech recognition software or enter data through traditional means.

In either case, Co:writer universal has proven to be helpful to people with autism, learning disabilities, dyslexia, or other challenges with writing. In addition to helping those with intellectual disabilities write, Co:writer Universal can also help bolster their writing style and grammar.

Features:

Word prediction, flexible spelling, speech to text, topic dictionaries, text to speech

Read and Write (free limited Chrome extension, otherwise paid service)

Hear text read aloud

Convert documents into Mp3

Spell checker and word prediction

Screen masking

Edit PDFs

OCR

Ginger and Grammarly (free chrome extension, but also has premium subscription)

Ginger is a cutting-edge assistive technological solution that can quickly provide definitions of words and check spelling. This tool can be helpful for people with a range of disabilities. Ginger can be used to help strengthen writing skills because it works to correct mistakes as they write. It can also provide assistance by reading out content that has been written.

Ginger and similar assistive technologies are ideal for use in the classroom as well as in the workplace, especially in instances where an adult with disabilities has to engage in writing activities. In addition, Ginger can be downloaded on different devices.

https://www.grammarly.com/

Reading Assistance

Most tools offer:

Read Aloud

Dynamic Text Leveling

Translation

Pull text into an outline, then organize it and add notes

Overlays and masking

Dictionaries (picture ones too)

Snap and Read

It reads both accessible and inaccessible text aloud, it levels vocabulary, and it translates, delivering usage data to teachers who then can more easily assess students’ reading needs individually.

Youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ka0Ja50aoBs

Inspiration

Visual thinking and learning strategies have been shown to increase academic performance for students of all learning abilities. By providing multiple mediums for representation, expression and engagement, Inspiration Software tools help students visually organize and outline ideas to structure writing and improve communication and expression. All this while learning skills that enhance and make learning fun and engaging.

Inspiration is a useful assistive technology that can be used as a mind map or graphic organizer. Graphic organizers allow users to simply dump data or information in a relatively random and unstructured manner and then later work through the data to create a course of action. This can be especially helpful in professional as well as classroom settings.

Based on the nature of the work, graphic organizers can be used to map out a sequence of events, prompt the user to describe an object, or complete some other task that can help in planning. Inspiration can be downloaded on Windows devices and Mac devices to help users quickly organize ideas into a visual form to best understand concepts and develop new ideas.

(Genio) Glean / Sonocent Audio Notetaker

is a note-taking software and companion mobile app which allows students to access spoken language more effectively in class, lectures, and on field trips. Sonocent allows students to build independent study skills and create complete, useful resources for their studies

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVuK0IQZ0DU (1:21)

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Assistive Technology for Mobility

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AT for Mobility

**must work with PT/OT Medical personnel

Mobility impairment refers to the inability of a person to use one or more of his/her extremities, or a lack of strength to walk, grasp, or lift objects. The use of a wheelchair, crutches, or a walker may be utilized to aid in mobility. Mobility impairment may be caused by a number of factors, such as disease, an accident, or a congenital disorder and may be the result from neuro-muscular and orthopedic impairments.

Many types of orthopedic or neuromuscular impairments can impact mobility. These include but are not limited to amputation, paralysis, cerebral palsy, stroke, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, arthritis, and spinal cord injury. Mobility impairments range from lower body impairments, which may require use of canes, walkers, or wheelchairs, to upper body impairments that may include limited or no use of the upper extremities and hands.

Mobility impairments can be permanent or temporary. A broken bone or surgical procedure can temporarily impact a student's ability to walk independently and travel between classroom buildings in a timely manner. Likewise, some students may be ambulatory with a walker for short distances within a classroom, but may need a wheelchair or scooter for longer distances.

Mobility impairments can impact students in several ways. Some students may take longer to get from one class to another, enter buildings, or maneuver in small spaces. In some cases physical barriers may inhibit entry into a building or room. Accessible transportation may also be required for students to get to fieldwork sites.

A mobility impairment may impact, to varying degrees, a student's ability to manipulate objects, turn pages, write with a pen or pencil, type at a keyboard, and/or retrieve research materials. Medical conditions such as Arthritis or repetitive stress injuries can impact fine motor abilities and decrease endurance for longer assignments. A student's physical abilities may also vary from day to day.

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Mobility Considerations

accessible locations for classrooms, labs, work sites, and field trips
wide aisles and uncluttered work areas
adjustable height and tilt tables
all equipment located within reach
note takers, scribes, and lab assistants
group lab or work assignments
extended exam time or alternative testing arrangements
computers with speech input, Morse code, and alternative keyboards
access to disability parking spaces, wheelchair ramps, curb cuts, and elevators
course and program materials available in electronic format
When speaking with a student in a wheelchair for more than a few minutes, sit down or move back to create a more comfortable angle for conversation.

*Information obtained from University of Washington Do-It Center

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AT Solutions for Mobility

Wheelchairs (work with SMS)
Walkers
Crutches
Canes
Prosthetic Devices

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Mobility Solutions for Life Skills

Pen/Pencil grips

Reachers

Specialty TV remotes

Weighted silverware

Liftware from Google

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Mobility Solutions for Computer Access

Mouth stick/Head wand
Switches
Sip-and-Puff Systems
Direct selection
On-screen keyboards
Screen Readers
Voice Assistance

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Computer Access

Access to computer or tablets
Peripheral devices
Adapted
Customizable
Color coded

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Assistive Technology for Reading

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Text-to-Speech (TTS) – It is still reading!

Reading Difficulties

Decoding
Fluency
Comprehension

Learning or Print Disability

Dyslexia Print Disability

Dual Modalities

Auditory/Visual
Visual Supports

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Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

Connected to computer (software and hardware)

Stand-alone

Portable

OCR software is a highly used tool that allows those with visual impairments to read documents that might otherwise be inaccessible. OCR stands for Optical Character Recognition; meaning that a document is scanned and then read back (aloud) to the user. There are multiple forms of OCR devices and software available for use and the technology behind these devices and software is always getting better. At current the OCR technologies can only read print materials, not hand written notes, although there are some devices, such as the light scribe pen that can record material as the user is writing it. Something you can research at a later date.

Although we’re talking about OCR in the context of tools for those who are blind or low vision, OCR can be beneficial for a wide range of individuals. OCR gives the reader the potential for multiple inputs in order to successfully read both hard copy and electronic documents.

With the older scan and read devices/software, the user would place the document on a scanning bed and wait while the image was scanned, processed and then read back by the device. Newer devices actually take a quick “flash” image and can process the item in a fraction of the time it takes a traditional scanner.

Again, the technology is much better than it used to be, but there are still some quirks, as due to lighting/glare, document placement, curve of a page, the OCR software may not be 100% accurate. The user must be aware that there will inevitably be some “glitches” in the scanning, thus the user may try the scan again or obtain the full meaning from the context of the writing.

Math problems and tables/graphs have proven to be troublesome, at times for many of the OCR devices/software, although with some settings adjustments the devices accuracy can be improved.

There are 3 types of OCR devices shown on this slide:

The top left image is a device that attaches directly to a computer and relies on software installed on the computer. In our image, the software can show the scanned text on the screen so a person could follow along visually if desired.

Shown: Pearl Camera with OpenBook software. The camera is used in conjunction with a computer (most times a laptop for portability reasons). The camera can fold up and be carried from one location to the next. It takes an instant “flash” image.

The top right device is a stand alone device that has all the software and controls on the device itself. Although these are stand alone devices they can also be hooked up to a monitor to allow for visual access as well.

Shown: the SARA CE device which stands for Scanning and Reading Appliance.

The device on the bottom is a stand alone and portable option for OCR. These devices are lighter weight, collapsible (to a degree), yet full functioning

Shown: the Opetelec ClearReader portable ocr device.

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Scanning to OCR for TTS

OCR = Optical Character Recognition
Not all PDFs Accessible

Convert Print text into digital text
Edit text and format
Copy & Paste or Export to other apps
Translate text

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Scanning Tools

Prizmo
CamScanner
TextGrabber
Adobe
Kofax OmniPage

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Digital / Online Library

Bookshare
LearningAlly
Project Gutenberg

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TTS Apps

VoiceDream
Read2Go

Low Vision/Blindness

Snap&Read
Speech Central

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Assistive Technology for Writing

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AT for Writing

Fluency
Spelling
Composing
Origination
Illegible or handwriting concerns

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AT Tools for Writing

Word Prediction
Dictation
Proof readers
Graphic Organizers
Keyboards

On-screen features

Visuals
Word Banks
Clozes

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AT Apps for Writing

Word Prediction

Co:Writer
Clicker

Proof Readers

Voice Dream Writer
Ghotit
Ginger
Wrise

Graphic Organizers

Inspiration Maps
Lucidchart

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Technology is not magic

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Digital Access

Digital access is the ability to fully participate in digital society.

Accessible Educational/Instructional Material (AEM/AIM)

Tools and technologies, such as the Internet and computers

Cloud based and universal access

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Digital Divide

Unfortunately, not everyone has complete digital access and the separation between those who have complete access and those who do not is referred to as the Digital Divide. There are many levels of digital access - some individuals have more and others have less.

Lack of resources to pay for hardware, technology, and Internet access
Lack of electricity, education and knowledge about the use of technology
Physical or disability limitations that limit access

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Technoableism

Against Technoableism by Dr. Ashley Shew
"Technoableism is a belief in the power of technology that considers the elimination of disability a good thing, something we should strive for... Technoableism is the use of technologies to reassert those biases, often under the guise of empowerment" (p. 7-8).

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Questions?

DigitalAccessibility@Colorado.EDU

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Submit Your Questions

Use the link or QR Code to submit questions to the CU Boulder Digital Accessibility Office (DAO)!

We will use your questions to guide us through Friday’s Q&A from 10 to 10:50 AM

bit.ly/camp-questions2026