Over at the Uncommon Sense blog, there's a great new review from Dana about one of the keyguards by LaseredPics. Their daughter Maya uses the app Speak For Yourself on an iPad with an iAdapter case, and this is the second LaseredPics keyguard she's tried.

Dana records this key guard really makes a huge positive difference to Maya's AAC use:

This keyguard was an instant game-changer. [...] With the keyguard in place, she has to reach for a word very deliberately. Accidental hits were all but instantly eliminated. As you can see in the video below, there was a bit of a learning curve as she figured out the hand-eye coordination needed to get her finger into the targeted hole, but it didn't take long at all (we've had the keyguard for 5 days now and are seeing very few misalignments).

The video's very clear and there are some great pictures of the keyguard. Dana also offers some hints and tips about what to ask for when you're ordering a key guard - #1 is make sure the "slide to open" area is open so you can turn the device on!

The American company Lasered Pics is now making keyguards available for the iPad. Keyguards are available which conform to the shape of the standard iPad keyboard and special-purpose keyguards for Proloquo2Go, TapSpeak Choice and Speak It! are also available. All iPad keyguards are made from 1/8" (0.3cm) thick clear acrylic and come with optional 1/16" (0.15cm) bumpers which can raise the keyguard above the screen to prevent accidental touches.

Standard iPad keyboard guards come in both landscape and portrait orientations and will suit QWERTY, AZERTY and QWERTZ keyboard layouts.

Proloquo2Go keyguards are also available for both portrait and landscape orientations and keyguards can be ordered that suit all current Proloquo2Go options including standard and large toolbar sizes, and optionally "wide" mode. Tap Speak keyguards can be made to suit 2-56 items and also come in portrait and landscape orientations. Speak It doesn't have any layout options available at the moment. Lasered Pics report they will be designing a keyguard to suit Proloquo2Go's word prediction mode keyboard, and are also working on keyguards for additional AAC apps.

Lasered Pics keyguards can be used with the standard Apple iPad case, with no case, or with any other case that does not obstruct the front of the iPad. The website advises that the current keyguards will not fit properly when used with the OtterBox iPad case.

Keyguards are smaller than the iPad's full size so they should fit both the original iPad and iPad 2 with no problems.

Current keyguards also cover the "home" button but this may be optional in the future. I can imagine it would be a bonus for some users, as preventing access to the "home" button has been a problem for some.

Steve from Lasered Pics has advised me that anybody wanting a keyguard for a different iPad application should contact him via the website. He couldn't give me a price for a custom keyguard as it depends on too many factors, but it can certainly be done.

Standard iPad keyguards cost US$19.95 each, but until 31 March 2011 you can get a 10% discount for ordering 2 or more TapSpeak keyguards - use the promo code TAPSPEAK when checking out!

- Ricky Buchanan

Coming from a Windows background and being fortunate to have relatively good vision for a "partially sighted" person, I never gave much thought to screen readers and speech programs. My home computer was a standard issue off-the-shelf model with no adaptive features. My partner, however, is legally blind and has cerebral palsy, she is also a non-typist. She had little interest in the machine outside of casino games like blackjack - her computing sessions often ended with the blue screen message "you have performed an illegal function", causing her to believe the constabulary may soon be at our door. Despite this, there was always an interest, on her part, to understand how computers worked.

The computing landscape changed overnight when the iPad was released: now those interested in computing but in fear of keyboards could join the party. Being a touch-screen device, the iPad offered internet access with the touch of a finger. My partner, once limited to playing blackjack, was now able to explore a world that until now had been hidden from her. Apps, music downloads, iBooks, twitter and face book were just a finger tap away.

Surfing the internet has now became part of daily life for her. Now instead of watching TV or listening to local radio, my partner is keeping up with world events, following her favourite sports teams, and reconnecting with friends located thousands of miles away.

She has gathered a long list of followers on both twitter and an app reviewing site called chomp, here she has rated better than 7,200 apps in 9 months!

The future can only bring more into her life as the products she uses are improved and her skills grow.

The iPad has changed the lives of countless individuals and I have been privileged to have a grandstand seat as one disabled user went from a person in complete fear to someone who considers their Apple devices more useful than shoes.

- Charlie Doremus

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.

Each option has different features, and of course different things work for different people so I'll let you know as many features as I have knowledge of, and we can go from there:

SpaceKraft's iPod Switcher

This is the simplest controller, with only three buttons. It has a desktop docking unit where the iPod sits plus a wireless controller unit with the three buttons.

Functions it controls: Play/Pause, Next Track, Previous Track.

Switch access: This unit does not allow your own switches to be plugged in, only the unit's own built-in buttons can be used.

Compatibility: The sales page just says "iPod". There's no clear indication of which iPods it will operate with - it looks like the dock part would only fit specific sizes of iPods.

Wireless controller size: 24cm wide, 19cm deep, 7cm tall.

Button size: Unspecified.

Cost: £295

Notes: The switcher control box is battery powered. The page says "Operates on 240v" which implies the dock section needs to be plugged in to operate, however.

RJ Cooper's BIG iPod Remote

Five-button remote with large brightly coloured buttons on the top, separate switches can also be plugged in.

Functions it controls: Play/Pause, Next Track, Previous Track, Volume up, Volume down.

Switch access: The unit's own built-in buttons can be used or any/all of these buttons can be replaced by separate switches.

Compatibility: It should fit any iPod/iPhone/iPad except the iPod Shuffle.

Wireless controller size: 8" wide x 5" deep x 3" tall.

Button size: The large green button is 1-3/4" and the smaller buttons are 1-1/4".

Cost: US$119

Technical Solutions' iScanMP3 (formerly SwitchPod)

Single switch visual/auditory scanning system, including adjustable scan speed.

Functions it controls: Play/Pause, Next Track, Previous Track, Volume up, Volume down, Power on/off.

Switch access: Plug in any standard switch.

Compatibility: It should fit any iPod/iPhone/iPad except the iPod Shuffle.

Cost: AU$190

Other Options

There are some 'easy music controller' programs for the iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad which present an interface that's easier to operate for those with limited dexterity. They generally operate by gestures, where a single tap gesture anywhere on the screen will operate either the 'pause/play' function or the 'next song' function. Some are configurable so that you can define what gestures mean what.

These are some cheap options I recommend:

Gesture Player

This is the one I use myself to listen to my audio books. Specially cool things about it:

• Compatible with both iPad and iPhone/iPod Touch. Most seem to be iPhone/iPod Touch only.
• Clearly displays the function you have activated, so you know what's happening.
• You can pick a default playlist to use. Most seem to only have the option to use the full library.
• Can adjust the sensitivity of the gesture recogniser, more sensitive requires the gestures to be more accurate before they're recognised.

About the only thing that isn't perfect about this one is there's no ability to configure which gesture does what!

Swiper Music Player

Swiper has slightly different controls, so a single tap to the screen moves to the next track and a long tap (press-and-hold) is needed to operate the play/pause function. It also displays the music's cover art so you can see pictorially what's playing. Swiper is for the iPhone/iPod Touch only, there's no iPad native version.

LeechTunes

LeechTunes allows some controls to be customised, but basic controls seem fixed, including a single tap operating the play/pause function. There are a bunch of different "skins" to change the appearance and a software function to lock the program in either portrait or landscape mode. It also has iPhone/iPod Touch and iPad versions.

- Ricky Buchanan

There have been a plethora of stories in the mainstream news and in blogs about the iPad and the amazing positive effects it's having for people with various disabilities. Children with autism are the subject of many of these stories, but there are plenty of others who are getting amazing results from their iPads too.

I haven't been able to keep up with all the stories, but here's a round-up of some of them. If you know of more, please leave a comment at the bottom of this post:

The Wall Street Journal itself has written about the iPad for people with disabilities: Using the iPad to Connect: Parents, Therapists Use Apple Tablet to Communicate With Special Needs Kids is a great article and includes quotes from Steve Jobs and also a video showing some use of the iPad:

Making weird cool - Robert Rummel-Hudson talks about why he thinks the iPad is a game-changer for AAC and why it's important to have devices that don't say "I have a disability!" as soon as you walk into a room with one.

Zach's A Mac - Zach is a 3 1/2 year old boy with cerebral palsy who's learning to use an iPad.

The iPad: a Near-Miracle for My Son With Autism - Shannon Des Roches Rosa writes about her son Leo and how the iPad has helped him.

iHelp for Autism by the SF Weekly is a long and well balanced story which explains some of the iPads possibilities as well as its limitations, talking to teachers and other experts as well as parents of kids with autism. This article also includes sections about Leo and Des Roches.

Opinion: Why The iPad Isn??t For Me - Paul has quadriplegia and is an ardent iPod Touch user but for him the iPad would be a step backwards in terms of accessibility. In this article he explains why.

Karen Janowski has written Why I Love the iPad for Education: Initial Observations. Karen is an assistive and educational technology consultant who writes excellently and makes many good points.

The Muscular Dystrophy's Magazine, Quest, has published Barbara Twardowski's The iPad: A Disability Friendly Device? which evaluates the iPad for people with various types of disabilities. It's a balanced look at the pros and cons of the device, and lists ATMac as a website useful for people using an iPad so it must be a good article ;).

From the wonderful Katilea, an adult AAC user, we have several great posts about her new iPad:

• Proloquo2Go and iPad: A Marriage made in Heaven!
• Physical Accessibility on iPad in General, for People with Fine Motor Difficulties
• AAC: Mainstream V Dedicated Devices
• iPad useful for Ataxians?

N0thingbuteverything has written several articles about the iPad as used by her 5 year old son, 'S', who has cerebral palsy:

• Proloquo2go and the iPad Review - a detailed review of Proloquo2Go and the iPad
• Proloquo2go?what I learnt next - More reviewing of Proloquo2Go, as well as a wish list of things she'd like to see in future upgrades.

Kate Ahern from Teaching Learners With Multiple Special Needs has written iPossibilities for Those with Significant Special Needs and their Teams listing many apps suitable for those at the more severe end of the 'special needs' spectrum.

Caleigh's Mum writes about her daughter's use of the iPad with Proloquo2Go for communicating. Caleigh has cerebral palsy and there are several videos of her using the iPad included too:

• Caleigh's Communication Part 4 - iPad
• iPad + Proloquo2Go, 1 Month Update
• Caleigh's Communication - The Review

Heidi has established a whole blog - Junior's Voice - about her son's journey with the iPad as a communications device. He uses the iPad via eyegaze with a helper holding the iPad to "read" the eyegaze and physically touch the screen in the right places.

Finally one of my favourite bloggers, Glenda Watson Hyatt, who has cerebral palsy also got herself an iPad and has been surprised by its usefulness:

• The iPad as an Affordable Communicator: Initial Review
• The iPad as an Affordable Communicator: A Follow-up Review
• Writing Under the Stars: A Follow-Up iPad Review

In personal news, I have just got my own Mac back after it spent two weeks out of action after the video card, so I had only the iPad and my iPod Touch to keep me occupied. I learned a lot about using the iPad which I'm going to show you in future posts. Unfortunately I also got tendonitis in my hands from using them too much, and I have a hernia repair operation scheduled in a week's time, so I'll be at least partially out of action for a few more weeks and ATMac will be slow. Please be patient with me while I work on healing!

Hope you enjoyed the stories above - what other iPad disability-related stories have you seen?

- Ricky Buchanan