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Vol. 8, No. 2 Spring 2000 |
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What's New at Closing the Gap?
Michael Meyreles, ATP & Amy Bowles
AT Specialists
The annual Closing the Gap Conference is now just a fading memory, leaving two AT Specialists with a wealth of knowledge and an overwhelming stack of product literature. We attended the weeklong conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota to learn about the latest and greatest in assistive technology. After recovering from "technology overload," we wanted to share with readers of The AT Messenger a few of the new and exciting products available for people with disabilities.
Software Solutions for Reading & Writing
As technology improves, the variety of software and hardware available
to enhance the learning process becomes almost overwhelming. Metroplex Voice
Computing has developed a line of products that perform simple and complex
math problems using Dragon Systems discrete voice recognition, Dragon
Dictate. MathPad by Voice accesses IntelliTools' MathPad
product by voice. MathTalk/ Scientific Notebook is for all
levels of math from school to professional use. A product called VoiceEZcad
can operate AutoCad version 13/14 by voice. Products range up to $695 in
price. For more information visit the web site at www.mathtalk.com.
CAST eReader, available for both Macintosh and Windows
platforms, costs $199 for a single user. The software product adds spoken
voice, visual highlighting, document navigation, or page navigation to any
electronic text. Content from any source-the Internet, word processing files,
scanned-in text, or typed-in text-can be used with eReader to provide auditory
feedback and the necessary visual highlighting to make users successful
readers.
Arkenstone's WYNN ($995) is a software product designed to enhance both the reading and writing process. This program lets the user open a file and hear it read aloud, or scan in a page using a flatbed scanner and read that aloud. Once a page is open, additions and corrections can be easily made. Users have control of the way the page is presented on the screen as well as the way it is read aloud. To help in studying, features include the ability to insert notes and bookmarks, highlight sections, or look up words in the dictionary. WYNN has built-in Optical Character Recognition (OCR) that allows a user to scan in a document from the program and have an exact duplicate displayed on the screen while it reads the text.
Read and Write v.4 ($249) from TextHelp Systems Ltd. is a writing augmentation tool that has many features, including speech output with the option to read each letter, word or sentence aloud and screen reading which will read text, menus, icons, etc. Word prediction, which learns your individual style of writing and makes suggestions, is also featured. A spell check that operates as you type or after you have finished, makes suggestions for the correct spelling and checks homonyms.
Hardware Solutions for Reading & Writing
Hardware solutions for reading and writing were also featured at Closing the Gap. One such product is the Reading Pen from Seiko ($250). The pen is drawn across text, and it will spell the word aloud and display syllables. It keeps a history of scanned words for future reference. It scans inverted and hyphenated text and is adjustable for left- or right-handed users. It scans and automatically displays definitions for over 400,000 words and is available as a translation device for 11 different languages.
Another product is the QuickPAD from QuickPAD Technology Corporation. Similar to the Alphasmart 2000, it operates on 4 AA batteries for up to 400 hours, and it can save up to 250 individually named files in 10 separate folders. Files can then be transferred to either a MAC or PC. The price for the QuickPAD is $199.
Voice Mate ($199) uses the latest digital data storage and speech recognition technologies to provide a talking organizer with a wide range of features. These features include a phone book, a voice note pad, an appointment book, a talking alarm clock, and calculator.
Communication Products
There are also some new pieces of assistive technology in the areas of communication. Zygo has come out with a new communication device called ARTI. ARTI has a dynamic screen that allows direct selection as well as handwriting recognition. The screen, accessible with a finger or a pointer, can be moved to various positions for different users. Communication software cards can be purchased as well. ARTI costs $2250, and software cards are $250.
The Dynamo (photo courtesy of DynaVox Systems Inc., Pittsburgh,
PA.
DynaVox Systems, a division of Sunrise Medical, has designed a new communication device as well. The Dynamo weighs less than two pounds and has thirty minutes of digitized speech and a touch-screen dynamic display. It is similar to the DynaMyte, but without all of the extras. Its price is only $1795. The menus on the Dynamo are set up the same way as the company's other products, making the transition easier for those who can progress to the Dynavox or Dynamyte.
The Laser PC6 is a laptop-style keyboard with various word processing features. The display screen allows for a four line by forty character or eight line by eighty-character display. It can easily upload information to a desktop computer using an infrared control. The device features a spell checker, a "typing tutor," a homework calendar, a spreadsheet, two databases, and a calculator. The price of the device is approximately $300. At an additional cost, a text-to speech card can be added to provide auditory feedback or to function as a communication device.
Applied Human Factors, Inc. has a software system called the REACH Interface Author that contains an on-screen keyboard and many other features. The program contains word prediction, voice output, abbreviation expansion, and allows single, dual, or auditory switch scanning. It also allows the user to create personalized keyboards using text or symbol pictures. Because of the symbols and voice output, it can be used for communication, too. It sells for $239.
Products for Blindness or Low Vision
There is also new technology for people who have low vision or who are blind. For someone who likes to walk, but doesn't know how far s/he has walked, there is a Talking Pedometer. It is very low in cost and is sold by Independent Living Aids. For those people who may want to use a globe or find out the population of a state, there is a Talking Globe. By using a stylus (pointer) and the Braille globe, the user can pinpoint an area on the globe, and the globe will speak the location. From that point, you can then find out the population of that area. It's a great tool for students with low vision!
Blazie Engineering produces the Braille Lite 40, a Braille notetaking device that features a 40-cell, refreshable 8-dot Braille display. In combination with JAWS for Windows, it functions as a PC Braille display.
And for Recreation
One device that could prove to be an excellent source of recreation for individuals with physical impairments is a switch interface allowing access to Nintendo. Pathways Development Group has designed an interface so that a player with a disability can use up to 5 single switches to control any key found on a regular game controller. This interface is called the Team Xtreme, and it sells for approximately $500. It is available for the following Nintendo platforms; Super NES System, N64 System and the NES System.
A tremendous amount of information was covered in this article. If there are any questions regarding any of this information or anything relating to assistive technology, please contact your local ATRC and we will be glad to assist you.
