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Molly Mead and Fred Pellerito
Missouri Technology Center for Special Education
The Macintosh and the Windows 95/98 Operating Systems come equipped with a variety of software programs that make it adaptable for people with special needs. There may be areas, however, where these built-in adaptations don't fully suffice. With enough time to surf the internet, download programs and try them out, you can find a huge amount of shareware and freeware programs that will make your computer as adapted as it needs to be. The problem is that most people don't have enough time to search for all the utility programs they need. This presentation is the answer to those time-restricted people's dreams. In this session, we have collected and organized over 40 useful utility programs for both Macintosh and Windows 95/98 platforms - programs which enlarge the pointer/cursor, macro programs, screen magnifiers, universal dwell selectors, voice output utilities, and other useful utilities designed to increase productivity and save time. Macintosh and Windows disks, containing the programs demonstrated, will be offered to those participants without access to the Internet. Interested participants should bring high density disks to trade.
All of these programs and others which are similar are available for download from the Missouri Technology Center for Special Education's web site: http://www.techctr.educ.umkc.edu.
Program listing: Windows 95/98
SmartSum
$29.95 Shareware
Oakley Data Services
SmartSum is a Windows based implementation of an adding machine and printing calculator. Other features include: Audible feedback to ensure accuracy of input, calculations can be saved and reloaded, subtotals and entry counts can be displayed or hidden at will, the tally can be printed using any available font or copied to the clipboard, calculation results can be injected automatically into other applications like spreadsheets. There are many other features to this multi-faceted program.
ToggleMOUSE is an integrated all-in-one cursor utility featuring animated cursors and productivity features combined with an elegant and intuitive user interface. Tested and designed for the Windows 95/NT environment it includes: a large library of professionally designed color, animated and high-visibilty cursors; productivity features that save useless moving and clicking as you navigate dialog boxes and switch between open windows; and the ability to assign useful functions to mouse buttons and keyboard keys.
A quick one-touch pixel magnifier program. Drag the rectangular or round lens around to get a close-up of your bitmaps. It even has a reticule to count pixels. Now with hot-key support, a bigger lens option, and a large arrow cursor.
The basic idea is simple: MouseTool watches as you move the mouse. When you stop, it clicks. You can have it send left-clicks, right-clicks or double-clicks. Designed by a person with carpal tunnel syndrome, MouseTool was created to ease some of the repetitive stress associated with clicking many times a day. MouseTool knows what window is under the mouse, so it can send the right click to the right window. MouseTool also has a stretch break timer that will remind you to take breaks.
This utility will helps people to use the scroll bar easier. Once the scroll bar is activated, the person can let go of the button and the window will scroll up and down according to mouse movement.
AutoCorrect Plus is a utility that helps users fix typing mistakes on the fly and improve their typing in almost all applications. This program will correct common typing errors are they are made. You can also use it to enter commonly used phrases and blocks of text.
TypeItIn lets you define buttons that will type in any
information you want into any application. You can use
TypeItIn to fill out forms on the web, or process forms at
work. It's a great tool for applications where you
frequently type the same thing like creating HTML code or
writing standard letters or emails. Another great use is
for entering user names and passwords. You can also launch
applications or web sites with the click of a button. You
can have up to 50 buttons in the free version, and with the
Professional version you can have up to 50 password
protected groups. TypeItIn can automatically type in the
time, date, month, or day of the week too. With the
Professional version you can also Record your own typing to
automatically create buttons. Talk to Me 2.8
$24.95 Shareware
Cantrell
Talk To Me is a full featured talking program that uses cartoon characters to read your email, your letters and documents, and web pages. It will also send animated messages to friends and announce the time at certain intervals.
Click 'n Type is a mouse controlled virtual keyboard for Windows.
Program listing: Macintosh
TypeForMe! Is a tool that let's you click with your mouse, rather than typing on your keyboard. It is an assistive program for people with limited dexterity in their hands and allows you to type by clicking an on-screen keypad with your mouse.
KeyStrokes Freeware
David Niemeijer KeyStrokes@niemconsult.nl
KeyStrokes is a fully functional on-screen keyboard that you can use to type with the mouse anywhere you would use a normal (hardware) keyboard (applications, dialog boxes, etc.). It also allows you to shift/option/command/control click.
CursorAnimator lets you substitute all of the five system cursors (arrow, watch, text, cross-hair, and plus) by a static or animated cursor of your choice. If your Macintosh supports color, you can even get color cursors! We have included Fred's Big Pointer (a large black arrow)with this collection for those who have difficulty seeing the standard Mac pointer.
Tail Dragger is a really cool Macintosh extension that will make your mouse pointer turn to face the direction that it is moving.
Loupe is a simple, easy-to-use screen magnification program for the Macintosh.
Lupe is a real magnifier with custom shapes and appearances. The magnification is changed by selecting ZoomIn/Out commands and requires a Macintosh or Power Mac with System 7.1 or greater.
ScrollMagick gives you a faster, more intuitive ways to scroll through documents by using the programs' two features. Hover Scroll allows the user to simply "hover" the cursor over the edge of the window in order to scroll the document without having to use a mouse click. Grab Scroll let's you "grab" the contents of the windows and drag them up or down. The program also offers several user configurable options.
Zoomie is a small freeware extension that helps you use the Zoom boxes in MacOS windows.
Mousebroken is a control panel which will give you greater control over your mouse (or less control, depending how you look at it). There are several mouse modules to select including a screen wrap which allows you to exit the screen on the left and return on the right side of the monitor screen.
Mousigator is a software package that lets you focus windows, make them active, by simply moving the mouse to the window, you don't have to click in it. It's an alternative way to navigate through your open windows.
Speedy Mouse is a fun little INIT which will cause your mouse to move twice as fast as it normally does.
Speech FX is designed to make Speech Recognition
software on your computer more useful. Speech Recognition
as Apple distributes it does not include very many commands
and the main focus of this program is to incorporate many
more useful commands to the existing Speech Recognition
program. TypeTalker v.1.0
$18.00 Shareware
Koshin Graphics Systems
TypeTalker is an English-text editor that pronounces not only every alphabetical letter but also every word or paragraph in real-time as you enter information from your keyboard. The program requires a Power Macintosh with System 7.5 or higher, and the English-to-text plug-in which comes with the system software.
Argus is a control panel useful for switching between applications using only the keyboard. Pressing down the activator key(s), a window pops up displaying all running applications. Simply run through the applications (using the TAB key) and release the activator key when the desired application is highlighted.
FunKeys is an incredibly useful utility for the Macintosh. What FunKeys allows you to do, basically, is "program" those function keys on the top of your keyboard to do things. (The keys F1, F2, F3, F4, etc. They are only on extended keyboards, which most Macs have). With FunKeys installed, you can program all 15 of them to either open files/applications, execute AppleScripts, envoke macros (FKEYs), or even type text.
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