Did you know your Mac could do that?

Even able-bodied people now commonly use computers for listening to music and watching movies – or know that they can. For people with a disability who can’t access things the regular way, accessing extra things via a computer can be a huge boon. If your computer already has the assistive technology you need, then accessing things via a computer means you don’t need to deal with yet another set of accessibility aids. So what amazing things might your Mac be able to do?

Here are some of the things that I know a Mac can do – if you can think of others, please jump in with comments.

The software and hardware mentioned in this article is generally not the only thing that will get the job done – it’s just what I know of. Recommendations in the comments are welcomed.

You can watch and record TV shows including digital, high definition, and cable TV with EyeTV.

You can listen to and record local AM and FM radio with a radio SHARK.

You can turn lights and appliances on/off with an X10 or Insteon system controlled by Shion or Indigo.

If your Mac ever gets stolen, you can tell the authorities where it is and even provide pictures of the thief with Undercover.

You can control (nearly) anything which has a remote control – your stereo, TV, VCR, heating system, air conditioner, etc. – by hooking it to the X10 system.

You can dial the phone, announce caller ID, and act as an answering machine with PhoneValet Home.

You can send and receive faxes with OS X itself.

You can run your Mac even when the power goes off with a UPS.

You can synchronise your Address Book, Calendar, Bookmarks, and more with services such as Yahoo and Google as well as synchronising with your iPhone, Cell Phone or PDA with iSync. If your phone or PDA isn’t compatible with iSync you can extend it with iSync Plugins or Missing Sync.

You can function quite happily on a network of Windows computers, even sharing printers and files and other resources.

You can listen to Satellite Radio with Pulsar or StarPlayr.

You can control a remote controlled car with usbcar.

You can send and receive SMS/text messages with OS X itself.

You can control your Mac via Twitter, with TweetMyMac.

You can play World of Warcraft, Eve Online, and most other popular computer games. If your game doesn’t have a Mac version, you can play many popular games with CrossOver Games or run Windows itself for your games using Boot Camp.

You can speak to anybody anywhere in the world cheaply or free with iChat, Skype, or Gizmo. They do video calls too.

You can run Windows and any Windows programs you like at the same time as Mac OS X with Parallels or Fusion.

You can log your heart rate data with TrackRecord.

You can save, edit, display, and archive your photos with iPhoto.

You can turn paper documents into machine-readable, searchable, editable documents on your computer with a scanner and ReadIris Pro.

You can drive real model railway trains with SimpleDigitalLocomotive.

You can play almost any video you can find.

You can plan and navigate your next yachting adventure using Passage Plus.

You can play console games designed for GameBoy, Sega, NES, and others with Open Emu.

You can record and track readings from your home weather station with WeatherTracker.

You can learn to play piano with a MIDI keyboard and Synthesia.

You can keep track of your finances with software such as the accessible MoneyWell.

You can control and run a ham radio rig with Aether.

You can connect your computer to your astronomical telescope and control it with ScopeDriver.

Online, you can do things like take accredited high school or college courses, pay bills, do banking, book holidays and travel tickets, and nearly anything else you can imagine.

Oh, and you can launch rockets and missiles with your mac too. Honest!

- Ricky Buchanan