Apple Computer Assistive Technology Equipment

Apple Computer Assistive Technology Equipment in the Education Classroom

Grant

There are many benefits that children with special needs can reap from participation in a special education program. The learning experiences of the classroom such as interacting with other students and being exposed to new and challenging stimuli can be the key to development and success. The participation in a public education program will make things available to that student that would not be available otherwise; assistive technological devices and equipment in particular may be available through the school that would not be accessible from the home environment. "For children with special needs, the world of technology offers hope and possibilities - a way to communicate and learn." (Kahn) With the opportunity to increase the technology in my classroom to assure that all students have access to the tools they need to succeed, I have developed a concrete plan for ensuring that my students have the most inclusive technological environment possible to help each child overcome all obstacles to become an active participant in the computer-driven world of today and tomorrow.

The assitive technology that will be utilized within my classroom will be completely Mac compatible. Apple computers have focused strongly on ensuring that all of their products are built to have the most benefit and highest level of independence possible for disabled users. The Mac OSX operating system was designed to be as accessible as possible, as it is both easy to use and includes many features specifically created to benefit disabled users. Many special hardware and software options, manufactured by both Apple and other companied, that will help the students to learn as well as interact with the world can be used with the Mac OSX system in conjunction with the special Universal Access design. The OSX network that will be incorporated into my classroom has been designed with advanced accessibility for the vision, hearing, and movement impaired, as well as having unparalleled features to assist in learning, literary, language, and communication skills for the special education environment.

For the visually impaired, the Mac OSX has options for receiving information through hearing or touch instead of through a traditional computer monitor. Mac OSX offers configurability options beyond any other system for configuring monitor settings to make it more legible.

VoiceOver is the spoken interface that enhances the access capabilities of Macs. This spoken interface makes the computer accessible through speech, audible cues, and keyboard navigation. The Zoom function of the Mac system allows easy magnification of everything so that it will be large enough for many visually impaired students to see clearly. Text, graphics, and even video are not only made larger, but they are magnified without any degradation of performance quality and with minimized pixilation, making this far superior to any zoom options available in other systems by utilizing a Quartz rendering and compositing engine to magnify the screen up to 40x. The zoom feature is highly customizable for zoom speed and navigation. The system also has talking alerts and spoken items that are read aloud by the computer, to inform the user if the computer needs attention or to make any on-screen text accessible by sound. The display can be set to have a wide range of contrast levels, including inverting or desaturating the display.

For the hearing impaired, Mac OS X has technology to assist users that have difficulty hearing the computer sounds and alerts, as well as those in need of amplified sounds or external sound output devices.

The QuickTime program can create and display text tracks for closed captioning. Visual alerts can be used for notification of alerts in programs or the system; a whole-screen flash replaces the "beep" that would normally get the user's attention. iChat AV is used for video conferencing with such high performance and clarity that it is possible to effectively communicate via sign language over the Internet and across the world. Additional software, such as SoftTTY, also increases the communication possibilities for the hearing impaired. SoftTTY replaces the traditional hardware TTY devices, and has superior capabilities such as copy and paste, automatic phone book, and other display options such as changing the font size and color.

Other possibilities for improving the experience of hearing impaired students in the classroom include learning programs such as Signing Naturally, which are a complete sign language curriculum.

Some of the most exciting possibilities for the inclusion of the Mac network into my classroom are the assitive technologies for those with physical impairments or underdeveloped motor skills which make it easy to use the computer even if using the keyboard, mouse, and track pad are difficult. The Slow Keys setting adds a customizable delay between pressing a key and the effect on the system to prevent unintended multiple keystrokes. The Sticky Keys option allows the user to press keys sequentially and have the same effect as pressing them simultaneously, so that a user that can press only one key at a time can still use keyboard shortcuts and command options. Keyboard settings and navigation options make the system very adaptable to individual ability. Speech Recognition allows a user to control the computer using voice commands and navigate the system fully and easily without physically touching a keyboard or mouse. Other options, such as the FrogPad keyboards, also increase accessibility for the physically challenged and can help physically challenged students keep up with the rest of the class easily by providing one-handed typing in a convenient size. Even more exciting options are available readibly with the Mac OSX system, such as the X-10 Thinking Home automation software. This allows any portion of or the entire home or classroom to be connected to a computer to control all electrical appliances such as lights or the thermostat, and while students may not need to control these in the classroom, training on a system like this can prepare mobility impaired children for a truly independent adult life. Also available are devices such as the Eye-gaze Response Interface Computer Aid (ERICA), which actually allows users to control the Mac system and applications with eye movement alone using a camera and infrared light. There are also aids such as the HeadMouse Extreme which uses a mark placed on the user's head to trace movement to control the system. Either of these options can be used with an on-screen keyboard and the other accessibility options to make controlling the computer system seamless for the physically challenged user.

Macintosh solutions for assisting in the learning process in areas of literacy, mathematics, and spelling can be especially helpful in the special education classroom. The system has a complete integration of spoken word with written word which allows the Mac to respond to the user's voice and to respond to the user with both written and spoken messages. The advanced calculator is fully accessible using a mouse, keyboard, or spoken commands so that every student can use this tool. iChat AV even has spell check built into it. Combined with programs such as the Failure Free Reading and Verbal Master, which are used to assess the instructional level of the student and then use appropriate interactive material to enhance the reading and writing ability of the student. Mac OSX also makes alternative communication methods simple, as well as providing applications that help with language development. From Text Edit's spell checking and word completion options to the customizable speaking voice for reading text, even this simple program has advanced solutions.