The Family Center on Technology and Disability
Assistive Technology Works
Resource Materials and Technology Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
This is part of the website of the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind. It is intended for teachers of deaf or hard of hearing students to utilize curriculum materials, web resources, technology, and training materials to help them be better teachers. There are links to literacy materials, teacher training resources, information of educational captioning, and a data base for a lending library of captioned videotapes. This is a ...
Published: 2008 by Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System , Reviewed: December 12, 2008
YackPack
The YackPack is a web site that provides a way to connect with friends and family by exchanging voice messages. One can also join in an Audio Forum with other members. It is described as ‘email with a voice’. The site is free but each window is headed by an active advertising banner. Users sign in, receive an instant email confirmation, and are able to begin sending messages to others. ...
Published: 2008 , Reviewed: December 05, 2008
WebAIM: Web Accessibility in Mind
This amazing website has tons of resources devoted to the goal of making the Web more accessible to individuals with disabilities. It is run by staff at the Center for Persons with Disabilities at Utah State University. WebAim staff provides direct services in addition to developing software, educational programs, research and numerous other resources devoted to Web accessibility. They also discuss and promote legislation and policy as it relates to ...
Published: 2008 by Center for Persons with Disabilities at Utah State University , Reviewed: December 06, 2008
The Accessible Book Collection
The Accessible Book Collection is a nonprofit corporation that provides downloads of "high interest/low reading level digital text to qualified persons with disabilities" who cannot read standard text effectively. Using an eligibility application and disability certification to determine eligibility for the corporation‘s service, the Accessible Book Collection then offers a variety of licenses and annual subscription rates, and provides access to a variety of e-books for classroom and recreational use. ...
Published: 2008 by The Accessible Book Collection , Reviewed: March 10, 2009
Special Education Law Blog
The Special Education Law Blog is a unique forum with interesting examples of case law plus general special education and disability commentary. The blog also offers information and related links on a variety of special education topics. The Special Education Law Blog is maintained by Illinois attorney Charles Fox, who is also the parent of a child with cerebral palsy, and the majority of postings come from and include commentary ...
Published: 2008 by Charles Fox , Reviewed: December 15, 2008
Mark Sheehan‘s Special Education/Exceptionality Page
The Special Education/Exceptionality Page is an online resource guide with hundreds of links to a wide range of disability organizations and resources. Included are reports from the government, technology vendors advertising their wares, and parent/teacher supports. The site is updated frequently and new links are marked as such. There is a wealth of information available here for people of all interests and all knowledge levels.
Published: 2008 by Mark Sheehan , Reviewed: December 22, 2008
Tinsnips - A Special Education Resource
This is a website designed for teachers, parents, and other professionals who are teaching preschool through kindergarten age students who are identified as having Pervasive Developmental Disorder. Although many of the ideas are well known and frequently practiced, this site offers solid theory, teaching strategies and low tech materials in one place. Worksheets involve several modalities, designed to enhance learning outcomes. Some of the worksheets are free but many of ...
Published: 2008 by tinsnips.org , Reviewed: December 16, 2008
Transferring Assistive Technology from School to Work
This article addresses the issue of enabling an individual with a disability to take assistive technology provided or paid for by a school system to the work place. As more technology has become available, and is used by students to successfully access their environment, the issue of the transfer of the technology after graduation from high school arises. The paper takes note of the economic loss when this isn’t possible, ...
Published: 2008 by United Cerebral Palsy National , Reviewed: December 16, 2008
Thunder ScreenReader talking software
This is a free screen reading program that works with Windows XP, Windows 2000 and Windows Vista. It does not run on MAC OS. The website is very clear that the free version of Thunder software is only for personal use at home. Those who wish to use it at work are asked to contact ScreenReader.net to set up a reasonable fee for the program. The program was developed in ...
Published: 2008 by ScreenReader.net , Reviewed: December 16, 2008
Adaptive Technology Resource Centre
The University of Toronto has established tutorials for their students who may require assistive technology to succeed in their programs of study. The tutorials are specific to software, which provides access to printed material and websites. The tutorials are specific and provide quality step-by-step procedures for several text-to-speech software programs incuding ReadPlease and Kurzweil 3000, as well as the speech-to-text software program, Dragon Naturally Speaking. A tutorial for the graphic ...
Published: 2008 by Faculty of ATRC , Reviewed: March 05, 2008
Kurzweil, Language, UDL and RDI
Daniel Davies, founder of AbleLink Technologies, is interviewed by Chauncey Rucker, editor of the Connsense Bulletin website. Mr. Davies speaks about the cognitive support technologies that his company manufactures and distributes. These technologies are aimed at promoting independent living for people anywhere on the cognitive impairment spectrum, a group that he calls especially underserved. His products include supports for computer access and use. These supports help with browsing (scrolling, drop-down ...
Published: 2008 by Daniel Davies , Reviewed: April 17, 2008
Learning Through Listening
This valuable website is provided by Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D). It provides a variety of resources, geared toward helping K-12 students with print disabilities learn how to listen. Materials and other resources developed by the RFB&D are available at this website FREE for teachers to use in inclusive classrooms or resource rooms. The website features a wide variety of resources, including advice, research, lesson plans and helpful ...
Published: 2008 by Recordings for the Blind & Dyslexic , Reviewed: March 11, 2009
Readthewords.com
Hurry up and test this free beta site. Readthewords turns multiple formats of text – documents, Adobe files, web pages and RSS feeds into audio files. Files can be embedded into web pages for better accessibility. There are 15 voices to choose from and it speaks several languages. The voices are excellent too. This tool was originally developed for students with learning disabilities but the developers found that it was ...
Published: 2008 by Educational Utilities , Reviewed: April 16, 2008
The Listen Up Web - Assistive Technology
The Assistive Technology section of the Listen Up Website is dedicated to products, services, and providers committed to consumers with hearing impairments, and especially aimed at families with deaf/hard-of-hearing children. There is an extensive menu of AT products with descriptions of how they function. There are links to product manufacturers, as well as resources for funding and locating used equipment. There are articles on topics related to deafness, education, and ...
Published: 2008 by Listen Up Web , Reviewed: December 16, 2008
No Limits to Learning Blog Inspires Creation of AT Blog Carnival
This first edition of the Assistive Technology Blog Carnival is an extension of Lon Thornburg‘s remarkable No Limits to Learning blog which focuses on education, disabilities, and AT. Some samples of items included are: Paul Greenfield‘s Free Resources from the Net for Special Education (an incredible blog full of information on Twiddle (an interactive online white board), a post on Gizmo Richards Tech Support Alert website, and additional information on ...
Published: 2008 by Lon Thornburg , Reviewed: December 30, 2008
Family Connect
This is a new site from the American Foundation for the Blind, for parents of children who have visual impairments. A huge range of topics is provided, with categories ranging from ‘After the Diagnosis‘ to ‘Teenagers‘ and ‘Multiple Disabilities‘. A special area addressing technology is included, including topics such as Accessing Printed Information, Accessing Electronic Information, Tools for Writing and Students Using Technology. The site enables parents to participate in ...
Published: 2008 by American Foundation for the Blind/National Assn for Parents of Children with Visual Impairment , Reviewed: March 16, 2009
Tar Heel Reader
This open source Web site has a variety of talking books for beginning readers. The books can be read online or downloaded. They are switch accessible too. The books can be read with a male, female or child’s voice and some can be read in Spanish. The site recommends using the Web browser Mozilla Firefox but suggests that the online reading capability works with Internet Explorer 7 also. People can ...
Published: 2008 by Gary Bishop , Reviewed: March 10, 2009
WebAnywhere
WebAnywhere is a free, web-based, self-voicing web browser that allows users to access the web using any web accessing device. It is an alpha release of the program but the creators insure that bugs will be rapidly updated. Jeffrey Bigham, a Ph.D. student at University of Washington is the main contact for this project although others are involved in its development. Moreover, this screen reader is one of several Web ...
Published: 2008 by Jeffrey Bigham , Reviewed: May 04, 2009
NFB Newsline
The NFB Newsline allows subscribers with a touch tone phone to select articles from participating newsletters and magazines to be read aloud over the phone. In addition to helping users who are blind or visually-impaired, the service may be valuable to users who have other disabilities that make it difficult or impossible for them to read traditional newspapers and magazines. Users can choose the current day, the previous day, or ...
Published: 2008 by National Federation for the Blind , Reviewed: December 30, 2008
Speech to Speech
This video highlights Dr. Robert Segalman (Dr. Bob), an accomplished man with CP who developed the Speech to Speech technology out of his frustrations at not being understood over the telephone. The video documents the history of frustration for people with communicative disorders and both describes and demonstrates the use of Speech to Speech technology. Basically, this technology consists of trained Communication Assistants (CA)who are utilized by the person with ...
Published: 2008 by Dr. Robert Segalman , Reviewed: December 15, 2008