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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.

The iPhone and iPod touch come with very accurate accelerometers - the programs which are running can know when the device is being moved, and how much/how far/which direction it’s being moved. Game developers have taken advantage of this capability to develop some games which just rely on the device being moved or shaken!

Apple put on a September Special Event yesterday, announcing iTunes 8, the iPod Nano 4G and other smaller upgrades to software and to the iPod Touch. These announcements, especially that of iTunes version 8 now with full accessibility for Windows and OS X Mac, are fantastastic for users with a disability and reaffirm Apple’s commitment to accessibility.

pearPad is a two-part application that lets you use your iPhone or iPod Touch as a wireless trackpad or keyboard for your Mac. There is a program you run on the Mac - available for Tiger or Leopard - and a program from the iTunes App Store which is run on the iPhone or iPod Touch.

Peter Abrams over at Bloor Research has written a good article about the accessibility - and lack thereof - of the iPhone to various groups of users. He also mentions some third-party products which might help, and his own ideas on how to make the iPhone more accessible.

The iPhone and iPod Touch feature the wonderful new multi-touch screens, but this can present some problems for people who need assistive technology to use them. Here are some solutions.

It’s difficult to find a touchpad/trackpad for a desktop computer like an iMac or Mac Pro. Here’s a solution that lets you use an iPhone or iPod Touch as an external trackpad.

The Macworld Keynote was a few days ago now, what are the implications for Mac OS X users with disabilities?
For those who aren’t following avidly, the new announcements from Apple included:

Macbook Air - A slimmer, lighter laptop which can optionally be used with a flash memory drive.
Time Capsule - A self-contained wireless backup drive intended [...]