The Family Center on Technology and Disability
Assistive Technology Works
The Assistive Technology Blog
"The Assistive Technology Blog" is a publication of the Virginia Department of Education's Training and Technical Assistance Center (T/TAC) at VCU (not to be confused with AssistiveTechnologyBlog.com, also reviewed here by FCTD). It is a very simply organized blog of hundreds of resources that can be accessed by month or by by these categories: - Assistive Technologies - AT and Standardized Assessment - AT and Transition - AT for Math ...
Published: 2013 by Susanne Croasdaile , Reviewed: April 01, 2013
Box of Tricks
Jose Picardo is a full time teacher of languages at Nottingham High School. Among other efforts, he has created the Box of Tricks web site as part of his effort to consult with and train educators on the use of new and emerging technologies to "support, enhance, and ultimately transform teaching and learning." The blog is a wealth of illustrations of creative use of technologies in mainstream education. Over 50 ...
Published: 2012 by Jose Picardo , Reviewed: March 11, 2013
MITS Freedom Stick
The Freedom Stick is a USB "thumb" drive with a large collection of public domain software intended to provide increased access for students with disabilities. The concept and contents were developed by the Regional Support Centre - Scotland North and East with some support from Mozilla. It has been packaged as the MITS Freedom Stick by Michigan's Integrated Technology Supports (MITS) in Lansing, Michigan and made available through their web ...
Published: 2012 by Michigan's Integrated Technology Supports , Reviewed: February 20, 2013
Camera Mouse
The Camera Mouse program was developed by Professor James Gips (Boston College) and Professor Margrit Betke (formerly of Boston College and now with Boston University) to allow people with disabilities to operate the computer with their head movements. It was developed and then marketed commercially. When its commercial startup company failed, the program was taken back by Boston College, improved and now is available as a free download from this ...
Published: 2012 by Boston College , Reviewed: about 15 hours ago
Perkins Scout
Designed by the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts, Perkins Scout is a free database specific to information and resources for users who have visual impairments or blindness. According to the Perkins School website, the goal is for Scout to become “a centralized hub providing the most reliable and authoritative information about all aspects of living with blindness and visual impairments.” Perkins Scout is well on the way ...
Published: 2012 by Perkins School for the Blind , Reviewed: August 13, 2012
Learning Independence with Google Search
Posted on the Google blog at the end of March 2012, by Glen Shires, this video highlights Google search features that can eliminate the need for typing in the search box (Voice Search) and will filter search results using reading levels (Search by Reading Level). Made to help users find relevant results that are easier for them to understand and incorporate into their studies, the video demonstrates Voice Search and ...
Published: 2012 by Greg Shires , Reviewed: May 09, 2012
The Assistve Technology Daily
January 1st, 2012 marked the public launch of Assistive Technology Daily, a blog dedicated to sharing assistive technology solutions. There are new posts daily with descriptions of technology, photos and embedded video, and permalinks to share single posts. The blog is searchable by keyword or category, month and year. It has an incredible list of resources including Special Education Technology, workplace, specific disability information, home modification, and much, much more. ...
Published: 2012 by North Carolina Assistive Technology Program , Reviewed: January 30, 2013
Speech Takes On Search Engines
The Speegle website features a digital voice that can read words typed into a search box. An article describes the benefits of text-to-voice technologies. Speegle is not meant to compete with screen reader programs or high-end text-to-voice tools. However, it may be an easy, free way to introduce professionals and parents to text-to-voice technology.
Published: 2012 , Reviewed: February 16, 2005
Helping the Blind and Visually Impaired
The website "Helping the Blind and Visually Impaired" at http://www.visuallyimpairedandtheblind.com was created by Christine Chaikin to help other web users with blindness or visual impairments find useful resources online. To encourage a sense of community, the site is screen reader-friendly and includes transcripts of interviews with notable individuals and categorized links to screen readers, employment resources, product vendors, and related publications and resource links. Helping the Blind and Visually Impaired ...
Published: 2011 by Christine Chaikin , Reviewed: December 06, 2011
AppleVis
AppleVis is a community driven website that was created to collect information on the accessibility of apps developed for Apple's iOS devices. Its goal is to be a repository of “guides, tutorials and tips that will enable users with vision impairments to get the most from their iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch.” The site is divided into six sections. The first is the app directory. In this section one can ...
Published: 2011 by AppleVis , Reviewed: February 17, 2012
Technology for the Blind
This blog is a resource guide to discuss accessible technology for the blind. The writers all have vision impairments and work for the Iowa Department for the Blind. They try out different types of technology tools and offer their own opinions about each. The information and resources are easy to read and are described in great detail. The searchable tags make it easy to find specific information and it is ...
Published: 2011 by Iowa Department for the Blind , Reviewed: September 01, 2011
Using NetSmartz with Special Needs Children
The NetSmartz online safety workshop from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children includes resources for working with NetSmartz materials when teaching online safety skills to children with special needs. Visitors to the NetSmartz website can download safety pledges that use picture communication systems, and safety-themed social stories. Some of the streamed NetSmartz videos are closed captioned.
Published: 2011 by NetSmartz Workshop , Reviewed: August 13, 2012
Use iChat to Talk Via Text, Voice or Video
iChat is a communication program built into the Apple OS X operating system that functions like Skype. Video chatting requires a web camera and a microphone (if not built into the Mac computer itself) and allows users to talk with one another over the internet. Video chats can be done one-to-one or in groups. The website gives instructions for setting up the iChat account and for configuring it correctly. It ...
Published: 2011 by Andrew Leibs , Reviewed: August 13, 2012
DOGO News
DOGO is an online newspaper and web guide designed for children. The articles are short and include photos, maps, and a dictionary for challenging words. The DOGO website is a safe, interactive environment in which children can explore. The menu of archived articles includes current events, sports, social studies, history, and entertainment. The website is brightly colored and appealing to all ages. A child is able to post a comment ...
Published: 2011 by DOGO Media , Reviewed: August 04, 2011
Using Assistive Technology to Promote Childrens Participation
This information is presented as a webinar that has been archived for ongoing use. Although the viewer cannot participate in the webinar, he can access all that was presented in the initial broadcast. The focus of the webinar is participation in learning through the use of adapted assistive technology .The program is not captioned but each screen has text and one has the ability to change the size of the ...
Published: 2011 by Pip Campbell , Reviewed: June 28, 2011
iPad & Deaf-blind Accessibility
iPad & Deaf-blind Accessibility is a presentation by Kim Paulk, a Deaf-blind consumer and technology advocate. It is available on the University of Florida web site in PowerPoint format. In twenty-six slides it does a good job of casting the iPad as a powerful tool for individuals who are deaf-blind. The iPad is described as having, out of the box, a full featured screen reader with 200 times magnification and ...
Published: 2011 by Kim Paulk , Reviewed: December 06, 2012
AI as AT: Artificial Intelligence Technology with Crossover Potential
Artificial intelligence can be defined as "the ability of a machine to imitate intelligent behavior." This issue of Technology Voices, the newsletter of the Family Center on Technology and Disability, describes how one researcher in the AI field has applied that background to a number of areas of AT (assistive technology). Kathleen F. McCoy, Ph.D., is a Professor of Computer and Information Science and a Professor of Linguistics at the ...
Published: 2011 , Reviewed: May 31, 2012
Tech-ease 4 All: For All Your Classroom Technology Needs
This website is a collection of tutorials and directions in a variety of accessible formats (video, large video, print directions in PDF format, and tagged HTML) of all the Universal Access features in Mac OS X and Ease of Access in Windows 7. This is a helpful, one-stop resource for classrooms-or home-to activate features that might make a computer easier to use without purchasing add-on software or hardware.
Published: 2010 by Florida Center for Instructional Technology , Reviewed: December 07, 2010
Your Tube: Accessible You Tube
Your Tube is a flash player for individuals with visual impairments. It allows them to access the controls, user comments, related videos, and other information on You Tube that is not only difficult but sometimes impossible to see. After entering a query, an individual can control how many responses will be displayed. He or she can then listen to each title with only a key stroke using Jaws. Without pictures ...
Published: 2010 by Dylan Neale , Reviewed: December 29, 2011
Accessibility Update 2010
Accessibility Update 2010 is one of the monthly online newsletters published by Microsoft. It addresses the need to educate and prepare teachers to ensure accessibility for students with disabilities. The articles in the newsletter include Accessibility: A Guide for Educators, which is a download that explains what accessibility is and what it means for students. Back to School: Making Sure Students with Disabilities can See, Hear, and Use their PCs ...
Published: 2010 by Microsoft , Reviewed: March 03, 2011