[Bridging_the_digital_divide] Student Special Needs Tools
bridging_the_divide at touchsmart.net
bridging_the_divide at touchsmart.net
Wed Nov 24 20:05:33 EST 2004
Conferees preview special-needs tools
By Dennis Pierce, Managing Editor, eSchool News
November 24, 2004
Educators, researchers, and technology makers at the annual Technology
Innovators' Conference in Washington, D.C., Nov. 16 got a first look at
some of the most revolutionary solutions currently under development
for special-needs students.
Among the items causing the biggest stir was a free online tool
teachers and other educators of special-needs students soon will use to
help them find and compare appropriate reading software programs.
The first-of-its kind Reading Matrix is being developed by the National
Center for Technology Innovation (NCTI), a division of the American
Institutes for Research. NCTI is funded by the Education Department's
Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and is charged with
advancing the development of new technologies for students with
disabilities. The group announced the project at its annual Technology
Innovators' Conference.
The Reading Matrix will allow users to search for software according to
six main purposes:
* Building reading skills and comprehension;
* Converting text to speech;
* Providing text in alternative formats;
* Providing electronic resources;
* Organizing ideas; and
* Integrating literacy supports in a single application.
When you choose one of these options, the matrix will display all
relevant software titles in a grid that lets you quickly see which of
the following features each program contains:
* Highlighting (text, adjustable, masking);
* Text-to-speech features (pronunciation, speech synthesis, natural
speech, multiple voices);
* Customizing features (font control, reading-rate control,
desktop/view options);
* Electronic resources (dictionary, thesaurus, synonym/antonym
support, text notes, bookmarks);
* Navigation features (search/find, jump to segment); and
* Other features (voice input, multi-user profiles, animation,
ability to read graphics, proprietary scanning).
A beta version of the matrix is available now for testing and feedback.
The final version is set to launch Dec. 1 with at least 35 products,
and more will be added on a continuous basis, said NCTI Director Tracy
Gray.
"We realized there was no one place where educators or researchers
could go to get information about the technologies currently available
for teaching reading skills to students with disabilities," Gray said
in explaining the new tool.
The matrix is actually one of two new resources developed by NTCI that
will launch Dec. 1. The other is a free Networking Service that aims to
bring researchers and software developers together to foster the
development of new products for special-needs students.
The Networking Service works "like an online dating service," Gray
said. Users create a profile that explains what they do, what their
interests are, and the kinds of partnerships or resources they're
looking for. The service then generates a list of potential matches.
Collaboration is key
Arjan Khalsa, CEO and Founder of IntelliTools Inc. demonstrates the
IntelliTools Classroom Suite at the 7th Annual Technology Innovators'
Conference in Washington. (Photo courtesy of Michael Smith-Welch)
The goal of NCTI's new Networking Service mirrors the goal of the
conference itself and NCTI in general, Gray said--to "bridge the divide
that exists between special-needs researchers and technology
developers." To achieve this goal, the conference provided several
opportunities for face-to-face meetings between members of these two
communities, including a special networking lunch.
Collaboration is essential for helping students with disabilities
attain success, said keynote speaker Tom Wlodkowski, director of
accessibility for America Online Inc. (AOL). "The corporate and R&D
worlds have a lot to learn from each other," he told the 100-plus
audience. "If we all work together, everybody wins."
Wlodkowski also discussed AOL's efforts to expand the accessibility of
its products and services. The company's latest such effort is its AIM
Relay Service. Introduced in July, it allows users of AOL Instant
Messaging (AIM) who are hearing-impaired to place telephone calls
through IM. Telephone users also can place "calls" to hearing-impaired
AIM users by dialing a special telephone number. More than 100,000
calls were placed through the service in its first month alone,
Wlodkowski said.
Explaining the significance of the service, Wlodkowski noted that 59
percent of internet users in the United States use IM--and 29 percent
reportedly send more instant messages than eMail. Of even more
relevance for educators, an estimated 90 percent of internet users
between the ages of 13 and 21 use IM, which is "revolutionizing
communication for the deaf," he said.
Following Wlodkowski's address, a group of panelists underscored the
need for special-needs researchers and developers to work together in a
session titled "Collaborations: Nuts and Bolts for Success."
"We don't know how to pitch, and the vendors don't know how to catch,"
said Jeff Higginbotham, associate professor of communicative disorders
and sciences for the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo.
Higginbotham has teamed up with Greg Lesher, director of research for
DynaVox Systems of Pittsburgh, which makes keyboard-based communication
devices and text-to-speech software for people with speech, learning,
and physical disabilities.
He said the partnership gives him enhanced IT and engineering support
for his research, as well as the emotional and financial satisfaction
derived from seeing his ideas turned into products. For DynaVox, the
benefits of the partnership include the credibility and access to
additional grant funds that teaming up with a respected university
provides, as well as new contacts and perspective on the industry.
Technology demonstrations
During the conference, NCTI hosted a special Demonstration Event at
which more than two dozen technology vendors and researchers displayed
their latest solutions for special-needs students. Here are some of the
highlights:
" Utah State University's WebAIM (Web Accessibility in Mind)
demonstrated the WAVE, a "web accessibility validation tool" that
automatically checks any web site for how easily it can be read by
persons with disabilities.
When you type a URL into this free, internet-based system
(http://wave.webaim.org), the site you're checking will appear in the
browser window with red, yellow, or green icons next to all of its
elements. Red icons mean the element in question is inaccessible or
unreadable to certain users; yellow icons mean the element might
present a problem for some users; and green icons mean the element is
accessible to all users. Explanations for each of these icons also are
available.
# Viable Technologies demonstrated Viable Real-time Transcription
(VRT), a remote, real-time transcription service for students with
disabilities.
The speaker speaks normally into a lapel microphone or an
extra-sensitive microphone installed in the classroom. The microphone
is connected to a telephone line, which transmits the audio to Viable
Technologies' call center. A transcriber at the call center creates
captions of what the speaker is saying, and using a notebook computer
connected to the internet, the student can receive captions of the
lecture in real time.
While reading the transcription, the student can scroll back and forth
to review important points. The student also can add notes for later
review, and a text-to-speech application enables students with hearing
loss who have difficulty speaking clearly to voice their comments and
questions with ease. All the student has to do is raise his or her
hand, type out what he or she wants to say, and press a button to voice
the question.
# Two companies were on hand to demonstrate eye-gaze solutions that
allow students with severe physical disabilities to control a computer
cursor with only the motion of their eyes.
Solutions for Humans displayed ERICA (Eye-Gaze Response Interface
Computer Aid), a Windows-based system that includes a tablet PC propped
up in a stand with an attached camera. The user sits motionless in
front of the tablet and calibrates the system to recognize his or her
eye movements by focusing on a series of dots that appear on the
screen. Once calibrated, the system offers a keyboard interface on the
screen that can be controlled through the user's eye gaze. ERICA costs
about $10,000 but requires a consistent head position, making it
suitable only for users who are fully immobilized.
A more expensive, but also more forgiving, system was on display from
LC Technologies Inc. The company's Eyegaze Communication System seemed
easier to control during a demonstration but comes with a heftier price
tag: around $15,000 for the full solution.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryts.cfm?ArticleID=5390
---
Jason Barkeloo
President
TouchSmart Publishing
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Cincinnati, OH 45230
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