ATMac

Posts containing stories of assistive technology users, and stories of people who’ve successfully deployed assistive technology for others to use.

Accessible technology has changed Juergen Manthey’s life. Usually, somebody with his disabilities would be expected to exist in a nursing home and watch daytime television which they couldn’t even turn on or off without somebody’s help. Instead, Juergen is really living.

This is the first post in a series about assistive technology. I want to show you why accessibility, adaptive technology, assistive technology, and other disability-friendly practices matter more than you think.

Kati has written about her search for assistive technology to help her do as much as she is able with her progressive ataxia. She has settled on an iMac based system with a joystick and KeyStrokes software which enables her to do all the things she wants - including make provisions for possible future disability.

My husband got me an iPod Touch for Christmas last year. I have no arms but I can use the iPod touch with my foot. We had thought at first that one would be able to type on the screen using anything with a sharp tip. I noticed on the first day that this was not the case - it was happy with me using my nose, but not using the top of a pen!

Drew is five and has SMA. He uses SmartNav to access his computer, using a switch for mouse clicks and moving his hand - with a reflective ring on it - to move the mouse pointer.

This video is about the use of video iPods in a special education classroom which caters for children with intellectual disabilities and language or hearing difficulties such that sign language (ASL) is their primary mode of communication.

Some people burst with talent and will manage to create amazing stuff irrespective of the physical setbacks one suffers if affected by ALS. Tucker is certainly one of those people. Being confined to a wheelchair and having to control his computer with his head this sound designer, video editor and multimedia magician is as creative as ever.

I had a visit from Yooralla ComTEC today to trial some new assistive tech hardware. It was hard work but lots of fun, and it looks like there’s something I may be able to use!

Lon has a great new article about some of the issues around remote service delivery and telepractice for special education providers. Using some of the features built into OS X Leopard - iChat’s new screen sharing as well as the video conferencing - on broadband internet connections means the up-front costs of providing remote services are greatly reduced.

Mike Phillips - a Mac journalist, artist, and SwitchXS user - will be featured in the first episode of the new season of This American Life on Showtime in the USA.