Cost Saving Solutions for Assistive Technology Andrew Cioffi

Welcome and Introductions Andrew Cioffi – Assistant Director, ODS, Suffolk University – Instructor, NEAG School of Education, UConn

Overview AT Overview Cost saving solutions: Students Cost saving solutions: DS Providers Comparing costs

Assistive Technology, defined Any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of a child with a disability – IDEA 2004

Categories of AT Aids for Daily Living Blind/Low Vision Communication Computers Controls Deaf/Hard of Hearing Deaf Blind Education Environmental Adaptations Housekeeping Orthotics Prosthetics Recreation Safety and Security Seating Therapeutic Aids Walking Wheeled Mobility Workplace Categories taken from Abledata.com

Common AT in DS Offices Screen Reader Text-to-speech Speech-to-text “Talking devices” Assisted listening devices Screen enlarging s/h* Accessible viewing s/h A/V recording devices Note taking s/h Adaptive furniture Peripherals Mobile devices *S/h = software and hardware

Disclaimer We will discuss key pieces of tech and their alternatives – Any observations have been made by me through trial and error – Your experiences may differ – I am not endorsing particular products – Lower cost alternatives have their place! But in many cases, can not replace full featured products

Technology for Student Usage

Tech for Student Usage Screen Reader – Will read everything on the screen (windows, pop-ups, dialog boxes, document text, etc.) – Can navigate, and edit preferences (i.e. read with cursor, read with arrow keys) – Hallmark software: JAWS, Window Eyes – No cost alternative: NVDA Pros – Cost, Similar function to JAWS, Quick accessibility checks, Demonstration purposes Cons – Less sophisticated (Tables, MathML, etc)

Tech for Student Usage Text-to-Speech – Will focus “reading” on the text of a digital or alt format text – Multiple features depending upon program – Hallmark software: Kurzweil, Read/Write Gold – No cost alternative: Natural Reader Pros – Cost, Accurate TTS w/highlighting, Floating Bar Cons – Less features in demo version, Advertisements – Native alternatives: iOS/MAC Speak Selection, Windows (8) Narrator, Adobe Read Out Loud, ChromeVox, TONS of mobile apps (Voice Dream)

Tech for Student Usage Speech-to-Text – Voice recognition that dictates voice captured through a microphone. Can also control operating systems. – Hallmark software: Dragon Naturally Speaking, Dragon Dictate for Mac – Native alternatives: Windows speech recognition, Mac Dictation Not as full featured, No ability to save a voice profile – Mobile apps: Dragon mobile apps, Evernote, Voice assistant, others…

Tech for Student Usage Assistive Listening and Viewing – AT or AT services that allow for accessing listening and/or viewing for students with sensory-based disabilities – Hallmarks: CCTV, handheld magnifiers, MAGic or Zoom Text, FM system, TV system, IR loop system – Alternatives: mobile devices and applications* (ZoomReader, soundAMP, etc) Alternative format texts – Course content in accessible formats – Hallmarks: Outsourcing, Learning Ally – No cost: AccessTextNetwork, Bookshare, Project Gutenberg, Librivox, Library of Congress *recall disclaimer!

Tech for Student Usage Note taking assistance – Hallmark: Livescribe pen – Low cost: Pear Note, Evernote Apps for Learning and Executive Function – Hallmarks: Inspiration, Kurzweil, Read and Write Gold – Low cost: mobile apps! (mind mapping, reading, writing, scheduling, flashcards, etc. Thousands of great examples)

Other Native Accessibility Features Windows – Ease of access center, speech recognition, high contrast, magnifier, narrator, scalable elements, sound notifications, text/visual alternatives for sound, mouse keys, sticky keys, toggle keys, etc. Mac – VoiceOver, Zoom, Dictation, Invert Colors, Cursor Size, Braille Display, FaceTime, Closed Captions, Screen Flash, Mono Audio, Slow Keys, Sticky Keys, Mouse Keys, Onscreen Keyboard, Dictionary, Text to Speech, Word Completion, Speech Mobile – vary by device, but many of the above listed features are available

Technology for DS Providers

Tech for DS Providers Alternative Format Materials Prep – Relatively Low Cost Software: OmniPage and ABBYY FineReader (OCR software), MathType (Math WYSIWYG), – Free Software/Web based solutions: Calibre, Artweaver, SensusAccess, RoboBraille, Readability Media Delivery – Campus LMS (i.e. Blackboard), Dropbox, Hightail, Wetransfer

Tech for DS Providers Tech for accommodation delivery – Notetaking: Smart Pens, Pear Note (or similar), iPad, mobile apps – Exam proctoring: TTS software, STT software, assistive viewing S/H Tech for Office Management – iPads! – AT for demo/loan

Comparing Costs

Assistive Technology – Weigh out cost/benefit of multiple options (including outsourcing and insourcing) – Track your numbers and usage – Be sure to factor in number of students – Project long term impact – Consider purchasing upgrade plans

Comparing Costs AT Services and Alt Texts – Track time spent by staff and student workers – Track “additional costs” Audiobooks purchased, books purchased to be cut and scanned, cost of scanning – Track “other readings” Staffing?

Some Cost Saving Solutions Braille – Refreshable Braille Displays – Embossers (w/ tactile graphics functions) Captioning – Transcribing: Dragon, insourcing, outsourcing – Timing: YouTube, Powerpoint, Camtasia Additional Staffing – Professional staff, intern, graduate student, student workers

Other Resources ATHENA: Free AT Software Inventory – Web Accessibility Center: Free AT Software – Open Source Assistive Technology Software –