Activity 13.1 - Assistive technology "familiarity audit"
My context is that I work with disabled students in a university setting. On a daily basis I work one-to-one with students with sensory impairments and Asperger syndrome and so I am very familiar with the enabling technologies that they use. In the summer I work for Open University summer schools and with students who have a wider range of impairments which has given me some experience of technologies used by students with motor and cognitive impairment.
Some of the technologies of which I am aware and that were not included on this list are:
- Braille display - attached to computer via USB and displays the text on the screen one line at a time
- Many of my students with motor impairments or with dyslexia use their digital cameras or camera phones to record information from noticeboards
- It is possible to photograph printed text using an i-phone and then use an OCR converter application to turn it into an audio version
- A student with severe hearing impairment uses a Kindle in order to store the papers/books she needs to read. In this way she can carry them everywhere with her and read them whenever she has time. This makes the best use of her time when she is struggling to keep up with a heavy work load and all the extra reading she has to do. Another student in a lot of pain uses a Kindle to save her carrying books with her. It is possible to download papers and annotate and highlight them as necessary.
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Hardware |
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Technology |
Direct knowledge
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Indirect knowledge
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Not familiar with this
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If you have some direct or indirect knowledge please fill in these columns by ticking the type of impairment that has been addressed with this technology |
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Visual Impairment |
Hearing Impairment |
Motor Impairment |
Cognitive Impairment |
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Chording keyboard |
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* Braille |
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* one handed |
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Keyguard |
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* |
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* |
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Rollerball |
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* |
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* |
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Joystick |
* |
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* |
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Graphics tablet |
* |
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* |
* |
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Wheel mouse |
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* |
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* |
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Touch screen |
* |
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* |
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Switches (with mounting device) |
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* |
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* |
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Video magnifier |
* |
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* |
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* |
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Cassette recorder |
* |
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* |
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* |
* |
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Minidisc recorder |
* |
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* |
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* |
* |
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Digital recorder |
* |
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* |
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* |
* |
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OCR pen |
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* |
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* |
* |
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USB memory stick |
* |
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* |
* |
* |
* |
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PDA |
* |
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* |
* |
* |
* |
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Digital camera |
* |
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* |
* |
* |
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Camcorder |
* |
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* |
* |
* |
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Video phone |
* |
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* |
* |
* |
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Software - (in-built) |
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Technology |
Direct knowledge
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Indirect knowledge
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Not familiar with this
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If you have some direct or indirect knowledge please fill in these columns by ticking the type of impairment that has been addressed with this technology |
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Visual Impairment |
Hearing Impairment |
Motor Impairment |
Cognitive Impairment |
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Magnifier |
* |
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* |
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sticky keys |
* |
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* |
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Mouse keys |
* |
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* |
* |
* |
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Narrator |
* |
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* |
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* |
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On screen keyboard |
* |
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* |
* |
* |
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Filter keys |
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* |
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* |
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Pointer options |
* |
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Toggle keys |
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* |
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* |
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Display properties |
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* |
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Software - (third party) |
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Technology |
Direct knowledge
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Indirect knowledge
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Not familiar with this
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If you have some direct or indirect knowledge please fill in these columns by ticking the type of impairment that has been addressed with this technology |
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Visual Impairment |
Hearing Impairment |
Motor Impairment |
Cognitive Impairment |
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Screen reader |
* |
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* |
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* |
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Magnifier |
* |
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Word prediction |
* |
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* |
* |
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Mind mapping |
* |
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* |
* |
* |
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Voice recognition |
* |
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* |
* |
* |
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Icon/toolbar design |
* |
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* |
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* |
* |
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Non-ILT |
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Technology |
Direct knowledge
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Indirect knowledge
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Not familiar with this
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If you have some direct or indirect knowledge please fill in these columns by ticking the type of impairment that has been addressed with this technology |
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Visual Impairment |
Hearing Impairment |
Motor Impairment |
Cognitive Impairment |
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Adjustable table |
* |
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* |
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* |
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Lap tray |
* |
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* |
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Table lamp |
* |
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* |
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Wrist rest |
* |
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* |
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Foot rest |
* |
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* |
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Arm support |
* |
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* |
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Monitor arm |
* |
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* |
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* |
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Document holder |
* |
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* |
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