has ceased trading – but still producing valuable assistive technology information
A new group I was unaware of ( being new to the world of AT in the workplace) was the Business Disability Forum. They have a wealth of information for supporting companies in becoming more accessible and by providing training events for those interested in subjects such as transforming the workplace into an inclusive building premise to inclusive service design. Take a look at some forthcoming events at:-
http://www.businessdisabilityforum.org.uk/training-and-events/events/
Working with DSA (Disability Student Allowance) many suppliers provide useful resources and ways to meet your AT (Assistive Technology)needs. Text help provideras of ReadWrite have a DSA student pack which gives access to ReadWrite for Windows, Mac , iPad and Android devices and Google Chrome which is great for colleges and educational settings using one serial code to access any or all of these tools across your network. Simples!
Global Autocorrect from Lex Able Assistive Software Development is another DSA solution which tracks and instantly changes misspellings. You can try it for free at http://www.LexAble.com/Free-Trial.
MindMapping is an essential tool for Dyslexic users. Inspiration 9 and Mindview 6 are two examples that would help students to organise and plan their work in the simplest form.
On a different tack a company that is reaching out to change perceptions of Dyslexia in the general public is Novacroft. They want examples (videos) of inspiring stories of how dyslexics overcome their barriers. So if you have a video that shows this please contact them at http://www.novacroft.com
SuperNova from Dolphin Systems provides a magnifcation and scanning tool in its toolbox which can be used to enable the visually impaired to access reading material. It’s crystal clear and sharp imaging makes this an essential tool for VI. There is a trial version available at https://yourdolphin.com/products/all?id=4&z=0.
Spellex Dictation Gold provides help to those working in the legal and medical professions by providing enhanced spelling dictionaries for Dragon(tm) and Microsoft(tm) products.
Having a tool that records a lecture, talk or lesson is useful for dyslexic users. Often teachers speak way to much information for those who have processing of information issues. Two products that do this well are notetalker and sonocent. Both have apps that can aid recording, both use a tagging method. Notetalker advocate the use of a specialist external mike to enable accurate recording (see my previous blog).
Barclays Bank have made hug strides in making accessible features. They have a wrist band called bPay which enables the user to have contactless payment – useful for a wide range of disabilities not just visual impairment. It’s best feature is that you can use the band on any bank account and it works on a top-up system – there is an android and ios app to enable the system which gives useful information to the user.
This is a follow on from last weeks post about ATEC. Here are some of the products seen at this great event for Assistive Technology in Oxford.
Brain in hand (http://www.braininhand.co.uk)– is an app that helps the user monitor their anxiety and stress levels . Its use is in the workplace to help people overcome barriers to engaging in work and to target support and intervention where and when its needed most.
ember- is a star college initiative using an app to support people with learning difficulties in the work place. It makes use of location -based technology to deliver bespoke training to the user. Contact dfinch@natstar.ac.uk for further details. They hope to launch this in the autumn this year
Digital Accessibility Centre(DAC) are a welsh based non for profit social enterprise project. The aim is to audit and accredit companies and organisations for their disability awareness and inclusion. User testing takes place by disabled users and the idea is to provide a transparent and robust testing service that aligns with WCAG2.0 Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. For more information go to :-http://www.digtalaccessibilitycentre.org
For a range of assistive technology go to http://www.inasyst.co.uk . They have a useful catalogue and products that can help sensory and dyslexic users in the workplace. From text to speech to visual stress their is a plethora of products to choose from. In the same vein http://www.sightandsound.co.uk have a range of goods to help those with blindness or visually impairment. I like the RUBY handheld device whihc magnifies in crystal clear High Definition.
Finally, in this section – more to follow in future days – is Wyvern Training which now provides free assistive product training videos on their website portal. Go to http://users.wyvernportal.co.uk for more information.
What a great day! And what a great event! It is also good to see it being so well supported ! Well done Antony Ruck and the team. A really worthwhile day for both networking and CPD?
Barclays Bank – Paul
Barclays Bank have a new app that you can use for your banking needs . It’s called Launchpad – QRCode logon banking , thoughts and feedback on this app would be appreciated. Not sure if it’s android but I assume it is as they thoroughly test their software! Workplace adjustments – not just reasonable adjustments is a term I thought was useful to use. It gives the emphasis to the setting giving it more focus see approach. What is challenging to companies is that in Barclays case they use not the latest tech and Cisco systems so the need is to build bridges for flexible licensing, personal licenses. Holistic AT that makes use of videos would be great – see Wyvern learning or Sarah Jane-Peake’s site LaunchPad for examples of this!
Stuart Edwards -Dept. of Work & Pensions
Access to Work is a not a benefit but an essential tool. 12,000 access to work applications. Small adjustments don’t lead to having large funds. Grants towards giving access tools. Not the whole thing! Mental health and learning disabilities will mean more impact into these areas. 62,000 per year by the end of this parliament. Personal budgets for the grants. New online form filling, data gathering. Making more decisions on line. These are just some of the main points from his keynote.
Some future tech that Access to Work are going to look into or keep an eye on:-
Debra Charles – Novacroft
Massive skills gap by 2020 – business leader, true talent lying in society. Showcase what can be achieved. Being made to feel different impacts massively your life. One size doesn’t fit all ! Something amazing in everyone.
Changing perceptions to make a difference, about belonging. Look for people to help you. Words that cause damage were shown . Help people feel valued. Positive contribution. Talent and technology work together. Work in a different way. Building a team that has positive impact. Make an impact on society. Get lots of fantastic people together and make a difference. Creative, good, able. Small things make a difference .
#saynotonormal. – showcase in October. Children – mini clip to show a difference. Add it to the website. Create a toolkit for businesses and education.
Dolphin Systems
Supernova and camera use – straightforward and easy to use. One way communication only. Clarity is very good. Very sharp. Is there another product on the market that does this? Using a mobile phone camera can do this on an iPad for instance . But the quality will not be as good which necessary for the VI user. Another feature is changing the colour scheme to suit the individual user.
Claro Sotware
Claro ScanPen – not wifi dependent . Write about lighting and background paper issue.
Time to process information, audio allows more processing time
Simple software to use!
Claro Read software
Scan other file formats in
Scan from screen – text to speech . Select a area of picture to copy to the clipboard.
Office 365 plus pro free for students in university. Install office 365 for free for students ( up to 5 users).
Screen Rule – Screen tinting
ClaroRead for Chromebook ,chrome browser
The Edge – isn’t very accessible – chrome extensions into the edge browser by Autumn 2016
ClaroRead SE – simple , play,stop, toolbar . Makes it an easy tool for the user
Cloud access for different versions
Buying a key that last for a long time . Not subscription. More about upgrading potential. Remote configuration . Design to be user friendly especially for a DSA Assessor
ClaroPDF
Nice settings to change the background and provide tints
Annotation toolbar – highlight, draw shapes, provide notes. All compatible and therefore a useful research tool for students who are needing to look at source material
Appv. Virtual deployment tools for apps for iOS.
Notetaker
Conversor -Notetalker – takes an audio file of any talk or lecture. In order to do this you need a good external microphone to your smartphone,
Audio quality – directional conversor mm1 45,000
£21 on DSA for the app and microphone
Directional Wireless microphone – Bluetooth for lectures – removing background noise
Pairs for individual solutions
Battery pack booster for phone useage
External microphones need to be used with smartphones
More general hitting of information using bookmarking. Giving choice to the individual to choose the tool that best meets their need on the PC transfer software,
Compiling information into one place.
6-7 mins for a 45 min lecture
Nice idea for searching by word and a maths search tool.
Clear interface for editing.
Export into word (July) PDF now!
August – Notetalker transcription service @ 24hr £12 per lecture I think.
Certified training programmers offered to DSA assessor and professionals by Notetalker
I will write about some of the products I saw in a post tomorrow ! That’s all the keynotes and workshops I attended covered!
I have become AbilityNet’s county co-ordinator for Wiltshire which means that I will be work ing with a team of volunteers who help people use their computers. In particular, we work with individuals who may need help due to their disability and additional needs. This is about hardware and access. I have known of the work of AbilityNet for many years and as a local WiltsOnline Digital Champion it seems a natural direction to take to increase my experience in the voluntary sector.
I also aim to do some paid work with them in the form of assessment as a freelance consultant which would increase skills in the area of DSA and broader disabilities than my specialism of learning disabilities. This would mean more face to face assessment and problem solving.
I am seeing my first client in my voluntary role next week!
Just been working with the app Green Screen which is very easy to use. I like the paintout option which is useful if you don’t have a green screen cloth! I was able to use a video that played with different images being usee as the screen. Just use the paint brush from the editor. Have fun!
Thanks to Jenny Wise I have just put on a list of interesting websites that may interest those who home school educators and SEN teachers . Here is what Jenny wrote:-
“Hello!
As a homeschool teacher and the parent of an autistic child, I’ve learned a lot about how important it is to pay attention to the individual needs of every student — especially special education students, who may need specific classes or individual help to be successful.
It can be tough to know the best approach when reaching out to those with special needs, so I’ve done some research to help educators and families get started. Would you be interested in sharing them with your audience (https://aas123.com/resources/helpful-resources-for-parents-and-teachers-of-special-education-children/ )
For students of all ages:
Creating the Optimal Environment for a Kid with ADHD
Suggested Classroom Interventions for Children with ADD & Learning Disabilities
The Life-Changing Impact of Autism Service Dogs
Addressing Special Education Needs for Students Learning English as a Second Language
22 Tips for Teaching Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders
50 Must-See Blogs for Special Education Teachers
The Ultimate Guide to Water Safety for Parents and Caregivers of Children with Autism
Teaching Your Child About Peers with Special Needs
And here are a few that high school and college educators, parents and students will find helpful:
Teaching College Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Autism and Addiction: Coping with and Treating Your Dual Diagnosis
Choosing a College: Planning for Teens with ADD
College Resources for Students with Disabilities
I hope these will make a positive impact on special needs children, educators, and families!
For further details go to http://www.SpecialHomeEducator.com
Came across a fascinating site which is doing great work in gesture and movement. James is using a wealth of resources . I particularly like the Kinect ones and will be trying them out myself on my laptop! Thanks James! Respect!
senclassroom.wordpress.com
Groups in Office 365 works great when you are in an Office 365 business setup with lots of colleagues. I would like to work with external to my organisation colleagues around the UK for specific roles. Here is what I am discovering. You can establish a group email to write to but not access other of the tools like files, shared calender and notebook. Admin ( owner of the site can) but not a user. You can email to the group address – useful for tracking emails and receive emails to the group like a distribution list.
As organisations grow and need smarter ways of handling email’s then this kind of facility is useful compared to scrolling through hundred’s of email. Groups.io is one that has a lot of the tools and more than the Yahoo groups that people use. If using a site like groups.io forwarding from the group email is essential to smooth running which is part of the setup procedure. But to operate the file and calender you need to go to groups.io rather than having it integrated into your chosen emailing system. I like groups.io and use it for BATA.
I found this useful article on Groups in Office 365:-
This won’t win pun of the year but the adage “simple is best” applies to using this one page website. Having a straightforward, no-nonsense approach to web building makes sense to me. This is good for self-promotion and making one message get across to your audience very clearly and attractive. It can lead toother more detailed and structure information. It is free to build and therefore attractive to education, professionals and parents alike. To see my strikingly website click on the link below:-
AccessAbility Solutions 