has ceased trading – but still producing valuable assistive technology information
I said a few weeks ago that we expected a picture library to be included in Office 365 and Word 2016. If you type in the help section Immersive Reader and select the Book icon you get the picture above. Select Picture library and you will find that if you click on a word a helpful picture appears underneath it.
Our friends at Focus Read are now on the Windows Store at:-
“Our new Reading Focus Cards app for Windows 10 PCâs has just been published and is available in the Windows Store at https://www.microsoft.com/store/apps/9WZDNCRDF33D.
Since you serve so many individuals with special needs, I thought you might be interested in knowing about the new version of this app that helps CHALLENGED READERS of ALL AGES and ABILITIES.
Thanks for ALL you do to help the many who struggle to read, learn and live each day because of various challenges.”
Thanks Joan for your encouragement!
Voice -Clouds.com is a social/care tool that enables support workers and those working in care to establish needs and strategies quickly on the go. Person Centre planning is so important and often difficult to achieve logistically. This online tool can help in the process and is an aide to the busy professional. For a helpful video to show how it works go to:-
http://www.voice-clouds.com/how.php
Do you have a personal or professional interest in autism and/or accessibility?
In AbilityNet’s upcoming webinar they will share information about how websites, apps and other digital technology can be designed with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) users in mind – and how this can create more inclusive solutions for everyone.
This free webinar takes place on Tuesday 17 April at 13:00 BST and kicks-off with AbilityNet Accessibility and Usability Consultant Dafydd Henke-Reed presenting an overview of ASD, followed by the associated design challenges and most importantly the solutions.
For more information about AbilityNet’s upcoming webinar click here.
According to facts from The National Autistic Society autism is much more common than you might think. In the UK 1 in 100 people are estimated to be on the autism spectrum which makes this webinar a must-see.
There are concerns that bleeding-edge technology may not be autism-friendly and this issue will be discussed in the webinar along with the ways in which technology can be helpful and beneficial for people with ASD. Even if you’re not able to attend, please register your interest to receive a notification when the webinar recording becomes available to watch.
To register your interest in AbilityNet’s upcoming webinar click here.
Microsoft and Tobii Dynavox announce that they are collaborating to produce a picture library of PCS symbols in the immersive reader. When you click over a word it will produce a picture to show the word as well as hear it spoken. This will be across Word and free Outlook, OneNote and other Microsoft packages. Not sure when this will appear but suspect it will be soon for those using Office 2016. It opens up reading to non-text readers who need picture support.For more details click on the link below:-
This is good website for apps and resources. Thanks to Ceri Morgan who recommended this through Bath Spa University, Take a look at all the resources collected here. It is impressive!
Click here for DNAmatters
Widgit are excited to announce that we are now the EXCLUSIVE distributor for LoganTech’s ProxTalker brand of products, including ProxTalker and ProxPADin the UK. Our easy to use resource making products including InPrint 3 and Widgit Online can be used to create labels and overlays for use with the Logan ProxTalker and ProxPAD.
Click here to access their news in detail
Have you heard about the organisation? Started by Ian Karten MBE who is sadly deceased this trust extends across the UK running centres where assistive technology can be assessed, tried and used by people attending or accessing the centre.
For more details of their work and what they do click here
Immersive reader ( Learning tools from Microsoft) has now been made available for a number of office applications like Word, OneNote, Outlook. Before you had to call up the feature from the help section, now you just go to view and you see this:-
What does Immersive Reader do?
The following access editions are now available:-
In fact Immersive Reader is very useful for the Dyslexic which is now available for integration into office products for free. You do need an educational account for all the learning tools but Immersive Reader appears to be free for those like myself who have Office 2016 and an Office 365 basic account.
AccessAbility Solutions 