Month: February 2018


Feb
2018

Dyslexia and technology, moving the gap.

categories: Accessibility

My name is James Northridge. I’m a researcher in assistive technology. I am from Ireland. I girl using a tabletam based in Boston for a fellowship.

I have dyslexia. I battle with it daily. It is a challenge when working in research. There is a level of expectation. Mainly that everyone should have a certain ability. I use technology to help me overcome these challenges.

I’m going to discuss technology to help with reading and writing. I will give you some Apps that can help with dyslexia.

There are many famous people that have dyslexia. Examples are Tom Cruise, Richard Branson, and Steven Spielberg. I look at my dyslexia as a super power. It enables me to think differently. It gives me the ability to consider possibilities. It also gets in the way. It makes life hard at times. Like all superpowers I guess!

We are in a time when many people have access to a smartphone or a tablet. I really do believe it’s a great time to have dyslexia. There is so much technology that can help. It’s easy to get.

5 technologies that can make the difference

  1. Voice Dream Reader on the App Store – iTunes – Apple. This is a Text to Speech reader. It is one of the best available.
  2. Claro ScanPen Reader on the App Store – iTunes – Apple. With this app, you take a picture of a page and it reads to you.
  3. Notability on the App Store – iTunes – Apple. Useful for taking notes in class. It records the class. It matches any notes you take in class or images from the board.
  4. SnapType Pro on the App Store – iTunes – Apple. Useful for filling in a form digitally.
  5. Prizmo – Scanning, OCR, and Speech on the App Store – iTunes – Apple. Use this to scan larger documents that you have to read. You can save them to review or read later.

Bonus App: Flat Tomato (Time Management) on the App Store – iTunes – Apple. This is an app that helps you manage your time. It uses the Pomodoro technique.


Feb
2018

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), what is it and where do I start?

categories: Accessibility

My name is James Northridge. I’m a researcher in the disability and assistive technology boy using a tabletfield. I am from Ireland. I am based in Boston for a fellowship.

I am developing a selection tool for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) apps. It will help parents, teachers, and specialists choose the correct App for users.

So, what is this AAC that I’m talking about? Well, it’s any form of communication that enables people to express themselves. We typically think voice is the only method of communication. However, we use many forms of contact each day. Can you think of ones you are using right now? Did you use any facial expressions or hand gestures? Maybe you drew a picture to explain something?

Selecting the correct AAC App is all about what works for the person who will use it. That’s the point at which you must start when looking to choose AAC Apps. This is true whether you are a parent or a professional.

Steps in the process of selecting AAC Apps for Parents

(If you have access to a professional, start there)

  1. What is the goal for the user? For example, is it choice making, requesting, or supporting literacy?
  2. Have access to a list of AAC Apps that you can review.
  3. Work on some feature matching to find out what the user needs.
  4. Reduce the list of AAC Apps to those with the required features.
  5. Try some of the shortlisted Apps, and create a shortlist.
  6. Gain insight from professionals, so ask for input from a teacher or care worker.
  7. Try no more than 3 AAC Apps to see which one works best. Keep some notes on the experience.
  8. Select one App from the shortlist and work with it for a few weeks.
  9. Training the user on how to get the most out of it is important.

These are the starting steps when going about selecting AAC Apps. Everyone is different. Therefore, their needs and wants are different too. This means an App that works for one person may not work for another person.

Some online resources for selecting AAC Apps

Jane Farrell AAC App List – this is a good list of AAC Apps

PrAACtical AAC Blog – this has some great AAC resources