Tech for Kids with Low Vision Emily White Educational Support for Students with Low Vision

Tech is not the point. Independence and informational access is the point. Tech is a way to get there.

Tech Funding and Support Ask your VT! NP equipment: permanent loan, repairs and replacement managed through agreement with school and family Equipment Grants for students without PSD DEECD students only; CEO and Independent have others arrangements

Why Technology? INDEPENDENCE Cool factor Way of the future? Way of the now! Employability

Touch Typing Faster, clearer, more accessible and transferable than pen and paper Critical secondary/tertiary education and employability skill Lots of programs – free and paid – Tux Typer on DEECD PCs- free – BBC Dancemat website - free – Typeability - paid – TTAPS - paid – Ghost Type (iPad) - paid

Visual Access in the Classroom Electronic Magnification Units (EMUs) – Handheld (Ruby, Compact, etc) – Desktop (SmartView Graduate, 360, etc) – iPads Screen Magnification Software – ZoomText- $ but does lots – GlassBrick- free but simple–

Braille Technology BrailleNote Apex – Instant braille access! JAWS / WindowEyes / NVDA (screen reading software)

Interactive Whiteboard Access Not great with EMUs TeamViewer for laptops and iPads: – Laptops: Free download or run from browser – iPads: Run from browser (like Safari) – Teacher and student need accounts, easy to set up iPads only: – Whiteboard VGA Out App + Apple Lightening-to VGA-Out Connector (buy from Apple store or JB HiFi, etc)

Text Access Audio devices for books, documents, recording, note-taking: – Victor Reader Stream/Stratus – PlexTalk Pocket, PTP1 desktop – iPads Text scanning and conversion: – PEARL Camera with OpenBook Software

iPad Use for Low Vision Informational Access – Text – Visual Information Advocacy – EyeDecide, VisionSim Other – Touch typing (Ghost Type, BBC Dancemat with Puffin)

iPad Physical Accessibility External Keyboard and Stands – Touch typing – Touchscreen issue Ergonomics – Spectronics Gooseneck iPad Stand Expensive ($360) but worth it Or make your own!

Accessibility Settings – General Accessibility – Zoom – Invert Colours – Speak Selection – Larger Type – Bold Text – Increase Contrast – Accessibility Shortcut

iPad in the Classroom Apps for Reading, Writing & File Management – Pages - $11 – DropBox - free up to 5GB - need an account – WebDAV- transfer files from Pages to DropBox- $10/year – My Scans / My Scans PRO - up to $.99 – Type On PDF - up to $.99 – Voice Dream - $6.49 – PDF It All - $2(?) – VOD - $25 – Slide Shark - free up to a certain amount of data

iPad in the Classroom Apps for Maths – VOCalc - free or $.99 – VOTimer - free – Compass - free – MyScript Calculator - free – Talking Scientific Calculator - $6

iPad in the Classroom Apps for Viewing and Presenting Information – ShowMe - free up to a certain amount of storage – LVC Pro - $5 – SRC Magnifier - $6 – Doodle Buddy - free – Big Browser - free – Puffin - $6 – TapTapSee - $ unknown

Q&A ? SVRC: (03) Humanware: (03) Quantum RLV: (03)