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>> ...I WORK WITH THE DISABILITY SUPPORT RESOURCES OFFICE,
AND MY ROLE IS ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY COORDINATOR.
I JUST NOTICED THAT I LEFT MY CONTACT INFORMATION
OFF OF THAT SLIDE.
UH, MY EMAIL ADDRESS
IS SYKESJE@GVSU.EDU,
AND THE TELEPHONE NUMBER,
IF YOU WANTED TO CONTACT ME BY PHONE FOR SOME REASON--
616-331-2490.
SO, I'M GOING TO PICK UP WHERE MEGAN--
ER, MEEGAN-- I'M SORRY-- MEEGAN LEFT OFF,
AND TALK ABOUT ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY,
THE TYPES OF TECHNOLOGY THAT STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
WILL COMMONLY USE.
OFTEN TIMES, I'M ASKED, "WHAT IS ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY?"
WELL, THERE'S A DEFINITION...
AND THERE IT IS.
IT'S ANY DEVICE THAT IS DESIGNED AND USED TO INCREASE, MAINTAIN,
OR IMPROVE THE FUNCTIONAL CAPABILITY
OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.
A LOT OF THESE ITEMS ARE USEFUL TO EVERYONE.
A LOT OF THESE ARE SPECIALLY DESIGNED DEVICES, ALSO.
COLORED CELLOPHANE HAS BEEN USED TO AID PEOPLE WITH READING.
IT'S BEEN SHOWN THAT IF A PERSON LAYS RED OR BLUE CELLOPHANE
OVER PRINTED MATERIALS,
OFTEN TIMES THAT HELPS THEM CLARIFY THE PRINT ON THE PAGE.
REMOVABLE HIGHLIGHTER TAPE CAN BE USED IN BOOKS,
IF A STUDENT WANTS TO HIGHLIGHT
WITHOUT ACTUALLY MARKING WITH INK IN THEIR BOOK.
A HEARING AID COULD BE CONSIDERED ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY
IS FOR A PERSON THAT HAS-- IS DEAF OR IS HARD OF HEARING.
AND IF A PERSON HAS A LIMITATION IN THE USE OF THEIR ARMS,
A STRAW MAY BE CONSIDERED ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY,
IF IT ALLOWS THEM TO GO OUT
AND HAVE A BEVERAGE WITH FRIENDS.
OTHER TYPES OF THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT CONSIDER ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY,
BUT THINGS THAT PEOPLE USE EVERY DAY THAT WOULD FIT THE DEFINITION--
EYEGLASSES, CURB CUTS ON THE SIDEWALK,
AND PUBLIC RESTROOMS WITHOUT DOORS.
PUBLIC RESTROOMS WITHOUT DOORS WERE DESIGNED FOR EASE OF FOLKS
WHO USE WHEELCHAIRS.
BUT WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, FOR THE REST OF US,
THERE'S NO DOOR TO PUSH ON TO LEAVE.
WE DON'T HAVE TO TOUCH A DOOR LEAVING.
NOW, WHAT I'M DOING TODAY IS TALKING ABOUT TECHNOLOGY
THAT IS BENEFICIAL TO STUDENTS WHO HAVE DISABILITIES,
BUT A LOT OF THE THINGS I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU
ARE USEFUL TO ALL STUDENTS.
I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT ONE IN PARTICULAR THAT'S A TEXT-READER.
IT'S DESIGNED TO ALLOW PEOPLE WHO HAVE LEARNING DISABILITIES
LIKE DYSLEXIA OR PERHAPS ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER
READ WORD DOCUMENTS
OR THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTED INTO WORD.
BUT AS A BONUS, FOR THE REST OF US,
WE CAN USE THAT AS A DOCUMENT PROOFREADER.
THERE'S NO BETTER WAY TO PROOFREAD A DOCUMENT
THAN READING IT OUT LOUD OR HAVING SOMEONE ELSE READ IT.
WELL, WITH THIS TOOL, YOU CAN USE YOUR COMPUTER
TO READ THE DOCUMENT BACK TO YOU.
ONE THING THAT YOU'LL NOTICE ABOUT A LOT OF ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY IS...
IT'S EXPENSIVE.
THERE'S A LOWER CUSTOMER BASE.
A LOT OF FOLKS BUY MICROSOFT WORD.
NOT MANY PEOPLE BUY A SCREEN-READER.
SCREEN-READERS, THEN, TEND TO COST A LOT MORE MONEY.
I'M GONNA SHOW YOU A PACKAGE THAT WILL ALLOW A PERSON
TO SCAN PRINTED MATERIAL AND BRING IT INTO THE COMPUTER
TO HAVE IT READ OUT LOUD.
THE RETAIL PRICE ON THAT IS $995,
AND I DON'T KNOW TOO MANY STUDENTS THAT HAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY
TO DROP ON A PIECE OF SOFTWARE.
THE STUDENT PRICE-- THE COMPANY WILL CUT THE PRICE BACK TO $495,
BUT THAT'S STILL QUITE A CHUNK OF CHANGE.
SO, WHAT I'VE DONE AT GRAND VALLEY
IS TRY TO FIND LOWER-COST SOLUTIONS FOR STUDENTS.
UM, THERE'S A LOT OF TOOLS AVAILABLE FOR FREE.
THERE'S A LOT OF TOOLS THAT ARE AVAILABLE
THAT FIT PRETTY MUCH ANYBODY'S BUDGET.
UM, TEXTALOUD IS A TEXT-READER THAT I'VE WORKED WITH
WITH A LOT OF STUDENTS, THAT COSTS ONLY $29.95...
FAR CHEAPER THAN THE $500 OR THE $1,000 PROGRAM
THAT I SHOWED YOU ON THE LAST SLIDE.
AND THERE'S EVEN FREE SOFTWARE AVAILABLE,
AND WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THAT.
I WANTED TO START OUT, THOUGH,
MOVING AWAY FROM COMPUTER EQUIPMENT FOR JUST A SECOND
AND TALK ABOUT THE LIVESCRIBE SMARTPEN.
I WAS USING THIS TO TAKE NOTES DURING MEEGAN'S PRESENTATION--
AND, UM, HAS ANYONE HEARD OF THE LIVESCRIBE SMARTPENS?
ANYONE USED ONE OF THEM?
THESE ARE, I THINK, THE COOLEST TOOL EVER.
I THINK ALL STUDENTS SHOULD HAVE THESE.
I WENT AND BOUGHT ONE MYSELF
AFTER THE OFFICE BOUGHT ONE FOR ME TO WORK WITH,
AND I USE IT IN DIFFERENT VENUES.
LIVESCRIBE HAS DESIGNED A PEN THAT UTILIZES SPECIAL PAPER
THAT HAS A DOT PATTERN PRINTED ON IT.
YOU CAN'T-- OH, CAN I PICK ON YOU?
IF YOU LOOK AT THAT PAPER REAL, REAL, REAL CLOSELY,
CAN YOU SEE A DOT PATTERN ON IT?
IT LOOKS KIND OF HAZY.
OH, OKAY, IT IS VERY, VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE,
BUT THERE IS A MICRO-DOT PATTERN ON THE PAGE,
AND THE PEN HAS A CAMERA IN THE PEN,
AND THE CAMERA TRACKS THE DOTS ON THE PAGE.
IT ALSO RECORDS...
AND IT'S POSSIBLE TO LINK, THEN,
THE WRITTEN NOTES WITH THE AUDIO.
NOW, I TOOK NOTES,
AND I SHOULD BE ABLE TO GO OVER HERE AND TAP...
AND THE PEN SHOULD--
YEAH, I LOVE IT WHEN TECHNOLOGY DOESN'T BEHAVE.
(audience laughing) THERE IT GOES.
>> (Meegan speaking, recorded).
>> AND I CAN GO OVER HERE.
>> (Meegan speaking, recorded).
>> MAYBE YOU CAN HEAR IT BETTER THAN WAY...
AND WHAT IT'S DOING IS IT IS REPLAYING THE AUDIO
THAT WAS RECORDED WHEN I WROTE THOSE NOTES.
SO, I DON'T HAVE TO LISTEN TO AN ENTIRE LECTURE OVER AGAIN.
I CAN TAP WHERE I KNOW I MISSED SOMETHING,
AND I CAN GO BACK AND REPEAT THE LECTURE AT THAT POINT.
THERE'S ALSO DESKTOP SOFTWARE THAT WORKS WITH US.
>> A QUESTION, THOUGH. >> YES?
>> CAN YOU-- DOES IT RECORD-- (loud electronic pings)
>> I'M SORRY. (audience laughing)
>> (indistinct speaking). >> YES, YES IT IS.
>> UM, CAN I HIT THAT-- IF I'M TAKING NOTES, HIT THAT,
SO IT'S RECORDING SOMETHING, AND THEN, WHEN I TAKE NOTES,
IT STOPS RECORDING, SO I'M NOT MISSING STUFF?
>> YES, YOU HAVE CONTROLS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE
TO START AND STOP RECORDING.
SO, WHAT YOU WOULD DO WITH THEIR NOTEBOOK--
WITH THE LIVESCRIBE NOTEBOOK--
IS YOU WOULD TAP ON "RECORD" AND THE PEN WOULD BEGIN RECORDING.
YOU WOULD TAKE YOUR NOTES, AND THEN WHEN YOU'RE DONE,
OR WHEN YOU WANT TO STOP FOR A TIME,
TAP THE "STOP" BUTTON AND THEN THE PEN STOPS RECORDING.
DID THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? >> YES.
>> OKAY, AND WHAT I JUST DID WAS I HAVE CONNECTED THE PEN
TO MY COMPUTER,
AND THE PEN HAS UPLOADED THE PAGES...
AND IT SHOULD HAVE UPLOADED THE PAGES.
AND APPARENTLY, IT DIDN'T UPLOAD THE PAGES.
WELL, WE CAN GO OVER TO ANOTHER PAGE, THOUGH, TO SHOW YOU--
OH, WAIT, THERE IT IS-- IT'S TRANSFERRING.
OKAY, SO WHAT IT'S DOING NOW--
I'M TRANSFERRING BOTH THE AUDIO AND THE WRITTEN NOTES
THAT WERE CAPTURED BY THE PEN TO MY COMPUTER,
AND I'M BUILDING A DIGITAL COPY OF THE NOTEBOOK.
YOU SEE UP AT THE TOP, WHERE I HAVE THREE ACTIVE NOTEBOOKS?
WE'RE WORKING WITH SINGLE SUBJECT NOTEBOOK NUMBER THREE...
AND...
IF YOU LOOK DOWN HERE AT PAGE 48, 49, 50, 51--
THOSE ARE NOTES THAT I TOOK TODAY THAT ARE APPEARING
ON THE COMPUTER.
THE VISUALS HAVE TRANSFERRED.
WE'RE WORKING ON TRANSFERRING THE AUDIO RIGHT NOW.
STUDENTS CAN WORK IN UP TO EIGHT DIFFERENT NOTEBOOKS AT A TIME.
THERE'S EIGHT UNIQUE COLLEGE-RULED NOTEBOOKS
THAT THE PEN RECOGNIZES,
AND THEY CAN ALSO RENAME THE NOTEBOOKS
BECAUSE "SINGLE SUBJECT NOTEBOOK NUMBER THREE"
DOESN'T MEAN A WHOLE LOT,
BUT "CHEMISTRY 115 FALL 2012" WOULD MEAN A LOT MORE.
NOW, WE HAVE THE AUDIO.
AND NOW, I CAN PLAY THIS BACK.
>> (Meegan, recorded) THESE THINGS,
AND A LOT OF THESE GUIDELINES YOU'LL SEE
REALLY APPLY TO ALL KINDS OF DOCUMENTS,
IT'S JUST THAT-- THE OF STYLE IT AS WELL.
UM-- IN SOME HYPERLINKING WORDS LIKE "CLICK HERE"--
>> SO, I HAVE A DIGITAL COPY OF THE NOTEBOOK,
AND I CAN KEEP ALL OF MY NOTES ON THE COMPUTER IF I WANT.
AND WE THINK IT'S A GREAT WAY FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER
OR OTHER DISABILITIES TO RECORD THEIR NOTES.
SOME STUDENTS WILL TAKE JUST SKELETON NOTES ON PAPER,
AND THEN THEY'LL GO BACK AND TAP ON KEY WORDS AND LISTEN
TO THAT CHUNK OF THE LECTURE AGAIN,
AND THEY'RE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND BETTER THAT WAY.
IN OUR DISABILITY SERVICES OFFICE,
WE OFFER A NOTE-TAKING SERVICE,
WHERE STUDENTS WILL FIND A VOLUNTEER IN CLASS--
ANOTHER STUDENT IN CLASS--
TO TAKE NOTES, AND WE PAY THAT PERSON $100
AT THE END OF THE SEMESTER
FOR BEING A NOTE-TAKER FOR THE STUDENT.
IT'S KIND OF A NICE BONUS--
THEY ARE ACTUALLY TAKING NOTES FOR THEMSELVES, TOO,
BUT THEY'RE SHARING THE NOTES WITH A STUDENT.
BUT WE HAVE A LOT OF STUDENTS THAT LIKE THE PEN BETTER.
WE'VE SUPPLIED A COUPLE OF STUDENTS WITH PENS PER SEMESTER TO TRY.
WE ENCOURAGE THEM TO PURCHASE THEM,
BUT WE HAVE LOANED THEM FOR A FEW WEEKS TO TRY
OR FOR A SEMESTER.
WE THINK IT MAKES THE STUDENT A LOT MORE INDEPENDENT
TO TAKE THEIR OWN NOTES, AND LET'S FACE IT,
THERE'S NOTHING LIKE YOUR OWN NOTES.
SOMEBODY ELSE'S NOTES ARE OKAY,
BUT THESE ARE FAR-- YOUR OWN NOTES ARE FAR BETTER.
YES, SIR? >> UM, I GET THIS.
IT LOOKS GREAT, BUT MOST OF THE RESEARCH
HAS SUGGESTED STUDENTS DO BEST WHEN THEY TAKE NOTES
ON INSTRUCTOR-PROVIDED POWERPOINTS...
OR THEIR SUMMARIZED LECTURE. >> MMM-HMM.
>> BOTH CAPTURE INFORMATION AND FOCUSING ON PRESENTATION
AT THE SAME TIME. >> MMM-HMM.
>> IS THERE ANY POSSIBLE WAY THAT INSTRUCTOR MATERIAL,
LIKE POWERPOINT SLIDES-- A SIMPLE EXAMPLE--
CAN BE PROVIDED TO A STUDENT AHEAD OF TIME IN THIS--
BECAUSE, OBVIOUSLY, THE PAPER IS VERY IMPORTANT.
>> MMM-HMM, THE PAPER IS KEY.
>> IS THERE ANY WAY THAT WE COULD PROVIDE THE MATERIAL
THAT COULD BE ADAPTED TO THE PAPER?
>> YES, THERE'S A COUPLE OF WAYS THAT CAN BE DONE.
UH, THE PAGES SEPARATE FROM THE NOTEBOOK VERY NICELY.
THERE'S PERFORATIONS SO THAT THEY CAN BE REMOVED CLEANLY,
AND A STUDENT COULD PRINT THE POWERPOINT
ON WHAT THEY CALL THE "DOT PAPER"--
LIVESCRIBE'S NOTEBOOK.
THERE'S ALSO PRINTABLE NOTEBOOKS IN THE SOFTWARE.
IF A STUDENT OWNS THE SOFTWARE,
THEY CAN GO TO PRINTABLE NOTEPADS
AND THEY CAN PRINT THESE NOTEPADS WHICH ARE UNIQUE--
THE DOT PATTERN IS UNIQUE COMPARED TO THE OTHER NOTEBOOKS,
SO THE COMPUTER RECOGNIZES IT PROPERLY.
THE POWERPOINT WILL NOT BE BROUGHT UP INTO THE COMPUTER.
THERE'S NO WAY TO GET THE POWERPOINT PRESENTATION
TO THE COMPUTER,
BUT THE WRITTEN NOTES WOULD THEN HAVE THE POWERPOINT ON IT--
THE POWERPOINT INFORMATION ON THEM.
ALSO, LIVESCRIBE HAS ANOTHER WAY.
THERE'S MULTIPLE NOTEBOOKS--
THESE ARE THE COLLEGE-RULED NOTEBOOKS,
GEARED TOWARDS STUDENTS,
BUT IF YOU AND I GO TO A CONFERENCE,
WE'RE PROBABLY NOT GOING TO WANT TO TAKE A NOTEBOOK LIKE THIS.
THERE ARE-- I HAVE IT, ACTUALLY, PUT AWAY NOW,
BUT THEY'RE SMALLER, A5-SIZED NOTEBOOKS,
THERE'S POCKET-SIZE NOTEPADS, AND THERE'S EVEN STICKY NOTES
WITH DOTS ON 'EM. (audience chuckling)
I TOLD THE STUDENTS, "YOU KNOW, YOU CAN WRITE A MESSAGE
"TO YOUR ROOMMATE-- 'PLEASE TAKE OUT THE GARBAGE'--
"AND STICK IT ON THE REFRIGERATOR,
"AND IF THE ROOMMATE SAYS, 'WELL, I NEVER SAW THAT,'
"BECAUSE THEY TOOK IT DOWN AND CRUMPLED IT UP AND THREW IT AWAY,
"YOU COULD PULL IT UP ON YOUR COMPUTER
"AND SAY, 'WELL, YES, I DID LEAVE THAT FOR YOU.'"
YOU HAD A QUESTION?
>> SO, A STUDENT COULD ACTUALLY PRINT THE POWERPOINT
RIGHT ON THIS PAPER? >> YOU COULD, YUP, YUP.
IT WOULD BE IN THE NOTEBOOK.
THEY'D HAVE TO REMOVE IT FROM THE NOTEBOOK.
BUT THE STICKY NOTES--
THE OPTION WITH A STICKY NOTE
IS IF THE STUDENT HAD PRINTED OUT THE POWERPOINT OUT
ON REGULAR COMPUTER LAB PAPER,
THEY COULD USE THE STICKY NOTES AND WRITE NOTES
AND PLACE IT ON THE NOTES SECTION OF THE PRINT OUT.
SO, THAT'S ANOTHER METHOD.
YEAH, SO...
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THE LIVESCRIBE PEN-- YES?
>> WERE YOU GOING TO TELL US A COST ON THAT?
>> YES, THEY HAVE A COUPLE OF MODELS.
ONE OF THE MODELS-- THE BASIC MODEL
THAT CONNECTS WITH YOUR COMPUTER, THAT MODEL RUNS $129,
AND YOU CAN FIND IT ON AMAZON.COM,
OFTEN TIMES A LITTLE BIT CHEAPER THAN THAT.
THERE'S ANOTHER MODEL THAT THEY'VE JUST COME OUT WITH
CALLED THE "SKY" SMARTPEN,
AND THAT ONE BYPASSES SYNCHRONIZING WITH THE COMPUTER,
AND IT SYNCHRONIZES WITH EVERNOTE INSTEAD.
WITH EVERNOTE-- IS ANYONE FAMILIAR WITH EVERNOTE?
>> IT'S AN APP ON THE-- >> YEAH, YEAH.
EVERNOTE IS A PLACE OUT IN THE CLOUD
WHERE YOU CAN STORE NOTES,
WHERE STUDENTS CAN SET UP AN ACCOUNT FOR FREE
AND STORE NOTES.
SO, THEY CAN-- IF A STUDENT--
LET'S SAY, NOT USING THE PEN--
WANTED TO TAKE NOTES ON THEIR COMPUTER,
THEY COULD SAVE THOSE NOTES IN EVERNOTE,
OUT IN THE CLOUD SOMEWHERE,
AND THEN THEY COULD VIEW 'EM ON ANY WEB-ENABLED COMPUTER
OR A TABLET OR A SMARTPHONE.
THERE'S AN ANDROID APP, THERE'S AN iOS APP FOR THAT.
UM, AND THE "SKY" SMARTPEN SENDS THE NOTES RIGHT INTO EVERNOTE
INSTEAD OF TO THE COMPUTER.
>> AND YOU HAVE TO BUY THE PAPER, TOO?
>> THE PAPER-- AND THE PAPER--
THESE NOTEBOOKS ARE SOLD IN FOUR PACKS,
AND THE FOUR PACKS LIST AT $25, SO ABOUT $6 A NOTEBOOK.
NOT TERRIBLY EXPENSIVE COMPARED TO WHAT YOU'D PROBABLY PAY
IN THE COLLEGE BOOKSTORE FOR NOTEBOOKS.
>> WHAT DOES THE "SKY" VERSION COST?
>> THE "SKY" VERSION STARTS AT $169,
AND THAT INCLUDES THE NECESSARY MEMBERSHIP TO, UM...
TO EVERNOTE.
OKAY, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THE PEN?
OKAY, THERE'S THE BASIC SIGN IT RIGHT THERE.
THIS POWERPOINT WILL BE AVAILABLE TO YOU,
I GUESS, LATER, TOO-- AFTER THIS IS OVER.
UM, I WANTED TO MOVE BACK TO COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY,
AND I'VE GOTTA REALLY MOVE HERE.
UM, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT SCREEN MAGNIFIERS,
AND HOW FOLKS WHO HAVE LOW VISION
ARE ABLE TO USE THE COMPUTER.
SCREEN MAGNIFIERS ENLARGE THE COMPUTER DISPLAY,
SO THAT SOMEONE WHO HAS A VISUAL IMPAIRMENT
IS ABLE TO SEE THE COMPUTER, OR ABLE TO SEE THE SCREEN.
OTHER THINGS THAT CAN OFTEN BE DONE ARE WAYS
TO IMPROVE THE USABILITY OF THE MOUSE,
AND IF YOU HAVE LOW VISION,
TRYING TO USE A MOUSE IS VERY DIFFICULT.
BUT YOU CAN ENLARGE THE MOUSE POINTER,
OR YOU CAN MAKE THAT MOUSE POINTER
A GIANT GREEN MOUSE POINTER,
OR PUT A CROSSHAIRS ON IT.
"MAGIC" IS A SCREEN MAGNIFIER THAT WE USE AT GRAND VALLEY.
WE MAKE IT AVAILABLE IN OUR LABS FOR STUDENTS,
AND IT CAN MAGNIFY UP TO 32-POWER,
WHICH YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW,
YOU'RE LOOKING AT HALF A LETTER ON THE SCREEN, REALLY.
MAGNIFIED VIEW OPTIONS-- YOU CAN HAVE A FULL SCREEN,
OR YOU CAN HAVE A MAGNIFIED AREA OF THE SCREEN--
DOCKED OR A LITTLE LENS YOU CAN MOVE AROUND.
I'M GOING TO DEMONSTRATE THIS IN A SECOND.
I CAN ALSO MAKE THAT MOUSE POINTER GIANT GREEN
WITH CROSSHAIRS, OR SOME OTHER COLOR
WITH SOME OTHER LOCATION SCHEME.
AND THESE COMMERCIAL SCREEN MAGNIFIERS ALSO SMOOTH THE FONT,
SO THE FONT IS EASIER TO READ.
"MAGIC" LOOKS LIKE THAT WHEN IT IS RUNNING,
AND I'M GOING TO LAUNCH IT RIGHT HERE.
AND "MAGIC" IS RIGHT HERE...
AND IT IS GOING TO OPEN TO 2X POWER...
IN A MINUTE, APPARENTLY.
AND...
OKAY, THERE IT IS.
AND BECAUSE THIS IS-- BECAUSE I'M NOT ON CAMPUS,
IT CAN'T FIND THE LICENSE SERVER
AND IT'S GOING TO RUN IN "40 MINUTE" MODE,
WHICH IS JUST FINE BY ME...
BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE 40 MINUTES,
AND I WOULDN'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS FOR 40 MINUTES ANYWAY.
AND WHERE DID IT GO?
DID I CLOSE IT?
LET'S TRY THIS AGAIN.
WELL... OKAY, SO "MAGIC" DOESN'T WANT TO RUN.
WELL, THAT'S OKAY.
I WAS GONNA ALSO SHOW YOU THE BUILT-IN MAGNIFIER IN WINDOWS,
AND SO, I CAN SHOW YOU SCREEN MAGNIFICATION THAT WAY.
"MAGIC," IF A STUDENT PURCHASES IT,
THAT'S $495-- >> MAGIC SCREEN--
>> OKAY, IT'S WORKING!
IT JUST TOOK A LITTLE WHILE.
WE'RE GOING TO RUN AS DEMO.
OH, IT WANTS ME TO REBOOT MY COMPUTER,
SO I'M NOT GOING TO DO THAT.
SO, I'M NOT SURE WHY IT'S DOING THAT.
UM, IT HAS TO DO WITH THE DEMO.
BUT $500 FOR A SCREW MAGNIFIER
IS A LITTLE STEEP FOR A LOT OF STUDENTS,
AND SO, I POINT THEM TO-- ON THEIR WINDOWS COMPUTER,
IN THE "ACCESSORIES" GROUP, THERE'S A COLLECTION OF PROGRAMS
FOR "EASE OF ACCESS,"
AND ONE OF THEM IS CALLED "WINDOWS MAGNIFIER."
AND MAGNIFIER-- THERE IT IS--
IT JUST MAGNIFIED THE COMPUTER SCREEN BY 2X.
AND IT MAKES IT MUCH EASIER TO SEE.
IF I HAD BEEN ABLE TO SHOW YOU "MAGIC,"
I COULD'VE SHOWED YOU WAYS TO IMPROVE THE MOUSE POINTER, TOO,
BUT I KNOW YOU CAN ALL IMAGINE A GIANT GREEN MOUSE POINTER
WITH A LITTLE RED CROSSHAIRS ON IT.
UH, THE WINDOWS MAGNIFIER CAN INCREASE UP TO--
I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE LIMIT IS.
I'M AT 4X RIGHT NOW--
NOTICE THE TEXT IS STARTING TO FALL APART
WHERE IT SAYS "SAMPLE BOOK,"
IT'S BECOMING HARDER TO READ THAT.
AT HIGH LEVELS OF MAGNIFICATION,
THESE LOW COST OR FREE SCREEN MAGNIFIERS TYPICALLY DO THAT.
COMMERCIAL SOFTWARE LIKE "MAGIC" OR ITS COMPETITOR "ZOOM TEXT,"
UM, WILL NOT CAUSE THE BREAKUP OF THE FONT.
OKAY, MOVING ALONG HERE...
MEEGAN TALKED ABOUT SCREEN READERS,
AND SCREEN READERS ARE REALLY SOFTWARE
THAT FOLKS WHO ARE BLIND OR HAVE LOW VISION
WILL USE IF THEY NEED TO HEAR TEXT
OFF OF THE COMPUTER SCREEN.
THE ONE THAT WE USE ON CAMPUS IS CALLED "JAWS."
UH, THERE ARE OTHERS.
"JAWS" IS THE WORLD'S MOST POPULAR,
PARTIALLY BECAUSE THEY WILL GIVE IT AWAY FOR FREE
AND MAKE IT RUN IN "40 MINUTE" MODE,
SO THAT YOU HAVE TO REBOOT YOUR COMPUTER EVERY 40 MINUTES
IN ORDER TO KEEP IT GOING,
BUT EVERYBODY GETS HOOKED ON IT
AND THEN THEY'RE WILLING TO SPEND $1,000 BUYING IT.
BUT IT REALLY IS A FANTASTIC PROGRAM.
IT ALLOWS COMPLETE CONTROL OF THE WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM,
MICROSOFT OFFICE, AND OTHER SUPPORTED SOFTWARE.
A PERSON CAN NAVIGATE MENUS USING KEYS--
THEY HAVE TO LEARN A SET OF KEYSTROKES ABOUT THIS LONG,
OR ABOUT THIS THICK, ACTUALLY,
IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO USE IT.
BUT THE COMPUTER CAN THEN BE CONTROLLED BY KEYSTROKES COMPLETELY,
AND TEXT CAN BE READ BACK.
I KNOW THAT "JAWS" IS NOT GOING TO RUN FOR US,
BECAUSE IT'S LIKE "MAGIC"--
IT'S IN THE "40 MINUTE MODE"
AND IT WANTS ME TO REBOOT MY COMPUTER.
I CAN SHOW YOU ANOTHER SCREEN READER, HOWEVER,
AND THAT ONE IS CALLED "N.D.V.A."
I LIKE THIS ONE BECAUSE, NUMBER ONE, IT'S FREE.
COMPARED TO $1,000, STUDENTS LIKE THIS.
IT ALSO HAS A PORTABLE VERSION THAT WILL RUN FROM--
>> (male voice) WELCOME TO--
(gibberish)...
>> I'M NOT A BIG FAN OF THE VOICE THAT IT COMES WITH.
(audience laughing)
IT IS POSSIBLE TO USE OTHER VOICES WITH THIS, THOUGH.
UM, I AM GOING TO SWITCH IT VERY QUICKLY HERE OVER TO...
OVER TO-- AND FROM "E-SPEAK,"
I AM GOING TO GO TO MICROSOFT "SAPI5,
AND I WILL HOPEFULLY GET A VOICE THAT I CAN LIVE WITH.
THE ONE THAT COMES WITH THE-- >> (female voice) NEW PAGE.
DESKTOP. >> MUCH NICER.
>> DESKTOP-- GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY-- MINIMIZE-- GRAND--
>> OKAY, THIS IS A DOCUMENT CALLED GRAND VALLEY--
>> GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY INVENTORY DOC.
>> THAT'S THE DOCUMENT. >> 41, NO 42.
GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY
INVENTORY DOC COMPATIBILITY MODE MICROSOFT WORD.
GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY INVENTORY
DOC COMPATIBILITY MODE.
MICROSOFT WORD DOCUMENT.
GRAND-- THE CAP-- >> OKAY, WE KNOW WHAT IT IS.
>> GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY SUPPORTS ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY
IN A NUMBER OF PUBLIC--
LOCATIONS-- ESSENTIALLY,
EACH CAMPUS WINDOW IS COMPUTER LABS EQUIPPED WITH ONE--
LOCATIONS-- ESSENTIALLY, EACH CAMPUS WINDOW IS COMPUTER LAB
IS EQUIPPED WITH ONE COMPUTER WORKSTATION IN AN EASILY ACCEP--
>> AND SHE WILL KEEP READING.
YOU GET THE IDEA.
UM, BUT, THIS IS NOT ONLY READING THE TEXT.
IF YOU NOTICED, IT WAS GIVING ME THE TITLE OF THE DOCUMENT.
IT WAS ALSO INFORMING ME THAT THIS IS IN COMPATIBILITY MODE.
IF I USE THE ALT-F KEYSTROKE...
>> GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY INVENTORY
DOC COMPATIBILITY MODE, MICROSOFT WORD--
>> OKAY, I WAS HOPING THAT IT WOULD DO THE MENUS,
AND IT DID NOT READ THE MENUS.
BUT IT GIVES ME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BEYOND
JUST THE TEXT IN THE DOCUMENT.
IF I HAD INTERNET ACCESS RIGHT NOW,
AND IF I WENT INTO GRAND VALLEY'S BLACKBOARD,
I COULD SHOW YOU HOW TO NAVIGATE THROUGH BLACKBOARD
WITH A SCREEN READER LIKE THIS.
THIS WILL WORK WITH MOZILLA FIREFOX AND INTERNET EXPLORER,
SO STUDENTS CAN USE THIS, IF THEY NEED THE AUDITORY FEEDBACK.
ANY QUESTIONS ON THE MAGNIFIER
OR ON, UM, SCREEN READERS?
OKAY, I'M GONNA SHUT THIS DOWN.
HOW AM I DOING ON TIME?
>> IT'S N.V.D.A.? >> N.V.D.A.
WEBSITE FOR N.V.D.A. IS...
NV-- THAT STANDS FOR "NONVISUAL DESKTOP ACCESS."
IT'S NVDA-PROJECT.ORG.
>> (indistinct speaking). >> YUP.
OKAY, WE USE THAT IN PLACE OF "JAWS."
AND THEN, THERE ARE TEXT READERS.
I'M GOING TO END UP SKIPPING A NUMBER OF THINGS,
IN THE INTEREST OF TIME,
BECAUSE I THINK I'M DOWN TO MY LAST COUPLE OF MINUTES HERE.
BUT...
"W.Y.N.N. WIZARD"-- I'M GOING TO BYPASS THAT.
THAT ALLOWS A PERSON TO SCAN PRINTED MATERIAL
AND ACTUALLY BRING IT INTO THE COMPUTER.
YOU CAN ENVISION THAT HAPPENING,
BECAUSE YOU'VE USED PHOTOCOPIERS,
SO YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO SCAN A DOCUMENT.
MEEGAN ALREADY MENTIONED--
BE SURE YOU'RE USING WHAT'S CALLED THE O.C.R. STEP.
OKAY, O.C.R. STANDS FOR "OPTICAL CHARACTER RECOGNITION."
WHEN YOU SCAN SOMETHING ON A PHOTOCOPIER,
OR IF I SCAN SOMETHING WITH W.Y.N.N.,
ALL THAT'S HAPPENING IS THE COMPUTER'S TAKING A PICTURE
OF THAT DOCUMENT.
THERE'S NO REAL TEXT THERE.
IF YOU USE O.C.R., WHICH ADOBE READER CAN DO--
ER, I'M SORRY, ADOBE ACROBAT HAS THE ABILITY TO DO,
THE PHOTOCOPIERS HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO IT,
AND SOFTWARE LIKE "W.Y.N.N. WIZARD"
HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO IT.
THE COMPUTER, THEN, ANALYZES THAT IMAGE.
IT LOOKS AT WHAT'S IN THAT IMAGE
AND IT DETERMINES WHAT IS TEXT,
AND IT TRANSCRIBES A TEXT LAYER.
IT'S AN INVISIBLE LAYER IN THE DOCUMENT
BELOW THE VISUAL LAYER,
THAT HAS EDITABLE TEXT IN IT.
WELL, IT'S INVISIBLE, SO I GUESS IT'S NOT REALLY EDITABLE,
'CAUSE YOU CAN'T GET TO IT TO EDIT IT, BUT IT'S THERE,
AND THAT'S WHAT THE COMPUTER READS FROM.
THE COMPUTER DOESN'T READ FROM THAT VISUAL LAYER.
THAT'S JUST AN IMAGE.
WHEN YOU SCAN WITH YOUR HOME SCANNER,
ALL YOU'RE DOING IS TAKING A PICTURE OF A DOCUMENT.
YOU'RE SAVING IT AS A .JPG,
OR MAYBE YOU CAN SAVE IT AS A PDF,
BUT IT'S JUST AN IMAGE.
WHEN WE SCAN BOOKS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES,
WE USE-- WE DON'T ACTUALLY USE "W.Y.N.N. WIZARD,"
BECAUSE WE'D HAVE TO USE IT WITH A FLATBED SCANNER
AND WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO GET VERY FAR, VERY FAST.
BUT...
LOOKS LIKE I BUMPED A BUTTON.
UM, SOFTWARE SUCH AS "W.Y.N.N. WIZARD"
CREATES EDITABLE TEXT IN A DOCUMENT,
THAT CAN BE READ OUT LOUD,
AND THEN, WE DISTRIBUTE THOSE FILES TO STUDENTS.
IF I WERE RUNNING "W.Y.N.N.," IT WOULD LOOK--
A SCANNED IMAGE OF "MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY"
WOULD LOOK LIKE THIS,
AND "W.Y.N.N." ALSO CREATES A TEXT-ONLY VIEW
THAT TAKES OUT THAT GRAPHIC
AND SHOWS YOU THE TEXT THAT'S GOING TO BE READ OUT LOUD.
"W.Y.N.N." IS ONE OF THE FEW PACKAGES
THAT LETS YOU INTERACT WITH THE OPTICAL CHARACTER RECOGNITION
RECOGNIZED TEXT.
IT LETS YOU SEE BOTH.
UM, WHAT I WANTED TO SHOW YOU
WAS SOFTWARE LIKE NATURALREADER
AND SOFTWARE LIKE WORDTALK, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT, REALLY,
ANY STUDENT CAN BENEFIT FROM.
WORDTALK-- OH, NATURALREADER IS WHERE WE'LL START.
NATURAL READER IS AVAILABLE AS A FREE TEXT READING SOFTWARE.
AT GRAND VALLEY, WHAT WE DO IS WE PRODUCE--
WE PRODUCE BOOKS BY SCANNING IMAGES AND SAVING THE TEXT
AND DISTRIBUTING THE FILES TO STUDENTS WHO HAVE DISABILITIES.
STUDENTS MIGHT HAVE BLINDNESS,
THEY MIGHT HAVE VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS,
THEY MIGHT HAVE LEARNING DISABILITIES
LIKE DYSLEXIA OR PERHAPS A.D.H.D.,
AND WE DISTRIBUTE THE BOOKS TO THEM IN A FORMAT
THAT THEY CAN OPEN UP IN THEIR FAVORITE TEXT READER,
NATURALREADER BEING ONE THAT IS COMMONLY USED.
AND IF I GO TO MY DESKTOP, AND I GO TO MY SAMPLE BOOK FOLDER,
WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT A BOOK CALLED "TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE."
I HAVE THE PRINTED BOOK RIGHT HERE--
THIS WAS AN ANTHROPOLOGY TEXTBOOK
THAT WE USED AT ONE TIME-- AND HERE IT IS.
IF YOU'RE SITTING IN THE FRONT ROW,
YOU CAN SEE THAT CHAPTER 1 DOESN'T QUITE LOOK LIKE THIS
LIKE ON THE SCREEN--
IT DOESN'T LOOK QUITE LIKE IT DOES IN THE BOOK
BECAUSE THE COLUMNS ARE NOT MAINTAINED,
BUT ALL OF THE TEXT IS ACTUALLY THERE.
AND THEN, A STUDENT CAN SELECT WHERE THEY WANT TO BEGIN READING,
AND I GOTTA UN-MUTE MY VOLUME HERE--
>> (female voice) WAS DERIVED FROM THE GREEK WORDS
"ANTHROPOS" AND "LOGOS," MEANING "MAN, STUDY."
IN FACT, MANY INTRODUCTORY TEXTS BEAR PRETENTIOUS TITLES
LIKE "THE STUDY OF MAN--"
>> AND THE SPEED OF THE TEXT-- UH, THE SPEED OF THE READER
CAN BE ADJUSTED,
AND IF A PERSON HAS DIFFERENT VOICES ON THEIR COMPUTER,
THEY CAN EVEN CHANGE THE VOICE.
THERE'S AN AUSTRALIAN VOICE THAT I LIKE TO DEMONSTRATE.
IT HAPPENS TO BE MY FAVORITE.
THIS IS NOT INCLUDED ON THE COMPUTER-- THIS IS--
>> (female Australian accent) IN FACT, MANY INTRODUCTORY TEXTS
BEAR PRETENTIOUS TITLES LIKE "THE STUDY OF MANKIND" OR "HUMANITY."
(audience laughing) >> IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITES.
SHE'S VERY PLEASANT TO LISTEN TO.
THAT CAME IN WITH ANOTHER PIECE OF SOFTWARE-- IT'S NOT INCLUDED.
YOU'VE BEEN LISTENING TO MICROSOFT ANNA,
WHO COMES WITH WINDOWS-- WINDOWS VISTA AND WINDOWS 7.
UH, THIS IS A PROGRAM THAT OUR STUDENTS WILL OFTEN USE
TO READ THEIR BOOKS--
THEY NEED TO READ THE BOOKS OUT LOUD.
THE LAST ONE THAT I WANT TO SHOW YOU,
BECAUSE I KNOW I ONLY HAVE LIKE A MINUTE LEFT,
IS SOMETHING CALLED "WORDTALK."
AND I'M GOING TO GO BACK TO THIS DOCUMENT--
THE SAMPLE DOCUMENT THAT I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH.
AND THIS IS A FREE TEXT READER,
AND IT'S NOT A MICROSOFT PRODUCT.
IT IS CALLED "WORDTALK"--
IT CAME FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH IN SCOTLAND,
AND IT'S BEEN DEVELOPED UNDER SOME GRANT
FROM THE GOVERNMENT OF SCOTLAND.
THE GUY THAT'S WRITTEN IT UP-- HIS NAME'S ROD MACAULAY--
AND YOU CAN FIND THE SOFTWARE
AT WWW.WORDTALK.ORG.UK.
IT ADDS A TOOLBAR INTO MICROSOFT WORD,
AND THE TOOLBAR HAS FUNCTIONS LIKE "START READING,"
"STOP READING,"
"READ ONLY THE CURRENT PARAGRAPH,"
"ONLY THE CURRENT SENTENCE,"
"ONLY THE CURRENT WORD"-- NOT SURE WHY THAT'S THERE.
THAT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE A WHOLE LOT OF POINT TO THAT.
AND THEN, "READ SELECTED TEXT."
SO, IF YOU HIGHLIGHT A CHUNK OF TEXT,
IT WILL READ IT TO YOU.
AND...
>> (female voice) SUMMARY-- BRIEF SUMMARY.
GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY SUPPORTS ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY IN A NUMBER OF--
>> IT ALSO SPOTLIGHTS EACH INDIVIDUAL WORD.
THIS IS A FREE PLUG-IN FOR MICROSOFT WORD,
AND IT ALLOWS STUDENTS TO ACCESS THEIR BOOKS,
IF THEY'RE OPENING THEIR BOOKS IN WORD.
BUT IT ALSO ALLOWS THE REST OF US
TO PROOFREAD OUR DOCUMENTS,
SO THAT WE KNOW WHAT'S IN THERE.
LET'S FACE IT, WE'VE ALL REWORKED DOCUMENTS
AND THEY NO LONGER SAY WHAT WE THINK THEY SAY.
IT'S A FREE TOOL THAT ANYONE CAN USE.
THIS ALSO HAS A TALKING SPELLCHECK.
I JUST WANTED TO POINT THAT OUT.
UM, I'VE MISSPELLED THE WORD "ACCESSIBLE."
NOW, IN WORD, IF I RIGHT-CLICK ON THAT MISSPELLED WORD,
I GET CHOICES AND I COULD SELECT.
BUT SOMEONE WITH DYSLEXIA-- THEY NEED TO HEAR THOSE.
SO, IF I POSITION THE CURSOR IN THERE
AND I GO OVER TO "ADD INS" AND I CLICK ON THIS "ABC,"
IT SHOWS ME WORDS' SPELL CHOICES,
BUT IT READS THEM.
>> ACCESSIBLE, ACCESS ABLE, ACCUSABLE.
>> IT GIVES THOSE SAME CHOICES, AND IT GOES ONE STEP FURTHER.
I CAN GET SYNONYMS FOR "ACCESSIBLE," IF THERE WERE ANY.
>> ACCUSABLE. >> WE'LL TRY ACCUSABLE.
WHOOPS, I'M USING THE WRONG BUTTON, AREN'T I?
THERE WE GO. >> NEARBY, AVAILABLE, REACHABLE.
>> SO, I CAN WORK ON MY WORD CHOICES,
AND THEN I CAN GO AND I CAN REPLACE THE SPELLING
OR REPLACE THE WORD.
ANY QUESTIONS ON ANY OF THAT?
>> WHAT'S THIS ONE CALLED AGAIN?
>> THIS IS CALLED "WORDTALK."
AND IT'S A FREE PLUG-IN FOR MICROSOFT WORD.
IT WORKS WITH ALL VERSIONS OF WORD,
FROM WORD 97 THROUGH 2010.
AND I THINK 2013 IS COMING OUT SOON, IS THAT CORRECT, MEEGAN?
I'M THINKING I'VE HEARD SOMETHING ABOUT THAT.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S COMPATIBLE WITH THAT,
BUT THEY WILL NO DOUBT UPDATE IT.
I'M SEEING PEOPLE WALK LIKE THERE'S A LUNCH OUT THERE.
I DON'T WANT TO KEEP YOU FROM LUNCH, SO...
(applause)