Assistive%20Technology%20for%20the%20Motor%20Impaired

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Assistive Technologyfor theMotor Impaired
Prepared by Wanda L. Wong, December 8, 2005 LIS
670 - Introduction to Information Science
Technology, taught by Professor donna Bair-Mundy,
University of Hawaii LIS program
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Assistive Technology

• Any device, tool, or system which increases,
• maintains, or improves
• the functional capabilities of individuals with
  disabilities

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Individuals with disabilities

• are any persons who have a physical or mental
  impairment which substantially limits one or more
  major life activities, such as walking, seeing,
  hearing, speaking, breathing, learning and
  working
• Public Law 101-336 (ADA
  Statute) Sec. 3. Definitions

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Assistive technology enables disabled
individuals to

• have greater control over their lives
• participate in and contribute more fully to
  activities in home, school, work community
• benefit from opportunities that are taken for
  granted by individuals who do not have
  disabilities
• Assistive Technology Act of 1998,
  Findings. Sect. 2

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Laws that enable equal opportunities for the
disabled
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Rehabilitation Act of 1973

• Section 504 equal access to federally funded
  programs by the disabled
• Section 508 - access to electronic and
  information technology (amended 1998)
• Architectural and Transportation Barriers
  Compliance Board, or the Access Board,
• sets Accessibility standards

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Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990

• Title II - requires public facilities and public
  services to be accessible whether or not the
  facility receives federal funding
• Physical access - ramps, entryways, hallways,
  bathrooms, etc.
• Intellectual access to information services

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Telecommunications Act of 1996

• Section 255 telecommunications products and
  services accessible to all members of the public
• Requires manufacturers to make products
  ACCESSIBLE or - design them to be compatible
  with ADAPTIVE equipment
• The Feds can purchase only such equipment
• 11,000 vendors that do business with the
  government
• Telecommunications Act, 1996. Sect.
  255

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54 million people in the U.S. have at least one
form of disability

• Vision impaired / blind (10.4 million)
• Hearing impaired / deaf (11.1 million)
• MOTOR IMPAIRED (32 million)
• 1.8 million wheelchair users
• 2.5 million veterans have service-related
  disabilities (2003)
• U.S. population approx. 297,827,249 (5 Dec
  2005)

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Causes

• Arthritis
• Cerebral palsy
• Spinal cord injuries
• Accidents or illnesses - head injury,
• stroke, amputations
• Parkinson's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Muscular
  Dystrophy

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Affects Mobility and Dexterity

• Poor muscle control
• Difficulty walking, sensing, grasping, reaching,
  making fine motor movements with fingers
• Difficulty doing complex or compound
  manipulations (such as pushing while turning a
  doorknob or pressing several buttons
  simultaneously)
• difficulty operating controls that require
  pinching or rotating
• Inability to exert much force on controls

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Design of accessible productsfall into 4 major
functions

• INPUT/CONTROLS ALL MEANS OF COMMUNICATING TO
  THE PRODUCT
• Output/Displays - all means of presenting
  information to a user (i.e. audio output, screen
  displays, etc.)
• Documentation labels, instructions, etc.
• Safety alarms and protection from harm
• TRACE, 2005

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Adaptive Keyboards

• Adaptive keyboards or keyboard overlays help
  users with motor disabilities to make selections
  more easily
• Larger or smaller than standard keys or keyboards
• Alternative key configurations
• Use with one hand

USB MiniTM is a small size alternative keyboard
that plugs directly into a computer 775.00
IntellikeysTM keyboard with removable overlays
395.00
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On-Screen Keyboard

• Symbol grids (i.e. The Grid) use text and
  symbol communication
• Pre-stored intelligent vocabularies for
  predictive typing
• On-screen keyboards or printed overlays onto
  screen
• Control by touch-screen, mouse, head pointer,
  keyboard, joystick or
• switches
• Multi-lingual capabilities

The Grid Zygo USA
Click_N_Type Virtual Keyboard Free
download http//www.lakefolks.org/cnt/
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Alternative Mouse Systems

• Total hands-free mouse alternative for
• people with muscular dystrophy, spinal
• cord injuries such as quadriplegia, etc.
• Controls computer using motion by a
• chosen part of the body
• Virtual keyboard reflective dots
• Click switch, foot switch, Dwell ClickTM
• software (hover the cursor in one
• spot to select)
• http//www.naturalpoint.com/smartnav/products/

SmartNav3TM 399.00
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Mouse alternatives where users have little or no
control of their hands

• Click using slight variations of air
  pressure in the mouth and in the mouth piece
  (sipping or puffing)

USB Integra Mouse Tash Systems 2200.00
CameraMouse Tash Inc. 700.00
Camera mouse tracks body movements, (head, nose,
chin, finger or toe, for example). The web camera
converts those movements into mouse pointer
movements
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Switches

• Switches make it possible to access a computer
  keyboard using the mouth, head, or foot
• A single button, a few buttons, a sensory plate,
  or a whole host of adaptive switches available
• Touch free, relying instead on motion sensors,
  brain activation, or a sip and puff mechanism

Intellitools 54.00 - 129.00 cordless
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Voice Recognition

• Voice Recognition allows a user to use his/her
  voice as an input device
• Dictate text into the computer
• Give commands to the computer
• Discreet speech or continuous speech

Dragon Naturally Speaking Cost 200.00 Nuance,
Burlington, MA
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Access Utilities

• Built-in software programs that modify the
  standard keyboard
• Replace the mouse, substitute visual cues for
  sound signals, add sound cues to keystrokes, etc
• Use by multiple people - easily activated and
  deactivated
• Accessibility options are customizable

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Example MicrosoftAccessDOS

• StickyKeys - For people who need to plug into the
  serial port. Headstick or mouthstick (AACs).
  Press one key and the application responds as if
  several keys had been pressed simultaneously.
  Also, can access by infra-red link.
• MouseKeys - Control the mouse from the keyboard
• SerialKeys - Control the keyboard and mouse in
  conjunction with a communications aid interface
  device
• Onscreen Keyboard, FilterKeys, ToggleKeys,
  SoundSentry, Showsounds, and Magnifier
• AccessDos was Developed by the Trace RD
  Center, U of Wisconsin-Madison with support from
  IBM the National Institute on Disability and
  Rehabilitation Research

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Motor Impairment is

• The only category of disability that can happen
  to anyone at any time in their lives. We can
  become disabled by accident or illness.

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Crossing Over

• Technologies cross lines
• In 1933, Talking Books were developed to assist
  the blind in accessing books. Today, audio books
  are enjoyed by everyone, blind or not
• Voice Recognition, an assistive technology, can
  also search, locate and index sounds and phrases
  in audio and video files

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Assistive Technology

• is user-centered
• and human-centered
• It has the potential to transform the future of
  every individual, whether or not they have a
  physical or learning disability.
• Ron Mace, founder the Center for Universal
  Design, 1998

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Information-rich WebsitesAdaptive Technology
Resource Center (ATRC), U. of Toronto, Canada.
Library, Technical Glossary of Products.Available
at http//www.utoronto.ca/atrcAssociation of
Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies
(ASCLA). Important Issues.Available at
http//www.ala.org/ala/ascla/asclaissues/issues.ht
mTrace Research Technology Center (TRACE),
College of Engineering, U of Wisconsin, Madison.
Designing a More Usable World. Available at
http//trace.wisc.edu/