Switch accessible apps (and switches) for iPad

For a long time now, students with limited motor abilities have been able to use accessibility switches to access computers, speak messages, and control their environment.  Switch users can now access the iPad as well thanks to the introduction of bluetooth switches and switch interfaces. The switches and interfaces connect to the iPad wirelessly via the bluetooth settings on the iPad.   I have included links to a few different sites where you can check some of them out.  There are other products available as well if you are willing to search for them.  The three products I have listed range in price from $100 to $150.  Each has particular strengths and weaknesses that you will  have to evaluate when choosing.

RJ Cooper Bluetooth Switch Interface ($100)
RJ Cooper Bluetooth Super Switch ($150)
Blue 2 Bluetooth switch ($150, unique foot pedal design)


ONE IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT SWITCHES AND THE IPAD:
 In order to use a switch with the iPad, you must be using an app that has been designed for switch access.  There are many apps, especially those NOT designed for special needs, will NOT work with switches, so keep that in mind.  More and more apps are now being designed, however, with switch access in mind, or plan to add it in at some future point in time.  Most apps that are currently switch accesible are cause and effect games and AAC apps.

Click here for a link to a great blog post and a really, really good list of switch accessible apps.

 RJ Cooper, who manufactures some of the products featured in this post, has included a list of apps that are either switch accessible right now, or looking to add it in the future.  Click here to see his list.

Speak Selection in iOS- Make the iPad read to you!

We know that the iPad can fling angry birds against the wall, take notes, play videos, and even speak for you, but one of my absolute favorite features built into the iPad is called Speak Selection.  When this feature is activated, the iPad will read aloud any text that you can select.  I have found it especially useful in Notes, Safari, Email, and Dropbox, but it is limited only to what text you can select.  It is especially useful when paired with the Reader function built into Safari.  (for more info, see my post entitled "A Cleaner and Easier Online Reading Experience...").

To enable the feature, tap the Settings app, and then tap General > Accessibility > Speak Selection.  Turn On the slider bar, and adjust the voice rate.  You only get one voice right now, but it is a good quality voice.  In iOS 6, you also get the option to have the iPad highlight words as it reads.  You also can choose different dialects, just in case you watched Finding Nemo the night before and just couldn't get enough of the Australian accent.

I have included two links to great YouTube videos explaining the feature.  The first video features the ipad, and includes info about the languages and dialects options.  The second video features the iPhone, but it works the same on the iPod touch.





I hope you and your students enjoy this amazing feature.  If you have success stories or creative implementation ideas, please share in the comments section!

The Case Against Assistive Technology Video

I am posting a link today to a great video created by the Don Johnston company entitled, "The Case Against Assistive Technology".  This 4 minute video powerfully explores the attitudes and misconceptions people have about AT and it's proper place in education.  This video is a great tool to have available when discussing AT with colleagues, students, administrators, parents, friends, etc.

 Just go to www.donjohnston.com/new/index.html and find the View Video link.  You can also download the video from the page and play it later or send it to someone else.  I hope that you enjoy the video, that it gets you thinking, and that you are able to share it with someone else with whom it can make an impact!

Free iOS apps available today/ A shout-out to the UCET blog.

I have been a fan for a while of a great blog put out by the Utah Coalition for Educational Technology (UCET).  It is located at http://ucetnews.blogspot.com .  The UCET is an educational technology organization that consists mainly of regular education teachers, but has been expanding more into special education as well as technology continues to bridge the gaps between them.

One of my favorite features of the blog is that they will periodically list iOS apps (apps for iPads and iPods) that normally cost money to purchase, but are available for a limited time for free.  I will try to update this blog with links to the UCET blog when they post that info.  To see today's list, go to the UCET blog, or click the following link.  Two that caught my eye were a Cookie Monster app, and a great figural analogy app.

Check them out and bookmark the UCET blog if you like to keep up to date on the latest in educational technology.

A Cleaner and Easier Online Reading Experience with Evernote Clearly and Safari Reader

Here's an interesting experiment to try:  Load just about any webpage you can think of, and count how many different articles, advertisements, animations, menus, lists, pictures, etc. are all calling out for your attention at the same time.  Even on the surprisingly uncluttered Google search page, I counted 17 different options I could click on!

With all those messages competing for your attention, the online reading experience can be difficult and bewildering for somebody with reading, visual perception, sensory perception, or attention deficit challenges.  Lucky for us, there are now tools available for three of the most popular web browsers to filter out all of the annoying clutter and let a reader focus on the main text on a web page.  Aside from making an online article easier to read and understand, it also makes it easier to copy and paste text into another online tool, such as a screen reader or text summarizer.

If you use Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, you can download a  tool called Evernote Clearly.  It is available at http://evernote.com/clearly/ .  Evernote Clearly is a plug-in, which means that it simply adds a nifty little feature to your browser.  The good news about this is that you can install this feature yourself without having to call the IT department!!  For Firefox, simply go to the Evernote Clearly website, click the green "Get Clearly for Firefox" button, click the green "Add to Firefox" button, and then click the "Install now" button that will show up in the pop up window.  You will then be prompted to restart your browser to add the feature.  For Chrome, go to the Evernote Clearly website, click the "Get Clearly for Chrome" button, and click the "Add" button on the pop-up window.

Once you have Clearly installed, you will see a little reading lamp icon on your browser toolbar.  If you click that button, Clearly will cut out all of the unnecessary clutter on the webpage and just leave the main text.  WARNING: If you are on a page without an obvious main article, such as the msn.com or yahoo.com home pages, Clearly will have a hard time deciding what the main text is.  But once you click on an article and load that page, the feature will work quite nicely.  You can even highlight text, clip the text to Evernote, adjust the font size, and print the article. 

If you are a Mac or iPad user, then you are already familiar with Apple's Safari browser, because it is the default browser for these devices.  Safari is also available for PC's as a free download.  Safari has a similar "clear away all the unnecessary junk from a webpage" feature called Reader.  When you are on a page that is compatible with the reader function, a little grey Reader button will show up in the left hand side of the address bar at the top of the browser.  Here is a great article to explain more about the Safari Reader:

These tools are easy to set up and use, and I am excited to hear from teachers to see how their students enjoy using them in class and at home, so please spread the word!

Multimedia talking books using PowerPoint

The following is a tutorial created by Kristie Stapler from the Louisiana Assistive Technology Initiative.  It is a great step by step walk-through of how to create an engaging and accessible book using Microsoft PowerPoint 2003.  

Note: If you use PowerPoint 2007 or 2010, the concept will be similar, but the commands may be labeled differently or found in different location in the program.

Creating Talking Books with PowerPoint

A.  Create a Folder

1.     Create a folder on the computer to save your talking book files.

B.  Scan or create your Pictures

1.     Scan or create your pictures for your talking book and save to folder.

C.  Create a Talking Book Template

Create a talking book template that you can use with all of your talking books.

1. Open PowerPoint.  It should open to a blank slide.  If not select File-New and select Blank Presentation.
2. Choose the blank page layout and click Ok.
3. Add a forward page turning arrow by selecting the Slideshow menu and click Action Buttons.
4. Click on the Forward Arrow.  The cursor will change to a small cross.  Position this cross at the bottom right hand corner of the page and click and hold the left mouse button.  Drag mouse to draw the button.  Release the mouse button.  Resize forward arrow if needed.
5. Add a Back Arrow following the directions in step 4.
6. Add a page turning effect by clicking on Slideshow – Slide Transition.  Choose a transition effect and click Apply to all slides.
7. Save the slide as a template.  Click File-Save As.  When the dialog box opens, click in File Name and type “Talking Book Template”.  In Save as type: choose Design Template.  Click Save.

D.  Create Blank Pages

1.     Create blank pages for your book by clicking on Insert menu, then Duplicate Slide. Repeat until you have the required number of blank pages (slides) for your book.

E.   Add Pictures

Click on the first slide.  To add a picture to your slide, click on the Insert menu, then Picture, then From File and choose a picture that you have previously scanned or created.

1.     Insert the picture on the page.  Reposition and/or resize the picture on the page by clicking and dragging on the corners of the picture frame.

F.  Add Symbols/Text

1.     Adding Symbols:  Open your symbol processor and type your sentence. (examples of Symbol processors are Writing with Symbols, Inclusive Writer, Clicker, Intellipics)

2.    Make your sentence large enough but not larger than the computer screen.

3.    Remove the cursor from the screen by hitting the Return key.

4.    Copy the image by pressing the Print Screen button located at the top right of the keyboard.  Usually labeled as PrtScr or Print Scrn.  The image has been copied to the clipboard and is ready to paste into your PowerPoint.

5.    Click back to the PowerPoint where you want the symbol sentence to be.  Choose Paste from the Edit menu.  The screen image will appear on the page. 

6.    The image will be large and needs to be cropped.  Click on the image to get the Picture Toolbar.  (If you do not have the toolbar, click on View-Toolbar-Picture)

7.    Choose the Crop tool from the Picture toolbar. Move the mouse to the edge of your image.  Hold down the left mouse button and crop the image by dragging a corner or side inwards and release.  Continue to crop the image until the desired image has been created.

8.    The image may need to be resized or repositioned.

G.  Add Sound to the Page

1.     Before adding sound to the pages, make sure the microphone is connected to the computer and it is working.  (You can test the microphone by going to Start-Accessories-Entertainment-Sound Recorder and recording a voice test.)

2.    You must also change a setting within PowerPoint.  This allows you to create larger sound files and they will stay within your PowerPoint book.  (This makes it easier to move from computer to computer.)

3.    In PowerPoint, Click on Tools, then Options.  In the popup window click on the General tab.  Click on the Link sounds with files greater than box and type in 50000.  This will ensure that all sound files are included when you save your talking book.

4.    To add sound, click on the Insert menu, then Movies and Sounds and then click on Record Sounds.

5.    Click  in the Name box and rename this sound file. (ex: give more information than slide 1)

6.    Click on the Red Record button and speak the page text into the microphone.  Click Stop when you are finished recording the sound.

7.    Click Ok.

8.    A loud speaker will appear in the middle of your page. This can be positioned anywhere on the slide.

9.    This completes the first page of your talking book.  Click on the next slide and follow the directions in steps E - G.

BOOK OPTIONS

   I.   Automate The Sound On Each Page

a.    Click on the Speaker to select it.  Choose Slideshow menu, then Custom Animations.  To play the sound or movie automatically, click Start With Previous.

 II.   Use Forward And Back Buttons

a.    To set up the show, click on the Slideshow menu, then Set Up Show.  Click Browsed at a kiosk (full screen).  Then Ok.

III.   Combine A Page Turn With Speech

a.    You can set PowerPoint to turn the page and speak the text using a single mouse or switch press.

b.    Click on the Slideshow menu, then Slide Transition.  Click on the Sound box where all your sound files are located.  Choose the right sound for that page and click on Apply, not Apply To All.  Do this for each page.

c.    The cursor must be placed over the forward arrow to allow for switch access.

IV.   Add A Time Delay To A Page Turn

a.    Another modification is to give the forward arrow a time delay.  This prevents students making multiple or rapid presses that would otherwise make the pages turn quickly.

b.    Click on the Forward Button.  Click on Slideshow, then Custom Animations. 

c.    Click on Add Effect.  Choose Appear. Click on the Down Arrow next to the action button in the Animation Window.

d.    Choose Timing.  In the Delay box set time to 2 seconds.  Timing may need to be adjusted according to student.  Click Ok.   

                        

How to make a Choice Making activity using Youtube and Powerpoint.

One of the challenges of working with older students with disabilities is that many computer activities that they used to enjoy when they were younger are no longer age appropriate.  One of the best places to find reinforcing content that is age appropriate for older students is YouTube.  While YouTube is a great resource, it is also difficult to navigate for many students with cognitive and motor disabilities.  

It is possible to use PowerPoint to make a choice making activity where students would click on a button on the screen and it would play their YouTube videos of choice.  This consists of  making buttons in PowerPoint that are linked back to specific YouTube videos.

Watch this video to see how to make your own:

If you prefer a step by step walk-through, click here and select the YouTube Choices activity tab:

Guided Access - iOS 6 accessibility feature

I will be the first to say that I love the impact iPads have made in education. I have, however, always been frustrated that it was so easy for a student to quit a chosen app simply by hitting the home button on the bottom of the device.  It can be VERY difficult to use an iPad effectively once a student figures out how easy it is to exit that math app and play Fruit Ninja instead!  It is also frustrating when a student keeps tapping the wrong place in an app (settings buttons, ad banners, volume switch, etc.) and disrupts the learning of himself or others.

With the upgrade to iOS 6, that problem has been solved for us!!  Apple has introduced an accessibility option called Guided Access.  Turning on Guided Access enables you to do two really great things:
1) Disable all the external buttons on the iPad, including the home button, volume buttons, sleep button, etc.  (no more hitting the home button to exit an app, changing the volume, etc.)
2) Disable certain areas of the touch screen when using a chosen app. (no more clicking on ad banners or in-app purchase buttons, etc.)

Click this link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wSuL-1TZro8#! to see a nice 3 minute video about Guided Access, or read on for more info.

This feature is accessed by tapping the Settings app, then tapping General-Accessibility-Guided Access.  Once you tap Guided Access, you will turn it on, and set a passcode (you will need to remember this passcode to get OUT of Guided Access once you've started it).

Then, get into an app, and Triple-click the home button.  This will bring up the guided access set up screen.  (NOTE: Guided access only works when you are already in an app, you can't get to it from the home screen of your iPad).  You can then draw a circle around certain portions of the screen you want to disable, as well as turn on/off access to the hardware buttons, touch screen itself, and the motion capability (shaking or rotating the device).

Once you have selected your options, hit Start in the top right corner of the screen to begin guided access.  Now you will NOT be able to exit the app by tapping the home button.  You will have to exit Guided Access by triple-clicking the home button, entering the passcode you set in the Guided Access settings, and tapping End in the top left corner of the screen.

Here's the link to the video again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wSuL-1TZro8#!

This is available on all iPads, iPod touches, and iPhones that will support iOS 6.  The iPad 1 and several older iPods/iPhones will NOT support iOS 6.  You can see a full list of iOS 6 supported devices here (scroll to bottom of page): http://www.apple.com/ios/whats-new/

Free NaturalReader 11-Screen Reader

A screen reader is a computer tool that will recognize text on a computer and use a digital voice program to read that text aloud.  This is a very helpful tool for students who cannot decode grade level text independently, but are expected to understand it for class projects and assignments.  While there are a variety of great screen reader programs available for a price, NaturalReader has a free version that will allow a student to read grade level text 1 of 2 ways:
1) copy and paste text into the reader window of the program
or
2) use a floating toolbar to read highlighted text

If you have ever used a screen reader program, you know that the experience is vastly determined by the quality of the computer voice available.  While the Free NaturalReader program does not provide the best quality voices out there, they are not bad for a free program.  You can purchase better quality voices and better options for $50.

You can download the free program from the following website:
http://www.naturalreaders.com/download.php

It is available for Windows and Mac.

Note to CCSD teachers:  You should be able to download the install file (it will be called "standardsetup.exe") from the website on your computer, but you will NOT be able to run that file and actually install the program without an administrator code. The best way to get it installed is probably to save the install file on your desktop, and then put in a work order for the tech guys to come install it.  Robert Woodbury can also install software on newer district machines.

Purposes of the Cache UAAACT blog

This blog has been designed with the following purposes in mind.  This may change as things develop.  Feedback is ALWAYS appreciated:

1) Provide brief snippets of information regarding AT/AAC products, best practices, trainings, and resources for teachers, parents, and students.

2) Make that information searchable, convenient, and easy to understand.

3)Serve as a place to share and discuss issues concerning AT and AAC and how best to serve our students.

4)Give Robert even MORE to do!