Assistive Technology Carrie Clawson, OTR/L, ATP Brad Miles AT Specialist, VA DARS Brad Miles Rehab Engineer, VA DBVI

Definition Assistive Technology is any item, piece of equipment, or product system whether acquired off the shelf, modified, or customized that is used to increase, maintain or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. Public Law 108-364 Assistive Technology Act of 1998 as amended 2004

What does that mean? Assistive technology is a tool used by an individual with a disability to complete a work task or job function.

Rehab Engineering

Rehab Engineering

AT for Hand Impairment Trackball Voice Recognition Software Headset

AT for Hand Impairment Large Keyboards Track ball mouse Typing Aid Word Prediction software (Word Q) Speech Recognition Software (Dragon Naturally Speaking) Accessibility Options Sticky Keys Filter Keys On Screen Keyboard Speech Recognition

Windows Accessibility Features/Mac Universal Access

Dragon Naturally Speaking Version 12 in 2012 Premium edition often used by people with fine motor impairments; Home edition for those with some ability to type/use mouse Complicated; requires the ability to learn commands Can be frustrating More robust voice profiles mean less training “out of the box”

AT for Vision Impairment Windows Accessibility ( Magnifier & Narrator ) High Contrast Keyboard Magnifiers Screen Magnification (ZoomText) Screen Reader (JAWS) Speech Recognition (Dragon Naturally Speaking) CCTVs Braille Note Takers Braille Displays

High Contrast Display, On Screen Keyboard

Zoom Text Screen magnification software Can customize level of magnification needed Also can read text on the screen

JAWS Reads information on the screen Replaces viewing of the monitor Used by people without vision

High Res Keyboards

Braille Note Takers QWERTY Keyboard Braille Keyboard Braille Display Portable Wireless Digital Recorder / Player Optional GPS

Braille Displays Braille Input Keyboard Attach to Windows Computers Attach to I-Devices Attach to Android devices

CCTVs Enlarge / Magnify Change Color Contrast Desktop Magnifiers Portable Magnifiers Handheld Magnifiers

Kurzweil 3000, Read and Write Gold Text to speech Facilitates reading fluency, but not comprehension Useful for people with print or visual disabilities Supports study skills Natural Reader and Read Please have less features, can be downloaded free www.naturalreaders.com www.readplease.com

AT for Mobility Impairment Canes Walkers A chair or stool for resting Scooters wheelchairs

AT for Hearing Impairment Telephone amplification Closed Captioning Accessibility/Universal Access options for visual alerts and captions * VDDHH, Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing a good resource

AT for Memory Impairment Voice recorder Livescribe Smartpen Smartphone/PDA

Factors in Selection of Appropriate AT Needs assessment Psychosocial factors Sensorimotor skills Vision Motor skills: strength, range of motion, fine motor Sensation: light touch/deep pressure, proprioception Cognitive abilities Caregiver support Environment of usage vendor support Training available

Barriers to Successful Use of AT Poor fit (no comprehensive assessment) Inexperience with AT/insufficient training in use Family/caregiver/employer not buying into use or sabotages AT Limited motivation to use AT (Not comfortable with tech, doesn’t like AT) Limited motivation to achieve goal WITHOUT AT

Contact Information Carrie Clawson Carrie.Clawson@dars .virginia.gov 703-539-9454 Brad Miles Brad.Miles@dbvi.virgi nia.gov 703-359-1108 DARS 703-359-1124 Department for Aging and Rehabilitation Services (DARS) 703-359-1124 Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired (DBVI) 703-359-1100