The video, The Mountbatten - Assistive technology for the Blind, is a wonderful feature for blind people. The Mountbatten lets you create brail. The system lets you create the brail as it tells you the letter it is creating. It can save files, transfer files to a computer, and receive files from a computer. This is helpful to an educator because it allows immediate feedback. The teacher can teach blind children each individual letter in brail. The teacher can teach the student the phonetics of each letter as they learn to feel the letter in brail.
The video, iPad Usage for the Blind, is a wonderful example of all the technology that is available today to help assist people with disabilities. The iPad is equipped with a Voice Over feature. This feature helps the blind navigate through the iPad. They can drag one finger over the screen and it will tell them what their applications are. When it gets to the application that needs to be selected, the person double taps the screen to select the application. Another useful feature of the iPad is that iBooks has an E-Reader feature. Once you download the book in iBooks, the iPad will read the book aloud, tell you the page number and the chapter. Educators can use an iPad to read to students. This would also be used as a way to assist in research, for example searching the web.
Microsoft also has some assistive technology options for help with input. This allows people with little to severe disabilities use a computer. The Sip-and-Puff system allows you to input by inhaling and exhaling. This would be useful for students with a muscular disorder or paralyzation. They can use their inhaling and exhaling to communicate. Another option Microsoft has is Wands and Sticks. Wands and sticks can be mounted on their head, chin, or in their mouth. It acts as a cursor so they can input information in the computer. There are many more that would be very useful to assist students with disabilities in the classroom.
In my opinion, The Eye-Com EC7T is a very important assistive technology. The Eye-Com EC7T is wearable glasses that detects eye movement and blinking patterns to allow paralyzed individuals to use a computer, move a wheelchair, and use all kinds of electronic devices. This allows people that would normally not be able use electronic devices the freedom to where they can. Special Education Educators can use this as a tool for their students with muscular dystrophy, ALS, or any form of paralyzation to help them communicate.
Hi, Jennifer. Your research into assistive technologies have really broadened my scope of what is out there for the learning disabled and more. You were thorough in explaining the different technologies that the disabled can use to make their lives more like everyone else’s. To me, it is more about inclusiveness, and the assistive technologies that you wrote about can be very good to do that. I was aware of most of the assistive technologies you used, but I didn’t come across the Eye-Com EC7T tool. That is a great inclusion that shows how devoted the people working on new assistive technologies are doing their best to make the world available to everyone. I enjoyed the way you covered this week’s blog topic and how you brought attention to the necessity of helping the disabled lead the life they want to.
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