 I like computers a lot and I want to learn more about it because I want to study computer science so that's my career that I want to have in the future. The only thing I need help with is turning the computer on and putting the headset on my head. Other than that I can operate just about anything else by myself. It's a real accomplishment and you really feel proud of yourself when you're actually able to make progress and do something without having to ask somebody else. You know, like you actually did it by yourself. Besides an interest in technology, what these people have in common is mobility impairment. But each one is different and so is the way they use their computers. It's pretty rare that there would be a one size fits all technology for people. Each person with a disability with a mobility impairment is going to have a unique setup that's suited to meet their needs and they need to be the end client that decides, is this technology working for me or is there something else that I'd rather use that would suit me better. An individual's mobility impairment may or may not be obvious to others and people with similar medical conditions may need different types of adaptive technology. The important thing is to work closely with the person using the computer to figure out the best fit. Pay attention to the individual and what he or she needs both through observation of her in the actual environment in which the technology is being used and also through consultations with the individual. We'll show you some examples of adaptive technology that have been used effectively by people with mobility impairments and we'll start with getting to the computer. You can't use a computer if you can't reach it. You have to be able to get in the building, get through the aisles and sit comfortably at the work station. Computers at work and at school should be in locations that are accessible to people using wheelchairs. Physical access to buildings, labs, classrooms, all of that is extremely important because this technology, no matter how good it is, is completely unusable to a physically disabled person if they can't get to it. And that means having a ramp if there are stairs, having an elevator if there are stairs inside the building, having enough room between aisles if it's a computer lab or having enough room in the hallway. The furniture makes a difference too. It's important to be flexible in the way you position keyboards, computer screens and table height. Adjustable tables can be cranked higher or lower so that the monitor is at the most comfortable height. Keyboard trays can move up and down or tilt to make typing easier. Some people with mobility impairments don't have the flexibility or range of motion to use a standard keyboard. Fortunately, there's a wide range of alternatives available. Some of those are already built into current popular operating systems. The fact that there are some basic features built into operating systems is really important. There are some very simple things that can be done using control panels, accessibility options control panels, that give access, basic access to the keyboard to the operating system. For example, someone using a single finger or a mouth stick wouldn't be able to type two keys simultaneously, such as control and something else. There's a setting that allows those keys to be entered sequentially. Another setting eliminates repeated keystrokes for someone who keeps a key pressed down too long. And features such as autocorrect, which are common in word processing software and other applications, allow the user to abbreviate long words or even sentences with a brief letter sequence. Once the abbreviations are set, they can make typing faster and more accurate. There are also physical adaptations to consider. For example, a key guard. The key guard agrees that it fits everything keyboard, and it has holes for each key that prevents people from typing a key they don't mean to hit if their movements are not controlled. For people who have limited range of motion, a mini keyboard may be helpful. There are also left and right handed keyboards, which can be used with only one hand. For someone with good range of motion, but poor dexterity, there are keyboards with extra large keys. For someone who can't activate a keyboard physically, a virtual keyboard may be useful. This appears on the computer screen as a picture of a keyboard. The keys can be activated with a mouse, trackball, or alternative pointing system. Some virtual keyboards may include features such as alternate key layouts or word prediction software. Word prediction programs help people type correctly and more quickly. The program prompts the user with a list of possible word choices based on words that have already been typed. Some programs collect new words as they're used and work with the user's common vocabulary in making predictions. I throw in a letter, let's say I throw in a T, and 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. Graphical user interfaces are everywhere, and you need to have some sort of a pointing device to access the material on the computer icons, clicking, pointing, all those things. So you either need to use a mouse or find an alternative to using the mouse. Trackballs are a good place to start. The trackball's control surface is easier to manipulate than the mouse. On some trackballs, buttons provide features such as double clicking, click and hold, and other commands. They can be used on the desk or for people who use their feet instead of their hands on the floor. People with good head control but no use of their limbs can use a head-controlled pointing system. This system uses infrared detection and a transmitter or reflector worn on the user's head. It translates head movements into pointer movement on the screen. This can be combined with an on-screen keyboard for full computer control. Well, the headmaster that I use, it just controls the mouse, the cursor on the keyboard, the little thing that I blow into. That's the button click. Switches work with a box or emulator that sends keyboard or mouse commands to the computer. They come in a wide variety and can be controlled with nearly any body part. Some people will use a switch mounted on an arm and this arm could be mounted so that it's in just the right location for users. Some may use one switch that's just an on-off switch that then interfaces with the computer. Most often that is used in a way that it's either controlling an on-screen keyboard so that they can do the standard keystrokes. And then software can also be used with that same switch to control the direction of a mouse and then the right and left mouse clicks using that same switch. Scanning and Morse code are two of the input methods that rely on switches. With scanning, the user activates a switch that brings up an options menu on the screen, then continues to activate the switch to make specific choices. Morse code uses a sip and puff switch where dot is a sip and dash is a puff. Special hardware and software translates Morse code into a form that computers understand. Any switch system should be mounted by a knowledgeable professional. So it's useful to think about a wide range of accommodation needs for people with mobility impairments. People may use a light activated switch near their eyes that they can do a long blink or a short blink. And then with that input device, even the person with that severe limitation can control a computer. They could use an on-screen keyboard and write to somebody. They could go to the web, do things everybody else is used to using on the computer. Others may have more functionality. They may be limited from, you know, they can move their head, they can speak fine, but they can't do anything with their hands. So perhaps they would use speech recognition to control a computer or use switches that could be located behind their head so they could click, you know, left or right button or maybe even use their head to control the cursor as well. I'm a junior this year. Speech recognition products allow users to bypass the keyboard completely. I use a program that helps me type. Whatever I say, it types. It's a microphone. I talk to the microphone and it types it out on the computer screen. Speech recognition software converts spoken words into text on the computer. The person using it speaks into the microphone in a normal manner. This type of system requires that the user train it to recognize their unique voice. The truth is... It's also important to correct any recognition errors that the system makes. Most of us are intimidated by computers. To use speech recognition technology effectively, it's important to have good voice and breath stamina. Good reading comprehension is also helpful because there are always corrections to the program's text output. But it gets easier with practice. This research effort confirms what so many of us believe. Reading systems, which involve both hardware and software, are helpful for people who find it difficult to hold printed material or turn pages. A scanner converts hard copy into a digital image, which is then converted into a text file that is recognized by the computer. Next, the words come up on the screen at the same time that a speech synthesizer reads them. The most important part of selecting adaptive technology is to recognize the needs of the individual using it. The best adaptations are the ones you choose yourself. It's all about personal success. The technology that's being adapted is now quickly becoming the core of our modern economy and also our social life. Without access to the technology that allows us to access these new means, it makes it nearly impossible for the disabled individual to participate fully in society. 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.