 A magnifying glass glides over text, the spoken words appear. The computer is a valuable tool. Once I have access to the information, the computer makes me more independent. Seated at computers, students chat and laugh. A screen shows a list of words. When I'm new here, I come to know. I am like any other student. Words appear, working together. People with disabilities and computer technology. Dan Comden, Access Technology Consultant. The computer is a vital tool for education and employment. There's really nothing that does the variety of tasks that the computer can do, but it's not perfect. That's because not everyone can use the standard computer. And that's where adaptive technology comes in. With a little extra hardware or software, computers and the internet can be accessible to people with a wide range of abilities and disabilities. Adaptive technology delivers a big payoff for a relatively small investment. The cost of adaptive technology really is quite small, particularly when you look at the impact that can have for a person able to do their job more effectively, more efficiently. Adaptive technology addresses the challenges imposed by specific disabilities. For example, low vision. Words appear, low vision. Text on a screen is enlarged in increments. Nate, student. I use a screen enlarger, which allows me to see everything on the computer screen that a normal person would see with regular type on the computer. For someone who is sensitive to light, software can reverse the screen from dark on light to light on dark. Large print keytop labels may also be useful for people with visual impairments, especially if they're just learning to type. Words appear, blindness. The most common adaptation for people who are blind is speech output. The lab is well equipped with adaptive technology. Tours and demonstrations can be arranged by appointment. Justin, student. Really, it helps me out a lot on the internet. I have voice output that reads everything that comes up on the screen, on the computer screen. So I'm able to access anything that I want to on the computer. And it's really helped me out a lot. A scanner combined with speech output allows people who are blind to read printed materials. A tall fellow in a Batman costume comes soaring out of the winter sky. Other adaptations include Braille displays and Braille printouts. Speech and hearing impairments. A girl with a cochlear implant types on a computer. People with speech or hearing impairments can use their computers to communicate with friends, teachers, or coworkers. Katie, student. I really like using the internet because it's easier to communicate with people rather than using the telephone. I can read it instead of listening. And it's easier for me to read it than to hear. Jesse. The internet is helpful. It allows me to communicate more easily because of my voice. It makes me say more, express myself more easily. A boy presses keys with graphics on them. People who can't speak can use communication devices to participate in group discussions and one-on-one interactions. Anthony, student. That's exactly right. Those who can't hear require visual alternatives to sound output. Buffy, student. She signs. When the computer speaks, they have ways of capturing that. Lloyd. The computer system I use uses visual output rather than sound output. Student. Which means instead of making a chime or a ring, it blinks the screen. Learning disabilities. People with learning disabilities can use a variety of software to help with reading and with writing papers. Adaptive technology ranges from spell check and grammar check to speech input and output. Washington is leading the world in global health. Patrick. Student. Schoolwork, it helps me because when me and my mom try to work to do it, we usually fight and so it usually ends up being a bad consequence. So if I can do it on my own, it's way better. Washington phase two, schedule August 7th to 13th. Joshua. I basically just use standard word processors with... Student. Grammar checker and spell checker and dictionaries on the computer. Just using the word processor alone reduces the amount of time that it takes to write things. Crystal. Student. When I read the box, it will read it to me. So I understand what I'm reading. Was Helen Keller the first deafblind person in the United States to be educated? And then when I have to like read books, I just scan those so they can read the books to me so I don't have to spend two hours reading one page or something. The things that I found really... David. Student. Helpful have been speech to text programs. You know, you talk to your computer and it writes. At the University of Washington, a variety of hardware and software. I've written papers at college in, you know, a quarter of the time that it would have taken me to type them by hand. With speech to text, I just say the word and it shows up on the screen. Mobility impairments. In a classroom, a woman in a wheelchair approaches a hydraulic desk. People with mobility impairments have a wide range of adaptive technology options. For some, flexibility in the positioning of tabletops, monitors and keyboards is helpful. Rodney. Student. I use a mouthpiece that I type with. I can do at least 30 words per minute when the words are going from my head to the keyboard. I actually write lots of things and we're not for computers we're processing and spell checking and things like that. It would take me ages. Erophy. I have a track ball which I roll around. Student. And I use sticky keys like to hold down control and shift. The computer helps me type reports better and it's easier on my arm. I don't have to wear my prosthetic. Jeffrey. One thing that I use is a keyboard where the... Student. These are enlarged and there's more space between because when I keys on the regular keyboard I get double letters. A hand taps on a large keyboard labeled right-handed. For people who need to type with only one hand, left and right-handed keyboards are available. You could also use an on-screen keyboard with a head pointer or a mouth stick for hands-free computer control. Word prediction software can increase speed and accuracy. Buddy. Student. I have on-screen keyboard and it also has word prediction to where I throw in a letter like let's say I throw in a T and like five words that start with T will pop up. The most common ones that I use. They'll pop up and I'll click on it and it'll just print it out. I got fairly fast. Some people may choose to bypass the keyboard by using Morse code. A sip and puff switch registers dot with a sip and dash with a puff. Special hardware and software translate Morse code into a form that computers understand. I'm a junior this year. Other people may choose a speech input system to replace the keyboard. Student. There's a program that helps me type. Whatever I say, I type. I talk into the microphone and it types it out on the computer screen. It makes me feel a lot more independent and I don't have to rely on somebody for so much and I can do it myself. Health impairments. The internet can be accessed from almost any location at any time that a person wants to use it. This is a real benefit for people with health impairments. Nadira, student. I think that computer can help hospitalized kids and I was in the hospital for like one month. I talked to other kids and I could like socialize with them and people send me meals, creating meals to get well. In the past year I have lived in a hospital. Mitch, student. And an internet connection there allowed me to communicate with teachers. Alex. I think that the internet is really helpful for students who miss school due to medical reasons because it allows them access to teachers, resources and fellow students which can be very helpful. Technology means success. For anyone with a disability, adaptive computer technology is a vital link to success in school and in work. It's more fun. I've had people try to type for me. It's just no fun trying to tell someone else what to write. I took a poetry class and I felt weird trying to tell some friends or my aide what I'm thinking and what I'm trying to put on paper. I like using my computer because it helped me to be independent. Hollis, student. Shem, student. I virtually live on computers. On the computer people are more on an even keel. On the electronic field we're all equal. Described by AudioEyes. For more information about IT accessibility consult www.uw.edu. The content of this presentation is based on works supported by the National Science Foundation under grant number 9800324. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Copyright 2015, University of Washington. Permission is granted to copy these materials for educational non-commercial purposes provided the source is acknowledged.