Adaptive computing technology includes both devices to provide access to computers, and it can also be used to provide "compensatory tools" for people with disabilities. Used as a compensatory tool, adapted computing hardware, software and peripherals allow disabled individuals to accomplish tasks that are not usually performed on a computer -- tasks that a disabled individual might not be able to perform at all, without the use of the computer.
It is important to understand the difference between computer access approaches and compensatory computing tools. Simply, computer access approaches allow disabled individuals to use computers and peripherals.
Compensatory computing strategies refer to the use of computing hardware and software -- adapted or not -- to accomplish tasks that individuals may find difficult or impossible, due to one or more disabilities.
For example, a blind person can't see a computer screen. A person without hand-movement can't type on a standard keyboard. The first purpose of adaptive computer technology is to provide approaches that will allow people with disabilities to get past those barriers and to use computers for tasks that are normally accomplished on computers.
In the other case, a disabled person might use a computer to read, write, research information, organize information, or communicate. So, besides providing access to computer systems that are available to all students on a campus, adaptive computing hardware and software can also be used as compensatory strategies that allow people with disabilities to use computers for tasks that would be difficult or impossible otherwise.
Compensatory computing strategies are a particularly important tool for individuals with disabilities who are studying, researching or working in the science, engineering and mathematics fields. And while manycompensatory computing strategies employed in these fields are highly specialized and relate specifically to scientific and mathematical notation, graphics and charts, and specialized science lab equipment, disabled people who work in these fields will benefit from the adaptive technology that is commonly used by people in all fields.
The standard computer keyboard, monitor and peripherals provide several access barriers to people with various disabilities, and so it becomes imperative that schools and the workplace make available adaptive computing approaches that can help people get past those barriers to computer-use.
Access barriers exist for people who have trouble with input devices -- the standard keyboard or mouse -- used to input characters or commands into the computer. Generally, input issues affect individuals who have limited or no control of hand movement. Input issues might also be a problem for people who have visual impairments or learning disabilities.
Software that permits the user to redefine keys on the keyboard can help with some simple motor problems and may be useful in avoiding a repetitive stress injury.
Some computer users have begun to use ergonomic keyboards to reduce such repetitive stress. The Trace Research and Development Center has developed a public domain software, Access DOS, that permits a user to avoid having to depress two keys simultaneously. This software also allows the user to alter the repeat rate, which is useful for people who have limited fine motor skills that cause them to hold down a key for a longer period of time than is required.
There are also a number of alternate keyboards to assist people with different mobility impairments. A membrane keyboard responds to a light touch and is beneficial for people who lack physical finger strength. Keyguards help people keep from depressing multiple keys inadvertently. Larger or smaller than normal-sized keyboards may facilitate some people's keyboard usage, and there are one-handed keyboards for people who only have the use of one hand. The one-handed keyboard permits the user to depress several keys simultaneously. By using such keying techniques, users can input information into a computer without the use of a standard keyboard.
Manipulating a mouse is a problem for users with limited hand movement.
People who lack fine motor control in their hands also have problems using a standard mouse. A trackball might be a good alternative. It can be manipulated with smaller motions than a mouse, and it is also easier to control. There is also software known as "mouse keys" that allows the use arrow keys to move the mouse cursor around the screen.
There are still other adaptations for people who have no effective use of their hands. Some of these are simple and 'low tech," while others are more sophisticated and costly. Some mobility impaired individuals depress the keys of a traditional keyboard with the use of a mouthstick. Others use a headwand, which is a pointer attached to a headband. Still others make do with a simple pencil held in the mouth. One person, who has shoulder movement, but no finger movement, uses special Velcro gloves that he has made at a local shoe repair shop. Unsharpened pencils are inserted into the gloves, and he uses the muscles in his shoulder to move his arm up and down and strike the keys with the pencils that are in the gloves.
Most of these devices rely on head and neck motions to input data into the computer, and it's important that people get advice from an occupational or physical therapist before they use these techniques.
Morse Code is another input option for people with mobility impairments.
One of the ways to produce Morse Code without hand-use, is through a sip-and-puff straw. The sip-and-puff signals are created by the individual blowing or puffing into a straw, and they are translated through an interface device into the same electronic signals produced by depressing keys on the keyboard. The internal workings of the computer operates the same way as if the input had been through the keyboard. Morse Code can be input by any device that can produce a binary signal -- a representation of a dot and a dash. A simple set of switches positioned near a controllable muscle would produce a similar result. Again, with this type of adaptive device, be aware of the possibility that using the adaptive device could injure the person, and you should always consult with a doctor, physical therapist or occupational therapist before recommending such a strategy.
Whether talking about traditional Morse Code or adaptive computing uses of this code, skilled users can frequently achieve speeds between 30 and 40 words a minute, and there are ways to increase that pace significantly.
The on-screen keyboard is one of the more sophisticated input devices. A picture of the standard keyboard is displayed at the bottom of the computer monitor and is controlled by special, adaptive software. The user points at the key to be input into the computer. This may be done by a infrared device worn on the head that communicates with another infrared signal on the computer that does the pointing. Or, the computer could have the ability to "track" the gaze of the user's eyes and identify which on-screen key is being pointed to. In another configuration, the software moves a blinking cursor across the on-screen keys until it reaches the one the user wants to input.
At this point, by one of many devices, the user signals the computer to actually enter that data into the computer.
The newest and most rapidly evolving alternate input system is voice recognition. Only a few years ago, voice recognition software cost many thousands of dollars and required users to talk very slowly and with long, unnatural pauses between words. With newer technology, pauses are still important but the speaker can talk more quickly and pause for shor ter spaces between words. When the software is trained to users' speech patterns and pronunciation, users are beginning to achieve input rates approaching those of a skilled keyboard typist.
Individuals with low vision benefit from an enlarged screen output.
Frequently, the ability to manipulate foreground and background colors is also useful. The ability to adjust the printer to produce documents in largetype and to reformat the material to accommodate such enlargements is also important. Not only do these adaptations help individuals with low vision but they can also be useful to individuals with learning disabilities and various other cognitive processing problems as well.
Adaptive software will permit enlarging the size of the letters and graphics on the screen by as much as two to 16 times. The Apple Macintosh includes a utility, CloseView, which provides some enlargement. inLARGE is a good package for the Macintosh and Zoom Text is only one of several packages available for IBM and compatible computers.
Synthetic speech is another alternate output system for the computer. This requires both a speech synthesizer and specialized screen-readingsoftware. Synthetic speech enables people who have no vision to get output from a computer. Synthetic speech may also be useful by individuals with learning disabilities who learn better by hearing information than by reading information.
The screen-reading software that functions with a synthesizer is important. The software must do more than merely capture the text going to the screen and send it simultaneously to the synthesizer. People with normal vision are able to scan a document they are reading, and a good screen-reading software program should offer similar options to people using synthetic speech. Screen-reading software allows the user to move an audible cursor around the screen re-reading what the synthesizer already has spoken. When the user is confused or needs more detailed accuracy, the software must permit reading the material a line, word or character at a time. While the user may normally listen to the speech synthesizer with the punctuation feature turned off, sometimes knowing punctuation is crucial to comprehension, and the computer user will need to control volume and speed as well as other speech attributes.
Refreshable Braille is another way for blind users to gain access to a computer display, and it can be particularly helpful for reading information in columns or charts. A device attached to the computer keyboard contains small pins that can be rapidly raised and lowered to make Braille characters.
This is normally one line of data either 40 or 80 characters wide, and essentially is a tactile window providing access to a portion of the monitor.
The user can move this Refreshable Braille 'window' around to provide access to the entire screen's display. This provides an accurate representation of the display content, whereas words spoken by a speech synthesizer can be misunderstood, and numbers arehard to manipulate aurally. Many blind programmers find the degree of reliability offered by Refreshable Braille essential for their work in spite of its being relatively expensive.
Braille embossers function similarly to a standard printer. The paper must be heavier and the embossing can be noisy. Some embossers produce output with Braille on both sides of the page. To make use of a Braille embosser, the user must take the word processor file and run it through a special translation program. This does several things. It will usually translate the text into Grade II Braille which is a kind of shorthand. The translation program also must reformat pages as the normal Braille page is only 40 characters wide.
Finally, an optical scanner and optical character recognition software (OCR) are important tools for blind individuals, especially students and professionals. A scanner is not an output device. Its normal function is to provide a convenient way to input data into a computer without having to keyboard it again. However, for a blind user, getting text from paper into the computer is only the first step toward displaying that text on the monitor and through the synthesizer. Most people who want to read a paper document will pick up the text and read it. For a blind person, the computer replaces a human reader, and the blind individual's interest in the scanner is as a means toward displaying the text in an accessible format.
In the past, students who were blind, low vision, or otherwise unable to handle printed material have been dependent on other people to read to them.
Now they can use an optical character reader that reads through a speech synthesizer. The person can also produce ASCII files and read them by reviewing the material on a computer screen or via a speech synthesizer. A blind individual can scan material into a computer and then use a Braille embosser to print it out in Braille. This strategy would be particularly helpful for a student who was writing a research paper to print out and proof the paper in Braille, make corrections, and then print out a regular paper copy for the professor.
An individual who has a disability that affects hand usage might normally have the services of a note-taker or transcriber. An alternate strategy would be for the individual to use a laptop computer and input device to take notes in the class and then print them out in either normal or large-type print. The student could also review notes on-line. Or, a blind studen t can use a laptop to take notes in class and then later read them with the use of a speech synthesizer. In these cases, it is quite possible that an individual's use of the laptop computer would cost a school or employer less money than if a note-taker had to be provided.
Individuals with learning disabilities would benefit from software outlning programs that help organize information efficiently, both for study and for producing written assignments.
Individuals with print handicaps (generally those who have visual or mobility impairments) benefit from the use of on-line information. Most libraries now have digitized card catalogs, databases on CD ROM, electronic journals, a few electronic books and accessible computers to allow disabled students to research the material they need. Most books are still not available electronically yet, but through organizations such as Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, audio and electronic versions of many books are becoming more readily available.
Many campuses use computerized phone registration and most businesses h ave set up phones systems that give information through computerized phone systems. Individuals with hearing or physical impairments would need compensatory strategies to give them access to these systems.
Hearing-impaired individuals benefit from the use of a TDD (telephone device for the deaf).
First, individuals with disabilities have faced negative social attitudes from educators and from potential employers. Second, disabled individuals who are trying to study and work in the science, engineering and mathematics fields, encounter difficulty with physical barriers in laboratories and with standard lab equipment. Third, many disabled individuals have problems accessing and manipulating information that is specific to science, engineering and mathematics -- such as charts, diagrams and scientific notation.
There are answers to both of those questions, and this overview will explain some of the technology and other compensatory strategies that are available to people with disabilities. In the process of introducing the technology, we hope to ease some of those attitudinal barriers.
Generally, there are structural barriers that include lab tables that are too high or low for a person in a wheelchair, instruments that are difficult or impossible for a person with a mobility or vision impairment to manipulate, and lectures and multimedia presentations that are inaccessible to people with hearing or visual impairments.
The specific problems and barriers that individuals with disabilities face are easier to understand and address if they're discussed by disability category.
People with mobility impairments encounter difficulty using stan dard laboratory equipment, handling books and writing tools, and using computer equipment that has not been appropriately adapted.
Lab access barriers include encountering safety hazards while maneuvering throughout laboratories that aren't properly laid out or that don't have appropriate labels on equipment, substances and hazards.
Many individuals with disabilities use adaptive computing technology in their classes and in the workplace. This technology can be particularly helpful in science, engineering and mathematics study and employment. There are many simple, inexpensive solutions already available that can help individuals get past barriers that keep them out of the science, engineering and mathematics fields.
*Information generated by biology laboratory instruments can be converted into ASCII files and then read by a voice synthesizer or converted into Braille.
*Individuals with mobility disabilities can use word-predictive software to reduce the number of keys to type long physics-related words correctly.
*Individuals with visual impairments or learning disabilities can use special computer screens that expand the size of the type so that mathematical equations or scientific formulae can be read more easily.
*Mathematical information on computer monitors can be expanded or rever sed to white letters on black background or other color combinations for individuals with low vision or learning disabilities that affect visual processing.
*Individuals studying or working in engineering and mathematics can use control codes in literal Braille to produce Nemeth Code.
*Graphical information can be converted into a raised line format and then captioned in Braille to provide charts and graphics for people with visual impairments.
*Special lighting can be used to allow individuals with hearing impairments to see the speaker during a slide show or computer presentation.
*Videotapes can be close-captioned for individuals with hearing impairments.
*Special computer input devices can be used by people with mobility impairments.
Most students and employees with visual impairments use either Braille or electronic versions of text to access written material. However, math students and employees have special problems working with mathematical equations for two reasons. First, traditional Braille does not include mathematical symbols and second, most symbols used in higher mathematics are not part of the traditional ASCII character set, which makes it impossible to scan printed mathematical equations into an electronic format. To enable people with visual impairments to access certain technical information, Dr. Abraham Nemeth created a code that would represent the symbols necessary to create mathematical equations.
The most common type of Braille conversion is to Grade II Braille. Grade II Braille uses contractions and concatenations that greatly reduce the size of a finished document. The contractions are automatically done when a ASCII text is converted to Grade II Braille. If a mathematical equation is entered in Grade II Braille, there is a high possibility that the translation software will automatically contract and concatenate the equation, making it unreadable or misleading.
Another possibility is that the translator may replace a mathematical symbol with a word description or instruction. For example, "1 + 2 = 3" may be translated into "1 plus 2 equals 3." That may be acceptable in some cases, but it is not acceptable in other cases.
To prevent either of these translations from occurring, it is necessary that the Braille translation software drop out of Grade II Braille and begin using literal Braille, which is a character translation. Then the Nemeth Code, which substitutes usable ASCII symbols to represent the mathematical symbols, can be used.
Creating mathematical notation with Nemeth Code requires a software package that converts ASCII files to Grade II Braille and control codes that instruct the software translation package to drop out of Grade II Braille and to go to literal Braille. The Nemeth Code symbols are then inserted in literal Braille.
Arizona State University has been using the Nemeth Code and Duxbury Braille Translation software to efficiently create readable mathematical/symbolic Braille.
Creating usable raised line drawings depends on the proper use of textu res, pixel density, definite boundaries and clear labels. It's also importan t to remember that although raised line drawings can be helpful for individua ls with visual impairments, tactile images cannot represent as much detail as visual images.
AsTeR: AUDIO SYSTEM FOR TECHNICAL READINGS
Electronic documents make it possible to have information available in more than the traditional visual form. Electronic information can now be display-independent. The Audio System for Technical Readings (AsTeR) is a system that formats electronic documents to produce audio documents in a manner that allows the listener to either read an entire document or browse the internal structure of a document and read only selected portions. AsTeR can speak both literary texts and highly technical documents that contain complex mathematics.
Visual communication is characterized by the eye's ability to actively access parts of a two-dimensional display. The reader is active, while the display is passive. This active-passive role is reversed during aural communication, where information flows past a passive listener. This reversed relationship prohibits multiple views of the information being presented and makes it difficult for people to understand complex information. It is not possible for a listener to take an overall view of the information and then zoom in on the details. This shortcoming of audio information becomes more problematic when the information being presented is complex mathematics.
Audio formatting, which renders information structure in a manner attuned to an auditory display, overcomes these problems.
AsTeR is an interactive system that allows listeners to browse the information structure of a document, as well as the information being presented.
TeX is a typesetting system widely used in the mathematical and scientific communities to typeset technical documents from journal articles to text books. A TeX file is an ASCII file with embedded TeX commands to indicate mathematical symbols, for example, \alpha for the first letter of the Greek alphabet. AsTeR produces audio-formatted documents from the electronic source of the TeX documents. AsTeR works with several popular dialects of TeX. The combination of LaTeX and AsTeR makes it possible to use a command set that expresses the semantic content of a symbol as well as its typographical form.
The typographical features enable TeX to produce high-quality typeset output. The semantic content enables AsTeR to produce high-quality aural renderings.
AsTeR has parsing and expressive capabilities that aurally present the structure and content of a mathematical formula in ways similar to graphical displays. AsTeR also has hypertext facilities that allow a random search for information.
A Dotsplus document is laid out similar to its corresponding print document.
Dotsplus symbols are larger by a factor of approximately 2.5, but most of the mathematical and scientific symbols (plus, minus, equals, parentheses, brackets, integral sign, etc.) are raised images that look like their print equivalents. Some are emphasized to make tactile recognition easier, but all are instantly recognizable by sighted readers. Letters, numbers, and a few symbols that are difficult to recognize tactually are reproduced in an eight-dot Braille code. Symbol position is the same as it would be in an ink-print version of the document. In Dotsplus, Braille code must be one in which the cell shape, without reference to its position is sufficient for symbol identification. The lower case Dotsplus letters are standard Braille.
Dotsplus documents can be printed from LaTeX files and from some graphics-based word processor files. Original files may be viewed and edited on a graphics screen or printed for sighted viewers.
Dotsplus documents can be printed with the use of a modified wax-jet printer that produces tactile images, or they can be printed on special "swell" paper using most standard printers. The swell paper is then fed through a machine that heats the paper causing the black portions to swell.
The pad is 22 3/8 inches by 15 3/8 inches and weighs about six and a half pounds. It has an internal speech synthesizer that has both English and Spanish capabilities. The pad runs on electricity or battery.
NOMAD can be connected to any IBM compatible or Macintosh computer, although a special kit is required for Macintosh use.
Configural accessibility for a scientific laboratory can be achieved through the use of wide aisles, adjustable height tables, adjustable keyboards and monitors, easy-to-reach power strips and lighting, and lab documentation that is available in alternate formats.
In addition to making the lab physically accessible, people working in the fields of science, engineering and math must be able to operate specialized equipment. IBM has introduced the Personal Science Laboratory (PSL), a versatile, modular data acquisition system designed for performing computer-aided experiments in school laboratories. The PSL communicates
with a host computer through a standard serial port, and reads its various sensor probes upon receiving commands from the host. It has sensors for pH, temperature, light intensity, and distance.
Sound cards that are compatible with the PSL are now available and make it possible to produce highly intelligible synthetic speech and other noises for a low price.
Researchers are currently writing software intended to make laboratory measurements more accessible to visually impaired students from the middle school through college, using a talking, whistling, musical, large-text laboratory work station assembled from widely available, moderately priced components. The work station hardware consists of an IBM-compatible personal computer, IBM's Personal Science Laboratory, a digital multimeter with computer output, a Creative Labs Sound Blaster sound card, and an electronic balance.
The documentation that IBM provides for the PSL has made it possible for researchers to develop software for reading the output of the PSL's temperature, light, and pH probes. The readings are spoken by the Sound Blaster. This software is not complete yet, but the core procedures for reading and controlling the PSL have been written, and new features are on the horizon.
The addition of an electronic balance to the PSL-computer system creates a lab work station where a visually impaired student can make independent measurements of the basic quantities mass, temperature, pH, and light intensity. With the further addition of a low-cost Radio Shack Micronta digital multimeter (DMM) equipped with a serial port, the ability to measure AC and DC voltages and currents, resistance, frequency, and capacity are available.
A separate program for the Micronta DMM (which operates entirely independently of the PSL) gives spoken readings through the Sound Blaster, and displays the readings in very large text on the screen. Readings can be stored in a disk file for later analysis. The program announces the meter's ranges as they are changed, and also tells the user if there is an overflow.
If the meter is in a hazardous range, the Sound Blaster makes obnoxious noises and gives the user a spoken warning.
The DO-IT Scholars program provides opportunities for high school students in their sophomore or junior years to study science, engineering and mathematics through an innovative program that combines a mentor program, on-line interaction and a short stint living on a university campus. The program is aimed at developing self-advocacy skills and using technology to pursue academic interests.
DO-IT scholars use computers and the Internet to explore academic and career interests. They are introduced adaptive technologies, establish local Internet connections and receive in-home training. Industry mentors work with scholars through electronic communications and personal meetings, and there is a summer study program in which scholars live in dorms at the University of Washington to get both a feel of campus life and participate in lectures and labs that use computers and the Internet. Subjects include oceanography, heart surgery, chemistry, virtual reality, geophysics, material sciences, civil, mechanical and electrical engineering, mathematics, bio logy, physics and astronomy.
For more information on this program, write to: University of Washington Mail Stop, JE-25, Room 206 Seattle, Washington 98195 Or contact:
doit@u.washington.edu
EASI has a five-pronged dissemination plan to make sure that all materiale for this project are accessible and available to the people who need the materials:
*Project representatives make presentations at disability and disciplinary conferences.
*Project representatives are teaching interactive on-line courses on science, engineering and mathematics access.
*A series of three videos called "EASI Street to Science, Engineering and Mathematics" is being created.
*A series of publications is being created, printed and distributed.
*The Internet is being used to post and distribute all publications and materials that are created through this project.
For more information about access to science, engineering and mathematics for people with disabilities, see EASI Street to Science, Engineering and Math on the World Wide Web. url: http://www.rit.edu./~easi/easisem.html Join EASI's Electronic Discussion list by sending a message to:
LISTSERV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU Leave the subject line blank. In the body of the text type: sub easi
"first name last name" (put your name in quotes as shown.).
The best source for up-to-date information on the Tech Act is The RESNA Tech Act Project (contact information in the resources section).
Arkansas Increasing Capabilities Access Network
Little Rock, AK
Voice or TDD 501-666-8868
Colorado Assistive Technology Project
Arvada, CO
Voice 303-420-2942
Connecticut Assistive Technology Project
Windsor, CT
Voice 203-298-2042
Delaware Assistive Technology Initiative
Wilmington, DE
Voice 302-651-6790
TDD 302-651-6794
Florida Assistive Technology Project
Tallahassee, FL
Voice 904-488-
Georgia Tools For Life
Atlanta, GA
Voice 904-488-6210
Hawaii Assistive Technology Services
Honolulu, HI
Voice or TDD 808-532-7110
Idaho Assistive Technology Project
Moscow, ID
Voice 208-885-6849
Illinois Assistive Technology Project
Springfield, IL
Voice or TDD 217-522-7985
Indiana ATTAIN Project
Indianapolis, IN
Voice 800-545-7763
Iowa Program for Assistive Technology
Iowa City, IA
Voice or TDD 800-331-3027
Kentucky Assistive Technology Services
Frankfort, KY
Voice or TDD 502-564-4665
Louisiana Technology Assistance Network
Baton Rouge, LA
Voice 504-342-2741
Maine Consumer Information and
Technology Training Exchange
Augusta, ME
Voice or TDD 207-621-3193
Maryland Technology Assistance Program
Baltimore, MD
Voice 410-333-4975
Massachusetts Assistive Technology Partnership
Boston, MA
Voice 617-735-7820
TDD 617-735-7301
Michigan Assistive Technology Project
Lansing, MI
Voice 517-373-4058
Minnesota STAR Program
St. Paul, MN
Voice 612-296-2771
TDD 612-296-9962
Mississippi Project START
Jackson, MS
Voice or TDD 601-354-6891
Missouri Assistive Technology Projectr
Kansas City, MO
Voice 816-235-5337
TDD 800-647-8558
Mon Tech
Missoula, MO
Voice 406-243-5676
Nebraska Assistive Technology Project
Lincoln, NE
Voice or TDD 402-471-0734
Nevada Assistive Technology Project
Carson City NV
Voice 702-687-4452
TDD 702-687-3388
New Hampshire Technology Partnership Project
Concord, NH
Voice 603-224-0630
New Jersey Technology Assistance Resource Project
Trenton, NJ
Voice 609-292-3604
New Mexico Technology Assistance Program
Santa Fe, NM
Voice or TDD 505-827-3533
New York State TRIAD Project
Albany, NY
Voice 518-474-2825
TDD 518-473-4231
North Carolina Assistive Technology Project
Raleigh, NC
Voice or TDD
919-850-2787
Ohio Assistive Technology Project
Columbus, OH
Voice 614-438-1474
Oklahoma Assistive Technology Project
Oklahoma City, OK
Voice 405-424-4311
Oregon Technology Access through Life Needs
Salem, OR
Voice 503-945-6265
Pennsylvania's Initiative on Assistive Technology
Philadelphia, PA
Voice 215-204-1356
South Carolina Assistive Technology Project
West Columbia, SC
Voice 803-822-5405
DakotaLink
Rapid City, SD
Voice 605-394-1876
Tennessee Technology Access Project
Nashville, TN
Voice 615-741-7441
Texas Assistive Technology Project
Austin, TX
Voice 512-471-7621
Utah Assistive Technology Program
Logan, UT
Voice 801-750-3824
Vermont Assistive Technology Project
Waterbury, VT
Voice or TDD 802-241-3052
Virginia Assistive Technology System
Richmond, VA
Voice or TDD 804-367-2445
West Virginia Assistive Technology System
Morgantown, WV
Voice 304-293-4692
Wisconsin Assistive Technology Program
Madison, WI
Voice 608-267-6720
TDD 608-266-9599
Abacus
5370 52nd Street SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49512
Phone: 1-800-451-4319
AbleNet, Inc.
1081 10th Ave., S.E.
Minneapolis, MN 55414
Phone: 612-379-0956 or 800-322-0956
Fax: 612-379-9143
Access Technology
8445 Keystone Crossing Ste. 165
Indianapolis, IN 46240
Phone: 317-465-1275
AI Squared
P.O. Box 669
Manchester Center, VT 05255-0669
Phone: 802-362-3612
Apple Computers, Inc.
20525 Mariani Ave., MS 2SE
Cupertino, California 95014
Phone: 408-974-7910
TDD: 408-974-7911
Fax: 408-862-5260
Arkenstone, Inc.
1390 Borregas Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA 94089
Phone: (408) 752-2200 or 800-444-4443
Artic Technologies
55 Park Street
Troy, MI 48083
Phone: 810-588-7370
Arts Computer Products, Inc.
PO Box 604 Cambridge, MA 02140
Phone: (617) 482-8248
Phone: 800-343-0095
Berkeley Systems
2095 Rose Street
Berkeley, CA 94709
Phone: 510-540-5535
Blazie Engineering
105 E. Jarrettsville Rd.
Forest Hill, MD 21050
Phone: 410-893-9333
Fax: 410-836-5040
Creative Labs (VoiceAssist)
1901 McCarthy Boulevard
Milpitas, CA 95035
Phone: (408) 428-6600
Phone: 800-998-5227
Don Johnston Incorporated
1000 Rand Road, Bldg. 115
P.O. Box 639
Wauconda, IL 60084
Phone: 800-999-4660
Fax: 708-526-4177
Dragon Systems, Inc.
320 Nevada St.
Newton, MA 02160
Phone: (617) 965-5200 or 800-825-5897
Duxbury Systems, Inc.
435 King St.
Post Office Box 1504
Littleton, MA 01460
Phone: 508-486-9766
Fax: 508-486-9712
Enabling Technologies Co.
3102 S.E. Jay St.
Stuard, FL 34997
Phone: 407-283-4817
GW Micro
310 Racquet Drive
Fort Wayne, IN 46825
Phone: 219-483-3625
Fax: 219-484-2510
Henter-Joyce, Inc.
2100 62nd Avenue North
St. Petersburg, FL 33702
Phone: (813) 528-8900 or 800-336-5658
Humanware, Inc.
6245 King Road, Suite P
Loomis, CA 95650
Phone: (916) 652-7253 or 800-722-3393
IBM Corporation
Special Needs System
P.O. Box 1328
Boca Raton, FL 33429-1328
Phone: 800-426-2133
Kensington Microware
2855 Campus Dr.
San Mateo, CA 94403
Phone: 800-535-4242
Kurzweil Applied Intelligence
411 Waverley Oaks Road
Waltham, MA 02154
Phone: 617-893-5151 or 800-380-1234
Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052-6399
Phone: 206-637-7098
Microsystems Software
600 Worcester Rd.
Framingham, MA 01701
Phone: 508-626-8511 or 800-828-2600
Optelec
P.O. Box 729
Westford, MA 01886
Phone: 800-828-1056
Prentke Romich
1022 Heyl Road
Wooster OH 44691
Phone: 800-642-8255 or 800-262-1984
Raised Dot Computing
408 South Baldwin
Madison, WI 53703
Phone: (608) 257-9595 or 800-347-9594
TeleSensory
455 N. Bernardo Ave.
P.O. Box 7455
Mountain View, CA 94039-7455
Phone: 415-960-0920 or 800-227-8418
Verbex Voice Systems
1090 King George Post Rd., Bldg. 107
Edison, NJ 08837
Phone: (908) 225-5225 or 800-ASK-VRBX
Words+, Inc.
43700 17th Street West
Suite 202, P.O. Box 1229
Lancaster, CA 93584
Phone: 805-266-8500 or 800-869-8521
XEROX Imaging Systems
9 Centennial Drive
Peabody, MA 01960
Phone: 508-977-2000 or 800-248-6550
These organizations are noted for the information that they disseminate about adaptive computing technology and information access for people with disabilities. Some of them are particularly good resources for information on science, engineering and mathematics.
AHEAD
Post Office Box 21192
Columbus, OH 43221
Phone: 614-488-4972
American Association for the Advancement of Science
1333 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
Voice/TDD: 202-326-6649
Internet: info@aaas.org
Closing the Gap
Post Office Box 68
Henderson, MN 56044
Phone: 612-248-3294
Fax: 612-248-3810
DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunity, Internetworking & Technology)
University of Washington, Computing & Communications
Box 354842
Seattle, WA 98195
Voice/TDD: 206-685-DOIT
Internet: doit@u.washington.edu
url: http://weber.u.washington.edu/~doit/
Foundation for Science and Disabilities
236 Grant Street
Morgantown, WV 26505-7509
Phone: 304-293-6363
HEATH Resource Center
One Dupont Circle, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20036
Voice/TT: 202-939-9320
Internet: heath@ace.nche.edu
National Science Foundation
4201 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, VA 22230
Phone: 703-289-2140
Internet: info@nsf.gov
url: http://www.nsf.gov
The RESNA Tech Act Project
1101 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 857-1140 or (301) 589-4851
Fax: (202) 223-4579
Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic
20 Roszel Road
Princeton, NJ 08540
Phone: 609-452-0606 or 800-221-4792
Internet: info@rfbd.org
TRACE Research and Development Center
S-151 Waisman Center, 1500 Highland Ave.
Madison, WI 53705
Phone: 608-263-6966
TDD: (608) 263-5408
Internet: essers@macc.wisc.edu
These articles and books contain helpful information about adaptive computing technology and information for people with disabilities.
Apple Computer Worldwide Disabilities Solutions Group. Independence Day:
Designing Computer Solutions for Individuals with Disabilities. Apple Computers. 1990.
Berliss, Jane, "Checklists for Implementing Accessibility in Computer Laboratories at Colleges and Universities," Trace Research and Development Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, March 1991.
Brown, Carl, Computer Access in Higher Education for Students with Disabilities, second edition, 1989.
Castorina, Carmela (ed.), Equal Access: Information Technology for Students with Disabilities. Primis, MCGraw-Hill, Inc., 1994.
EASI, "Computers and Students with Disabilities: New Challenges for Higher Education," Second edition. Project EASI, 1992.
HEATH, "Information from HEATH, HEATH Resource Center, Washington, DC.
Heinisch, Barbara Schiller, "Establishing an Adaptive Technology Laboratory in a University Setting," Technology and Disability, 1992; pp. 47-54.
Hilton-Chalfen, Danny and Castorina, Carmela, "Looking Ahead: Federal Legislation and Campus Computer Access for People with Disabilities," EDUCOM Review, Fall/Winter, 1991.
Murphy, Harry, "The Impact of Exemplary Technology-Support Programs for Students with Disabilities, National Council on Disability, 1992.
Scott, Neil G., Computer Assistance for People with Disabilities, San Francisco, DeskTop Marketing, Inc. 1987.
Shell, Duane F. ; Horn, Christy A.; and Severs, Mary K., "Effects of a Computer-based Educational Center on Disabled Students' Academic Performance," Journal of College Student Development, Sept. 1998, Vol. 29, pp. 432-440.
Southern Connecticut State University, Adaptive Technology Lab Start-up Kit, Southern Connecticut State University, 1992.
"Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards," Architectural and Transportation Compliance Board, Washington, DC.
Dr. Norman Coombs, Chair
Rochester Institute of Technology
Phone: 716-475-2462
Fax: 716-475-7120
Internet: nrcgsh@rit.edu
Dr. Sheryl Burgstahler, Vice Chair
University of Washington, DO-IT Director
Phone: 206-543-0622
Internet: sherylb@cac.washington.edu
Carmela Cunningham, Editor
Phone: 714-830-0301
Fax: 714-830-2159
Internet: carmelac@aol.com
This document was published as part of EASI's National Science Foundation
EASI is preparing extensive materials, including pamphlets, videos, booklets, an online workshop and other online Web materials that address access to science, engineering and mathematics. Check EASI's Web
Site and electronic discussion list periodically to see what new materials are available.