ATMac
Empowering Disabled Apple Users
What Is ATMac?
ATMac provides instantly useful information about all Apple and Mac products for users with a disability, chronic illness, or other impairments. It's largely written and edited by Ricky Buchanan. Read More »
Resource Desk
As well as articles we have tutorials, free downloads, bookmarks, and lots of other assistive technology resources »
iPhone, iPad, iPod News
iPad Keyguard Review
Dana from Uncommon Sense reviews one of the LaseredPics keyguards for the iPad. Their daughter Maya uses the app Speak For Yourself and her iPad has an iAdapter1 case. The keyguard has hugely improved her AAC abilities!
AppleVis Provides Resources for Blind Apple Users
AppleVis is a website by and for blind and vision-impaired users of Apple devices, primarily iOS device users but including some resources for Mac OS X users. The focus is on VoiceOver users but there are some resources for other blind users who use zooming to access devices too.
Time-Independent Games
Most computer games get faster, relying on reflexes and coordination. Untimed games such as turn-based games rely on strategy and tactics instead, which makes them excellent if the user’s disability affects perception, thinking/memory, or movement.
Getting An iPad/iPhone/iTouch For Communication
A comprehensive list of groups that I know of who are currently accepting applications for an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch to be used for AAC and communication.
iPad Keyguards Available
The American company Lasered Pics is now making keyguards available for the iPad. Keyguards for the standard iPad keyboard, Proloquo2Go, TapSpeak Choice and Speak It! are available, and custom keyguards are available on request.
Mac and OS X News
How to use your Mac without a mouse
Everyone knows a few keyboard shortcuts (like Command-P for print, or Command-Q for quit). Mastering more, along with other efficient ways to control your Mac without reaching for the mouse, will help you get your work done faster, leaving more time for Angry Birds.
Speech-to-Text: Dictation software for Mac OS X
An overview of the types of speech-to-text software that are available for Mac OS X. Speech-to-text software, sometimes known as dictation software, lets you talk to the computer and have the computer react appropriately.
My Computer Won’t Stop Talking!
Quite often on Apple’s Universal Access forums there are questions from users who have found that their computer’s suddenly started talking to them, and putting a black box around whatever they’re working on. What’s happening?
Accessibility For Lion
Mac OS X 10.7 Lion was released today. For the first time it’s available via download instead of on DVD and comes with international voices for speech synthesis users. There’s also multi-touch gestures, auto save, and a bunch of other updates relevant to accessibility.
MovieCaptioner 4.2
Use Mac OS X’s MovieCaptioner to quickly and efficiently produce captions, subtitles, and transcripts for your iPod, iPad, DVD and Flash film and video segments. MovieCaptioner is now upgraded to version 4.2 and can also read YouTube’s captioning format so you can let YouTube try to auto-caption your video and then correct and re-upload the results.
Other Apple Disability News
Putting Bookshare.org Books On The iPad
Electronic books from Bookshare.org, especially textbooks, are invaluable for students who are blind or otherwise print impaired. The print impaired, however, can have trouble using these books on an iPad as there is little appropriate software. Here is a method for converting Bookshare books to the popular and widely supported ePub format so they can be read using Stanza or other ebook readers on the iPad as well as the iPhone and iPod Touch.
Hand-e-holder For Mounting iOS Devices
Recently I’ve stumbled upon a new holder for the iPad that I hoped would end up being the missing link I’ve been looking for in my quest to find a way to make the iPad work for me. It’s called the “Hand-e-holder” and it’s unlike any other holder I’ve seen thus far.
Ellie’s iPad Provides New Opportunities
Before the iPad, Ellie couldn’t type and used her computer only to play BlackJack. Now she’s on Twitter, contributes to an app review site, and generally considers her Apple devices more useful than her shoes!
Dragon Dictate 2.0 Review
Lisa Connor – previously a user of MacSpeech Dictate – has been using Dragon Dictate 2.0 and Growl for several weeks now. Overall, she’s glad that she upgraded, although there are still some problems with the setup.
Switch Control For iPod/iPad/iPhone Music
There are three hardware-based options of which I’m aware for accessing the music playing functions an an iPod, iPhone, or iPad, as well as customisable software programs. These won’t help you to use the programs on an iPod Touch, iPhone, or iPad – just to play the music, audiobooks and podcasts you’ve already put onto the device.
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