October 11, 1999
Assistive Technology
| New technologies can create barriers for people with disabilities
-- surfing the web can be difficult for blind people or those with limited
vision, for example. And using a standard keyboard and mouse can
be practically impossible for someone who has had a stroke.
But technologies can also assist people in overcoming these barriers and improve their lives in other ways. Software has been created to convert web-based text to speech. One such application, developed originally in Japanese by a blind researcher in IBM's Tokyo Research Lab, has recently been made available in English and several European languages. A variety of keyboard overlays, mouse substitutes, and other alternative input systems exist for mobility-impaired users. And at least one firm is offering a device that allows users to control a computer without hands or voice, using electrical signals from the brain. More information on these devices and others, as well as on the whole field of assistive technologies can be found through the links below. |
Links:The Adaptive Technology Resource Centre at the University of Toronto is devoted to education, services, and R&D aimed at advancing technology to meet challenges faced by people with disabilities. ATRC's technical glossary is a gold mine of information on assistive technologies and includes links to numerous vendors.
"Bobby" is a web-based tool created by CAST, the Center for Applied Special Technology that analyzes web pages for their accessibility to people with disabilities. (This page passed -- which is why the "Bobby Approved" logo appears at the top of the page.)
IBM's Special Needs Systems contains information on its products, including its new Home Page Reader for Windows and a range of tools for computer users with visual, hearing, mobility, and other types of disabilities.
Marcopolo is a Netscape plug-in that provides eyes-free access to the World Wide Web for blind and low-vision computer users or anyone who wishes to browse the Web without having to look at a computer monitor.
Apple's Disability Resources web site provides information on the latest adaptive
hardware and software available for the Macintosh categorized by type of disability, as well as links to other resources, and other information.NCSA (the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois -- the folks who developed the early web browser, Mosaic) explored ways to make the web accessible to persons with disabilities. The results of their efforts are presented on the NCSA Mosaic Access Page.
Captioning provides access to television and film sound for deaf persons. WGBH's Caption Center is a pioneer in this field.
Brain-Actuated Technologies, Inc., has developed Cyberlink, an interface that allows for hands-free control of computers and other electrical devices. The device, which is worn on the head, senses and responds to the minute surface electrical signals that result from brain and subtle muscle activity.
