ATMac

When Apple announced the iPad the first thing I thought was “how, as a quadriplegic with limited use of my arms, will I be able to use this device?”. Fortunately I immediately already had a pretty good idea on how this could be accomplished being that I’ve been an iPod Touch 2G user for almost 18 months. Ultimately the iPad is probably going to be able to do quite a bit more than the iPod Touch but the iPod Touch is still essentially the iPad’s “little brother”. So I thought I’d share the methods I use to access my iPod Touch in hopes that these ideas may be useful for people with physical disabilities hoping to get an iPad.

In December, Nuance surprised everybody by releasing two apps for the iPhone - Dragon Dictation and Dragon Search. Those apps are now also available for iPod Touch users and they’re free for a limited time.

The iPod Touch and iPhone are wonderful devices that have so many uses. However for quite a while I didn’t give them much serious thought because I thought I had no chance of actually being able to physically use them… Now they’ve become an everyday part of my life.

Earlier this year I purchased the MacHeist 3 bundle. It was the first bundle I ever purchased. It was just too good to pass up on. One of the included applications that intrigued me the most was the cooking application called “SousChef” by Acacia Tree Software. I wanted to add some more variety to my [...]

Today Amazon introduced the Kindle 2, the newest incarnation of its ebook reading device. Included in this 2nd generation Kindle is built-in text to speech capability.

Bookshare, the free service that offers US residents with qualifying disabilities access to more than 42,000 digital books, textbooks, teacher-recommended reading, periodicals and assistive technology tools has gotten a makeover.

I thought I’d pass on the news that MacWorld just published an interesting news item about one of our very own, Giesbert Nijhuis. Giesbert has started selling his own line of T-Shirts under the label, AssistiveWear. Congratulations Giesbert!
You can check out the full article here.
- Paul Natsch
           

Accenda, makers of the popular voice controlled universal remote control, has now brought that same technology to the iPod with a voice activated controller for your iPod.

Reading seems like a simple activity. One that is so simple that it’s probably taken for granted by most people. But if you’re somebody with severe physical limitations reading can become a chore. I’ve unexpectedly stumbled onto a device that I think is the best solution. Would you believe it’s the iPod touch?

Something as simple as tapping the screen of an iPhone or iPod Touch can be a big problem for people with physical disabilities. Here are some suggestions and alternative solutions that may help.