Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Educational AT checklist
An educational assistive technology checklist is a great tool for teachers, parents and schools to have. A list provided by the University of Florida breaks AT into categories for various disabilities that students should have access to. See the list from University of Florida's Education and Human Resources College online here.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Assistive Daily Living (ADL) devices fact sheet
This fact sheet, compiled by UATP, provides an overview of assistive daily living devices that are useful for people with disabilities, particularly the aging population. The devices are low-tech and can be obtained from more than one place, though we do give one reference of where to obtain the device. This sheet does not imply endorsement of any company or brand. Click on each page for a larger view. This is a resource intended for the public, and can be printed and distributed as such.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Ipod Touch helps people with disabilities
This article on specialedpost.com discusses how iPods can help people with disabilities be more independent, particularly in employment settings.
An Ipod Touch Can Revolutionize Daily Living For the Severely Disabled
September 10, 2012
by Lindsay Abrams
The tasks required of Jeffrey by his minimum wage job at a fast food restaurant were not beyond his physical or mental capacities to complete — he was responsible each day for emptying garbage cans, wiping down tables, sweeping, stocking condiments, and cleaning the bathrooms. But a case study published in the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation describes how, as a 21-year-old with autism, he required the near-constant supervision of a job coach to prompt him to rotate between his different duties and to help him remember the steps involved in each task.
Read the rest of the story here.
An Ipod Touch Can Revolutionize Daily Living For the Severely Disabled
 |
| iPod Touch |
September 10, 2012
by Lindsay Abrams
The tasks required of Jeffrey by his minimum wage job at a fast food restaurant were not beyond his physical or mental capacities to complete — he was responsible each day for emptying garbage cans, wiping down tables, sweeping, stocking condiments, and cleaning the bathrooms. But a case study published in the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation describes how, as a 21-year-old with autism, he required the near-constant supervision of a job coach to prompt him to rotate between his different duties and to help him remember the steps involved in each task.
Read the rest of the story here.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
UATP's director talks guide dogs in Statesman article
Guide dogs lend a paw
By APRIL ASHLAND - features senior writer
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
It's said that a dog is a man's best friend, but for Lewis Burdette and Sachin Pavithran, the role of dogs went much further. Burdette and Pavithran are both visually impaired and have received assistance from seeing-eye dogs.
 |
| UATP director Sachin Pavithran with his guide dog Barstow. |
Pavithran is the assistive technology specialist for the Center for Persons with Disabilities, and said he retired his dog Barstow in June, after having him for nine and a half years.
Pavithran said he talked to many other visually impaired and blind people before deciding to get his dog. He said he met a girl who had a seeing-eye dog and thought having one might be a way to gain more independence.
"When I was in school, it was fine because I had people around me, but when I started working, I had to travel and get around on my own," Pavithran said.
Read the rest on The Utah Statesman.
Monday, October 22, 2012
iPad apps for people with disabilities
These apps were tested and compiled by UATP. Apps are broken down into function categories, such as vision or utility. UATP does not endorse the apps or the makers of the apps. Rather, these are apps that we suggest for the public's use. For iPad training videos on basics, accessible features, and apps, visit the ‘Training Archives’ tab.
Communication:
Abilipad $19.99
Named one of “the best iPad apps for special needs kids” in a Washington Post article! Abilipad combines the functionality of a notepad with word prediction, text-to-speech and a customizable keyboard, putting advanced writing tools within everyone’s reach.
Grace $37.99
A simple picture exchange system developed By and For non-verbal people allowing the user to communicate their needs by building sentences from relevant images. It can be customized by the individual using their picture and photo vocabulary.
Proloquo2Go $189.99
Proloquo2Go™ is product from AssistiveWare that provides a full-featured communication solution for people who have difficulty speaking. It brings natural sounding text-to-speech voices, close to 8000 up-to-date symbols, powerful automatic conjugations, a large default vocabulary, full expandability and extreme ease of use to the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.
Scene Speak $14.99
Scene Speak provides a framework on the iPad to create visual scene displays. This application allows an image can be edited with active “sound areas” that can be selected and used as a means of communication. Images then can added into “books” by theme or area of interest. Scene Speak is a wonderful communication tool for those with Autism, Aphasia, Apraxia, developmental disabilities or anyone wanting to enhance receptive language or visual memory.
Sign 4 Me $9.99
A Signed English Translator" is a tool for learning sign language. The only app that provides sign language instruction in 3D! Our 3D character can be zoomed in or out and rotated to give you the best vantage point for every sign. You control the placement of the character – not us! No other product lets you do this! The library includes more than 11,500 words. Type in sentences, phrases, words and even the alphabet. Everything you enter will be saved in your History. Easily locate your entries by date or alphabetically. You can delete whatever you don’t want to keep. Use the controls to speed up or slow down the signing; turn on or off the looping feature; and send the character to his “home” or default position.
Sounding Board Free
SoundingBoard transforms your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad into the latest in communication technology. In just minutes, you can create create custom boards using AbleNet symbols or your own photos.
Tap Speak Sequence $29.99
TapSpeak Sequence for iPad revolutionizes how parents, speech therapists, vision therapists, schools, and institutions create and use message sequences to help disabled children learn to communicate. Use TapSpeak Sequence instead of sequential message switches to record and customize messages without losing any previously recorded sequences. Kids with cerebral palsy, autism, cortical vision impairment (CVI), pediatric stroke, or any disability that impairs their ability to communicate can make use of this app.
Tap To Talk Free or $99.95 to customize
Give your non-verbal child the portable, customizable, affordable, socially acceptable communication device. You customize what your child sees and hears in TapToTalk with an online program called TapToTalk Designer. With it, you build "albums" that fit your child's needs.
TouchChat HD $149.99
TouchChat HD is a full featured communication solution for individuals who have difficulty using their natural voice. TouchChat is designed for individuals with Autism, Down Syndrome, ALS, apraxia, stroke, or other conditions that affect a person’s ability to use natural speech. TouchChat enables you to subscribe to iShare, an online server where you can share customized pages with an online community.
Education:
Letter School $2.99
An amazing, intuitive game to learn all about letters and numbers: writing, counting, phonics and more.
Sentence Builder $5.99
Sentence Builder is designed to help elementary aged children learn how to build grammatically correct sentences. Explicit attention is paid to the connector words that make up over 80% of the english language. Sentence Builder offers a rich and fun environment for improving the grammar of all children.
iWriteWords (Handwriting Game) $2.99
iWriteWords teaches your child handwriting while playing a fun and entertaining game. Help Mr. Crab collect the numbers in sequence by dragging him with your finger - and drawing the letter at the same time. Each letter/word is spoken as completed.
Gross Motor Skills
Cut the Rope $1.99
A fun and innovative game that allows the user to practice gross motor skills.
Hearing
Sound Amp R $5.99
Amplify the world around you discreetly with iPhone and iPod touch. Sounds are sent to your earbuds in real time. Hear what you’d like to hear. Record what you’d like to record! Works in many situations, around the table at home, watching TV, in lecture halls, at parties, wherever you’d like to hear, or overhear, the people around you! We have tuned soundAMP to provide you crystal clear sound at the maximum volume possible. And with its advanced technology, it even reduces volume over the limit.
uHear Free
uHear™ is a hearing loss screening test which allows you to test your hearing to determine if it is advisable for you to visit an audiologist to get a comprehensive hearing evaluation.
Language
ArtikPix $29.99
ArtikPix is an engaging articulation app with flashcard and matching activities for children with speech sound delays.
Reward System
iReward $4.99
iReward is a motivational tool for your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad. You can create a star chart or token board to help reinforce positive behaviors using visual rewards. Use of motivational charts is not limited to any one group. We all benefit from motivation to achieve our goals! This type of praise or approval will help parents of typically developing children, children with autism, developmental delays, ADHD, and anxiety disorders. We've updated the app to support multiple users and added more customizable options.
Scheduler
TASUC $20.99
TASUC SCHEDULE for iPad is a very simple, picture-based schedule application for iPhone/iPod touch, especially for small children to easily create his/her own daily time-table by using image cards with sounds & voices attached. This application was, above all, developed for verbally disabled children and people with developmental disabilities such as autism, so that they can manage their "want-to-dos" simply and in order. As a result, an intuitive user interface and experience have been realized, thus this application can also be used for ordinary children and adults as well.
Social
iDress for Weather $1.99
iDress for Weather is for anyone, any age, and any ability anywhere in the world! iDress for Weather can be assistive technology for individuals with disabilities, an educational tool for children, or just plain fun for everyone!
Look in My Eyes Dinosaur $2.99
Eye contact is an important social skill that some children find challenging. “Look in My Eyes Dinosaur” helps them practice this skill - while earning fun rewards and playing creatively.
How do you play? Children look at a series of faces, and need to focus on the eyes quickly in order to answer correctly and earn stars. After earning four stars, children are taken to their Dino World where they find a new dinosaur waiting. Dinosaurs are easy to play with – just click or drag to see them animate. Several dinosaurs can be put together to create scenes, and children can select background sound effects and growls to add drama. They can even change background scenery. When done playing, children store their dinosaurs in the Cave – and take them out when they want to play again!
Pictello $14.99
Pictello is a simple way to create talking photo albums and talking books. Each page in a Pictello Story can contain a picture, up to five lines of text, and a recorded sound or text-to-speech using high-quality voices. Stories can be shared using iTunes File Sharing or via WiFi with other Pictello users through a free account on the Pictello Sharing Server.
The Social Express $89.99
The Social Express™ is engaging, educational software for children and young adults with social learning challenges. The software is designed to teach users how to think about and manage social situations, helping them to develop meaningful social relationships and succeed in life.
Utilities
AudioNote $4.99
Record notes and audio synced with the best note taking app in the App Store! AudioNote combines the functionality of a notepad and voice recorder to create a powerful tool that will save you time while improving the quality of your notes.
iBooks Free
iBooks is a free app for reading books, and some are free from the iTunes store. You can either turn pages or you can use a VoiceOver command to read continuously.
Dragon Dictation Free
Dragon Dictation is a free app that allows you to dictate and have your words turned into text. Once done you can send it in a text message or e-mail. It is easy to use and quite accurate.
Med Time $0.99
You will never have any more problems in managing your meds again, because MED TIME is here. It will emit an alarm when you need to take a medicine and does much more.
Vision
ColorDetect $1.99
The ColorDetect iPhone app gives you the possibility to detect colors in real time using augmented reality technology. The name and the RGB values of the detected colors are displayed in real time on the user interface. ColorDetect detects the colors with a 5 point detection algorithm to improve the detection quality and to compensate the color noise when the light is not optimal.
Digit Eyes $29.99
Digit-Eyes is the application that lets you use your device to scan bar code labels and to voice the results of the scan to you. You can scan the manufacturer's codes (UPC / EAN / APN / JPN / codes) on items and find out what those codes mean; and scan bar code labels of your own that you make using this website. To do so, you just request bar codes from this website and, using the printer attached to your computer, print the codes on inexpensive address labels.
Eyenote - Currency Reader Free
EyeNote is a mobile device application to denominate Federal Reserve Notes (U.S. paper currency) as an aid for the blind or visually impaired to increase accessibility.
Eye Glasses $2.99
The Eye Glasses app is ideal for farsighted individuals, those with reading glasses or bifocals, senior citizens and anyone that just needs to see more clearly. Eye Glasses clearly displays text or imagery. To use Eye Glasses, choose between 2x, 4x, 6x or 8x magnification and hold the iPad camera about five inches away from the item you want to see magnified!
Learn Braille Alphabet $1.99
Learn Braille Alphabet and Learn Braille Number are apps that could be used by non-blind folks to learn Braille.
Light Detector $0.99
Light Detector helps people with vision impairments determine if lights are on in a room or on an appliance.
Talking Timer $0.99
Talking Timer calls out the time at specified intervals and can either count up or down. This is also useful for exercising and timing tests.
LookTel Rocognizer $9.99
LookTel Recognizer allows users with visual impairments or blindness to identify cans, packages, ID or credit cards, DVDs, and similar items. Users can store images of objects in a library or database, and then simply point the camera at an object and the phone will recognize and describe the item instantly. A barcode scanner is also included.
iSeeColors $0.99
iSeeColors is a color recognition app. Customize any color or find out a color's RGB, Hex Code, CMYK, and it's name. You can also save & share it's values!
TypeInBraille $4.99
TypeInBraille allows you to write in Braille on your iPhone. You can enter a character through its Braille representation using a sequence of three simple gestures. Each gesture is used to enter one of the three rows of a braille character.
iVoice Reminder $1.99
iVoice Reminder. You simply record what you want the reminder to say and then set the time. When the reminder time arrives the alert sounds and then you touch “listen” to hear the reminder. You can set multiple reminders and this app can be good for keeping any kind of schedule including medications.
Communication:
Abilipad $19.99
Named one of “the best iPad apps for special needs kids” in a Washington Post article! Abilipad combines the functionality of a notepad with word prediction, text-to-speech and a customizable keyboard, putting advanced writing tools within everyone’s reach.
Grace $37.99
A simple picture exchange system developed By and For non-verbal people allowing the user to communicate their needs by building sentences from relevant images. It can be customized by the individual using their picture and photo vocabulary.
Proloquo2Go $189.99
Proloquo2Go™ is product from AssistiveWare that provides a full-featured communication solution for people who have difficulty speaking. It brings natural sounding text-to-speech voices, close to 8000 up-to-date symbols, powerful automatic conjugations, a large default vocabulary, full expandability and extreme ease of use to the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.
Scene Speak $14.99
Scene Speak provides a framework on the iPad to create visual scene displays. This application allows an image can be edited with active “sound areas” that can be selected and used as a means of communication. Images then can added into “books” by theme or area of interest. Scene Speak is a wonderful communication tool for those with Autism, Aphasia, Apraxia, developmental disabilities or anyone wanting to enhance receptive language or visual memory.
Sign 4 Me $9.99
A Signed English Translator" is a tool for learning sign language. The only app that provides sign language instruction in 3D! Our 3D character can be zoomed in or out and rotated to give you the best vantage point for every sign. You control the placement of the character – not us! No other product lets you do this! The library includes more than 11,500 words. Type in sentences, phrases, words and even the alphabet. Everything you enter will be saved in your History. Easily locate your entries by date or alphabetically. You can delete whatever you don’t want to keep. Use the controls to speed up or slow down the signing; turn on or off the looping feature; and send the character to his “home” or default position.
Sounding Board Free
SoundingBoard transforms your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad into the latest in communication technology. In just minutes, you can create create custom boards using AbleNet symbols or your own photos.
Tap Speak Sequence $29.99
TapSpeak Sequence for iPad revolutionizes how parents, speech therapists, vision therapists, schools, and institutions create and use message sequences to help disabled children learn to communicate. Use TapSpeak Sequence instead of sequential message switches to record and customize messages without losing any previously recorded sequences. Kids with cerebral palsy, autism, cortical vision impairment (CVI), pediatric stroke, or any disability that impairs their ability to communicate can make use of this app.
Tap To Talk Free or $99.95 to customize
Give your non-verbal child the portable, customizable, affordable, socially acceptable communication device. You customize what your child sees and hears in TapToTalk with an online program called TapToTalk Designer. With it, you build "albums" that fit your child's needs.
TouchChat HD $149.99
TouchChat HD is a full featured communication solution for individuals who have difficulty using their natural voice. TouchChat is designed for individuals with Autism, Down Syndrome, ALS, apraxia, stroke, or other conditions that affect a person’s ability to use natural speech. TouchChat enables you to subscribe to iShare, an online server where you can share customized pages with an online community.
Education:
Letter School $2.99
An amazing, intuitive game to learn all about letters and numbers: writing, counting, phonics and more.
Sentence Builder $5.99
Sentence Builder is designed to help elementary aged children learn how to build grammatically correct sentences. Explicit attention is paid to the connector words that make up over 80% of the english language. Sentence Builder offers a rich and fun environment for improving the grammar of all children.
iWriteWords (Handwriting Game) $2.99
iWriteWords teaches your child handwriting while playing a fun and entertaining game. Help Mr. Crab collect the numbers in sequence by dragging him with your finger - and drawing the letter at the same time. Each letter/word is spoken as completed.
Gross Motor Skills
Cut the Rope $1.99
A fun and innovative game that allows the user to practice gross motor skills.
Hearing
Sound Amp R $5.99
Amplify the world around you discreetly with iPhone and iPod touch. Sounds are sent to your earbuds in real time. Hear what you’d like to hear. Record what you’d like to record! Works in many situations, around the table at home, watching TV, in lecture halls, at parties, wherever you’d like to hear, or overhear, the people around you! We have tuned soundAMP to provide you crystal clear sound at the maximum volume possible. And with its advanced technology, it even reduces volume over the limit.
uHear Free
uHear™ is a hearing loss screening test which allows you to test your hearing to determine if it is advisable for you to visit an audiologist to get a comprehensive hearing evaluation.
Language
ArtikPix $29.99
ArtikPix is an engaging articulation app with flashcard and matching activities for children with speech sound delays.
Reward System
iReward $4.99
iReward is a motivational tool for your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad. You can create a star chart or token board to help reinforce positive behaviors using visual rewards. Use of motivational charts is not limited to any one group. We all benefit from motivation to achieve our goals! This type of praise or approval will help parents of typically developing children, children with autism, developmental delays, ADHD, and anxiety disorders. We've updated the app to support multiple users and added more customizable options.
Scheduler
TASUC $20.99
TASUC SCHEDULE for iPad is a very simple, picture-based schedule application for iPhone/iPod touch, especially for small children to easily create his/her own daily time-table by using image cards with sounds & voices attached. This application was, above all, developed for verbally disabled children and people with developmental disabilities such as autism, so that they can manage their "want-to-dos" simply and in order. As a result, an intuitive user interface and experience have been realized, thus this application can also be used for ordinary children and adults as well.
Social
iDress for Weather $1.99
iDress for Weather is for anyone, any age, and any ability anywhere in the world! iDress for Weather can be assistive technology for individuals with disabilities, an educational tool for children, or just plain fun for everyone!
Look in My Eyes Dinosaur $2.99
Eye contact is an important social skill that some children find challenging. “Look in My Eyes Dinosaur” helps them practice this skill - while earning fun rewards and playing creatively.
How do you play? Children look at a series of faces, and need to focus on the eyes quickly in order to answer correctly and earn stars. After earning four stars, children are taken to their Dino World where they find a new dinosaur waiting. Dinosaurs are easy to play with – just click or drag to see them animate. Several dinosaurs can be put together to create scenes, and children can select background sound effects and growls to add drama. They can even change background scenery. When done playing, children store their dinosaurs in the Cave – and take them out when they want to play again!
Pictello $14.99
Pictello is a simple way to create talking photo albums and talking books. Each page in a Pictello Story can contain a picture, up to five lines of text, and a recorded sound or text-to-speech using high-quality voices. Stories can be shared using iTunes File Sharing or via WiFi with other Pictello users through a free account on the Pictello Sharing Server.
The Social Express $89.99
The Social Express™ is engaging, educational software for children and young adults with social learning challenges. The software is designed to teach users how to think about and manage social situations, helping them to develop meaningful social relationships and succeed in life.
Utilities
AudioNote $4.99
Record notes and audio synced with the best note taking app in the App Store! AudioNote combines the functionality of a notepad and voice recorder to create a powerful tool that will save you time while improving the quality of your notes.
iBooks Free
iBooks is a free app for reading books, and some are free from the iTunes store. You can either turn pages or you can use a VoiceOver command to read continuously.
Dragon Dictation Free
Dragon Dictation is a free app that allows you to dictate and have your words turned into text. Once done you can send it in a text message or e-mail. It is easy to use and quite accurate.
Med Time $0.99
You will never have any more problems in managing your meds again, because MED TIME is here. It will emit an alarm when you need to take a medicine and does much more.
Vision
ColorDetect $1.99
The ColorDetect iPhone app gives you the possibility to detect colors in real time using augmented reality technology. The name and the RGB values of the detected colors are displayed in real time on the user interface. ColorDetect detects the colors with a 5 point detection algorithm to improve the detection quality and to compensate the color noise when the light is not optimal.
Digit Eyes $29.99
Digit-Eyes is the application that lets you use your device to scan bar code labels and to voice the results of the scan to you. You can scan the manufacturer's codes (UPC / EAN / APN / JPN / codes) on items and find out what those codes mean; and scan bar code labels of your own that you make using this website. To do so, you just request bar codes from this website and, using the printer attached to your computer, print the codes on inexpensive address labels.
Eyenote - Currency Reader Free
EyeNote is a mobile device application to denominate Federal Reserve Notes (U.S. paper currency) as an aid for the blind or visually impaired to increase accessibility.
Eye Glasses $2.99
The Eye Glasses app is ideal for farsighted individuals, those with reading glasses or bifocals, senior citizens and anyone that just needs to see more clearly. Eye Glasses clearly displays text or imagery. To use Eye Glasses, choose between 2x, 4x, 6x or 8x magnification and hold the iPad camera about five inches away from the item you want to see magnified!
Learn Braille Alphabet $1.99
Learn Braille Alphabet and Learn Braille Number are apps that could be used by non-blind folks to learn Braille.
Light Detector $0.99
Light Detector helps people with vision impairments determine if lights are on in a room or on an appliance.
Talking Timer $0.99
Talking Timer calls out the time at specified intervals and can either count up or down. This is also useful for exercising and timing tests.
LookTel Rocognizer $9.99
LookTel Recognizer allows users with visual impairments or blindness to identify cans, packages, ID or credit cards, DVDs, and similar items. Users can store images of objects in a library or database, and then simply point the camera at an object and the phone will recognize and describe the item instantly. A barcode scanner is also included.
iSeeColors $0.99
iSeeColors is a color recognition app. Customize any color or find out a color's RGB, Hex Code, CMYK, and it's name. You can also save & share it's values!
TypeInBraille $4.99
TypeInBraille allows you to write in Braille on your iPhone. You can enter a character through its Braille representation using a sequence of three simple gestures. Each gesture is used to enter one of the three rows of a braille character.
iVoice Reminder $1.99
iVoice Reminder. You simply record what you want the reminder to say and then set the time. When the reminder time arrives the alert sounds and then you touch “listen” to hear the reminder. You can set multiple reminders and this app can be good for keeping any kind of schedule including medications.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
New Utah State Schools Superintendent was former UATP director
 |
| Dr. Martell Menlove, former UATP director. |
Dr. Martell Menlove will be the next Utah State Schools Superintendent after a unanimous endorsement by the state school board on Monday. Menlove finished his doctorate while he worked as program director for the Utah Assistive Technology Program at the CPD. Read the rest of the story here.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Online training archived: T-Coils
Did you miss our Sept. 12th training, or just want to see it again? The online training presented by Mitch
Moyers, “T-Coil: A Hidden Benefit to Hearing Aids,” sponsored by the Utah
Assistive Technology Program, is now available online.
Find all of our other online trainings archived on the Training Archives tab of the blog.
Find all of our other online trainings archived on the Training Archives tab of the blog.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)