CTO EXPLORE THE ASSISSTIVEWARE SUITE: ACCESS AND AAC
SOLUTIONS FOR MAC OS X
Presenter(s)
David Niemeijer
AssistiveWare Origin Instruments Corporation
Van Speijkstraat 73-d 854 Greenview Drive
Amsterdam Noord Holland 1057 GN
Netherlands
Day Phone: +31-20-6127473
Fax: +31-20-6128266
Email: d.niemeijer@assistiveware.com
He has over 20 years of experience in developing software for the Apple
Macintosh of which over 9 years developing assistive technology software in
collaboration with users and AT specialists. Focus on solutions for people with
physical, speech and vision impairments. He has done presentations at CSUN,
Closing The Gap, Apple Expo, and various other conferences, including a
pre-conference session at the 2005 CTG conference.
Mel Dashner, BSc (mdashner@orin.com)
Vice President, Origin Instruments Corp.
He has ten years experience in the aerospace industry and 14-years
experience in the assistive technology industry. He is one of the founders of
Origin
Instruments Corporation and a developer of the HeadMouse product line of
computer access products. He has done presentations in the past at CSUN,
Closing The Gap, ATIA, and various other conferences, including a
pre-conference session at the 2005 CTG conference.
Many schools and organizations need to replace their aging Mac OS 9
computers, but few AT professionals have the necessary in-depth understanding
of Mac OS X accessibility solutions to guide their clients and students on this
new platform. Mac OS X has matured and now provides an excellent and stable
platform for assistive technology. It offers people with disabilities an
unparalleled degree of creative freedom and power of expression (through
writing, art, music, video, and games) without the security and virus headaches
of MS Windows. But, you cannot recommend Mac OS X solutions without being
familiar with them first. This half-day pre-conference workshop is intended to
provide hands-on experience with the Mac OS X software developed by
AssistiveWare, the world leader in accessibility solutions for Mac OS X. The
focus of the workshop is on making Mac OS X and all the standard Mac OS X
compatible software accessible for people with disabilities.
In this half-day workshop, participants will be able to get in-depth
hands-on experience with AssistiveWare Suite, a groundbreaking collection of
assistive technology software programs for Mac OS X that can be combined or
used and purchased separately, depending on the needs of the user. AssistiveWare
Suite consists of 4 programs: (1) KeyStrokes, an onscreen keyboard with word
prediction and system-wide dwelling; (2) SwitchXS, a scanning-based switch
access solution that provides full access to Mac OS X through keyboard and
mouse emulation; (3) Proloquo, an augmentative and alternative communication
(AAC) and speech feedback solution; (4) LayoutKitchen, a keyboard and speech
panel editor that can be used to further adapt and customize the other
solutions. The workshop will offer a unique occasion to learn from and exchange
ideas with, David Niemeijer, the lead developer of the software.
The workshop will offer a mixture of step-by-step hands-on experiences with
key features of the software as well as presentation of case studies using
audio & visual material. Some time will also be set aside to allow
participants to experience how KeyStrokes and SwitchXS can be used to make
regular games accessible and to edit videos with iMovie, just to illustrate how
these access tools can be used for much more than writing an occasional email
or doing homework.
Where appropriate, the workshop will also cover the built-in accessibility
features of Mac OS X or direct people to solutions developed by other
companies. The focus of the workshop will be on how to make effective use of
the software and will be adapted where possible to the specific interests of
the participants.
Learning Objectives:
1) Learn how to make Mac OS X accessible for people with physical, speech
and vision impairments
2) Learn about the key features of the programs of the AssistiveWare Suite
3) Learn how to adapt the programs in the AssistiveWare Suite to best meet
the needs of people with different disabilities
4) Experience how access tools can allow people with disabilities complete
access to all regular games as well as creative software rather than force them
to use dedicated software
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