Mac Access Passport Database
Mac Access Passport (MAP) is a database that includes descriptive information about more than 100 Macintosh solutions for individuals with disabilities. Each record in MAP contains a product description and developer contact information.
MAP includes information on tools for individuals with physical motor impairments, blindness, hearing and speech difficulties, and learning disabilities. The database can be searched by keywords, product name, developer name, disability type, and description text.
You can view the Mac Access Passport on the World Wide Web at
http://www.apple.com/education/k12/disability/.
The following information is distributed by Apple Computer's Disability Solutions Group. Mention of a particular product does not represent an endorsement, either expressed or implied, by Apple Computer, Inc.
Learning and Speaking Disability Solutions
Special Education Software
There are over 1,300 educational software programs available for the Macintosh, ranging from those that teach adverbial clauses to ones that help students explore the anatomy of a whale. Some software comes alive with dazzling color, animation, and stereo sound; other programs are more basic by comparison, incorporating traditional teaching strategies such as drill and practice and memorization.
Without knowing more about a particular student (What are his reading skills...spelling skills...comprehension skills? What are her academic and personal goals...interests...abilities?) it's difficult to recommend specific software.
But it is possible for teachers and parents to make that decision once they have enough information about what software is available. Below are four companies that offer a wide selection of educational software for the Macintosh. Contact them via phone or email to find out about their various Macintosh education software solutions.
Broderbund Software
500 Redwood Blvd.
P.O. Box 6121
Novato, CA 94948
800-521-6263
AOL Keyword: broderbund
Compuserve Go Code: BB
Don Johnston, Inc.
P.O. Box 639
1000 N. Rand
Wauconda, IL 60084
800-999-4660
Edmark Corp.
P.O. Box 97021
Redmond, WA 98073
800-426-0856
email:
edmarkteam@edmark.com
Sunburst
a division of The Learning Company
101 Castleton Street
Pleasantville, NY 10570
800-321-7511
Online:
www.edutainco.com
Dyslexia
The Macintosh is favored by many people with learning disabilities because the software is so easy to use as all Macintosh software works essentially the same way. Once you learn one program, the next will seem very familiar. This fundamental consistency eliminates frustration for a lot of people.
In addition to the Macintosh's ease of use, there is software that can help you structure and organize your ideas, check your spelling as you type (using your own list of frequently misspelled words), and analyze your written documents for grammatical errors. Some software can even anticipate the word you're about to type, and type it for you!
When it comes to managing your daily activities, personal information management software can help manage different areas of your life: keeping an updated "To Do" list, maintaining your address book, and scheduling and reminding you of upcoming appointments.
Don Johnston, Inc.
P.O. Box 639
1000 N. Rand
Wauconda, IL 60084
800-999-4660
Co: Writer
Speech Communication
Every Macintosh has speech capability built-in, which means a PowerBook, in addition to doing everything that a desktop Macintosh does, can travel with you helping you communicate with others. A PowerBook is small and lightweight, and can be carried in a backpack or easily attached to a wheelchair, making it a versatile communication tool.
Using "text to speech" software, the Macintosh creates synthetic speech from typed-in words, allowing your PowerBook to speak any word or phrase aloud. The Macintosh also has the ability to record and playback a person's own voice (somewhat like a tape recorder), which results in a very high quality sound.
Special software can help you manage computerized speech so that you can access the appropriate words on demand. Libraries of pictures, symbols, and graphics are often used to build "picture communication boards," enabling speech samples to be selected quickly and easily.
Don Johnston, Inc.
P.O. Box 639
1000 N. Rand
Wauconda, IL 60084
800-999-4660
Talk:About and Write:OutLoud
Mayer-Johnson Co.
P.O. Box 1579
Solana Beach, CA 92075
619-550-0084
Title: Speaking Dynamically Pro
Online:
www.mayer-johnson.com
email:
mayerj@mayer-johnson.com
Physical Disability Solutions
Keyboards
There are dozens of different kinds of keyboards for the Macintosh. Depending on your personal abilities and preferences, any of a number of them may be appropriate.
The right keyboard for you may be the kind that looks like a traditional keyboard, but has large, touch sensitive keys to help make typing easier. Or maybe your keyboard is the kind that has only seven keys and uses a typing technique called "chording," originally designed for one handed typists.
Other products include switch operated, onscreen keyboards that let you type with almost any part of your body, and "smart" keyboards that allow you to customize each key's position, size, and function. We suggest you contact the following companies to learn about, and perhaps sample, their keyboard products.
Don Johnston, Inc.
P.O. Box 639
1000 N. Rand
Wauconda, IL 60084
800-999-4660
Titles: Ke:nx and Ke:nx On:Board
IntelliTools
55 Leveroni Ct. Suite 9
Novato, CA 94949
800-899-6687
Email:
info@intellitools.com
Titles: IntelliKeys
TASH International
Unit 1-91 Station St.
Ajax, ON L1S 3H2
CANADA
905-686-4129
Product: MacMini Keyboard
Logitech, Inc.
6505 Kaiser Dr.
Fremont, CA 94555
800-231-7717 sales
702-269-3457 Tech Support
Product: NewTouch Split Keyboards
Online:
www.logitech.com
Pointing Devices
You can fine-tune your mouse's sensitivity to a degree by using software that comes with your Macintosh. But this kind of refinement may not adequately address your needs. You may need an altogether different kind of pointing device.
If so, there are many from which to choose: head controlled mice, trackballs (in effect a mouse turned upside down), joysticks, mice of different sizes and speeds, writing pads that function as mice, touch sensitive screens that act as mice, and even remote controlled mice.
How do you determine which pointing device is the most appropriate for your needs? First, find out what's available beyond the contacts listed below. Try visiting your local news stand and browsing through a computer magazine devoted to Macintosh technology; there you'll find new and different pointing devices being advertised regularly.
Edmark
P.O. Box 97021
Redmond, WA 98073
800-426-0856
Products: Mac TouchWindow
email:
edmarkteam@edmark.com
Kensington Technology Group
2855 Campus Drive
San Mateo, CA 94403
Product Information: 800-235-6708
Installation Help: 800-535-4242
Online:
www.kensington.com
Products: TurboMouse; Orbit Mouse (for USB)
Logitech, Inc.
6505 Kaiser Dr.
Fremont, CA 94555
800-231-7717 sales
702-269-3457 Tech Support
Products: MouseMan; MouseMan (for USB); TrackMan; MarbleMouse
Online:
www.logitech.com
Input Systems
With the right hardware and software, a Macintosh can become a powerful system for learning, working, and playing. But that won't matter to you until you're able to find a way to control the computer...your way.
Keyboards and mice are traditionally used to control personal computers. Although you may not be able to use these devices, you can choose between a number of alternatives, including a voice recognition system that allows a person to control the computer by talking to it, an onscreen keyboard that facilitates typing without physically touching the keys, and a head-controlled keyboard/mouse that lets a person type using head movements.
There are, in fact, a number of possibilities that will allow people to use a Macintosh for whatever they want. Contact the following companies to learn more about their access products.
Madenta Communications
9411A 20 Avenue
Edmonton, AB T6N 1E5
Canada
800-661-8406
Doors
Origin Instruments
854 Greenview Drive
Grand Prairie, TX 75050
972-606-8740
972-606-8741 Fax
Products: HeadMouse; HeadMouse for Portables
Online:
www.orin.com
email:
sales@orin.com
Visual Disability Solutions
Speech and Braille
The Macintosh was the first truly graphics based personal computer, which helps account for a common misconception that it's inaccessible to people who cannot see. In fact, when used with innovative software programs, the Macintosh is fully accessible to blind individuals.
When it comes to navigating the Macintosh's screen, software called outSPOKEN gives audio cues to onscreen visual images such as icons, windows, menus, and cursor location (the numeric keypad replaces the need for a mouse). outSPOKEN is compatible with virtually all Macintosh applications, so blind people can use a Macintosh just as sighted people do in the office, at home, at school, anywhere. Another program called Duxbury Braille Translator converts text to Braille and formats printing on a Braille embosser.
For more information, contact the following companies:
Berkeley Systems
2095 Rose Street
Berkeley, CA 94709
510-540-5535
510-540-5115 - fax
510-540-0709 - TTY
e-mail:
access@berksys.com
Title: outSPOKEN
Duxbury Systems, Inc.
270 Littleton Rd., Unit 6
Westford, MA 01886
978-692-3000
Title: Duxbury Braille Translator, v10;2
Online:
www.duxburysystems.com
email:
info@duxsys.com
Telesensory
455 North Bernardo Avenue
Mountain View, CA 94043
800-537-3961
Braille Embossers
Magnification
There are several things that can be done to enlarge the images on the Macintosh computer's screen. One solution, CloseView, is software that magnifies the screen image up to 16 times its regular size. CloseView works with virtually all Macintosh software, and is free it's included as part of the Macintosh's system software. (An enhanced version of this software, called inLARGE, is also available as a separate product from Berkeley Systems.)
Other magnification solutions range from monitors that display images in multiple resolutions to magnification lenses that attach to the outside frame of the Macintosh's monitor. You may also want to consider using software that reads text aloud, so that instead of looking at the words on your computer, you can listen to them. Contact the companies below to learn more about their access products for people with vision impairments.
Berkeley Systems
2095 Rose Street
Berkeley, CA 94709
510-540-5535
510-540-5115 - fax
510-540-0709 - TTY
e-mail:
access@berksys.com
Product: inLARGE
Florida New Concepts Marketing, Inc.
P.O. Box 261
Port Richey, FL 34673
800-456-7097
Product: Compu-Lenz
Online:
http://gulfside.com/compulenz
email:
compulnz@gte.net
This article provides information about a non-Apple product. Apple Computer, Inc. is not responsible for its content. Please contact the vendor for additional information.
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