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Your weekly dose of information that keeps you up to date on the latest developments in the field of technology designed to assist people with disabilities and special needs.
Show Notes:
The iPad’s impact on Autism – Patricia Wright www.EasterSeals.com
Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Awards 102 Nonprofit Organizations Quality of Life Grants – Press Release – Digital Journal http://bit.ly/1f7Ck0E
National Deaf Blind Equipment Distribution Program Extended to June 2015 | COAT http://bit.ly/1f7s2h9
These Smartshoes Help The Blind Navigate City Streets | Gizmodo Australia http://bit.ly/1f7pAqS
App: Cause and Effect Sensory Light Box www.BridgingApps.org
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—–transcript follows —–
PATRICIA WRIGHT: Hi, this is Patricia Wright. I’m the national director of autism services at Easter Seals, and this is your assistive technology update.
WADE WINGLER: Hi, this is Wade Wingler with the INDATA Project at Easter Seals Crossroads in Indiana with your Assistive Technology Update, a weekly dose of information that keeps you up-to-date on the latest developments in the field of technology, designed to assist people with disabilities and special needs. Welcome to episode number 145 of assistive technology update. It’s scheduled to be released on March 7 of 2014. Today my guest is my friend Patricia Wright from Easter Seals, and we’re going to talk about how the iPad has impacted the world of autism. Check out our website at eastersealstech.com. Give us a call on our listener line at 317-721-7124, or shoot us a note on Twitter @IDATAproject.
Recently the Christopher and Dana Reeve foundation gave away a half million dollars in quality of life grants to 102 nonprofit organizations in 37 states. They’ve given away over $17 million in this way since 1999. Some of the grant, examples that were given away in Holland a little Hawaii, a $10,000 grant wants to our counterparts for the assistive technology device loan Bank in Farmington New Mexico; $10,000 was given to the think first Navajo which is a proven injury prevention program educating Navajo youth; and then allies in the arts, which is a wounded warriors program from Walter Reed national military medical center, was given away as well. More information on the show notes on those programs and congratulations to the Reeve foundation for being so generous.
Just within the last week, US Senators Elizabeth Warren and Orrin Hatch has traduced TEACH, which is the Technology Education and Accessibility in College and Higher education Act. It’s bipartisan, and the goal is it would help strengthen the accessibility of educational technology for college students with disabilities. Idea does a lot of things for students with disabilities in the K-12 environment, but there have been some gaps in the college environment, and they are trying to address that. Senator Warren is quoted as saying, “It’s critically important that university students and course materials remain accessible to students with disabilities as technology advances and changes the way we communicate and learn.” This is legislation that’s been endorsed by the national Federation for the blind, American Association of publishers, national Council on independent living, and lots of other organizations involved in the accessibility students. Lots of information there. There’s even a link to read the full fact sheet on the legislation, and you’ll find that in our show notes.
It looks like there’s going to be a continuation of availability of equipment for folks who are deaf, blind. On February 7, the FCC’s consumer and governmental affairs Bureau released an order that announced the extension of a pilot program that’s been happening for a wild now. Through June 30 of 2015, there’s going to be continued funding for deaf blind equipment. Here in Indiana, we’ve had some experience with that program. If they remarkable program that allows people who are both deaf and blind to get access to assistive technology to allow them to do interpersonal communication. Replaces for telephone calls, video phone, email, texting, those sorts of things. I’ll pop a link in the show notes from the coalition of organizations for accessible technology with a provide the contact information and the details of the extension of this program. Check our show notes.
The headline from Gizmodo in Australia reads, “these smart shoes help the blind navigate city streets.” Interesting article here, and I’ve seen this kind of idea before, but looks like there’s a wearable technology – and wearable technology of course is all of the buzz these days – called Le Chal, which means “let’s go” in Hindi, designed by Anirudh Sharma who is someone from MIT, and Krispian Lawrence, they are a haptic navigation device that connects to your phone. The article here says that it’s pretty simple. You simply tell your smartphone where you want to go via the GPS system. It will plot a course, and as you’re walking, the shoes will vibrate when it’s time to turn. They’ll vibrate on the left. Stern, vibrate on the right for return. They’re very clear to say that for folks who are blind, this isn’t the only technology will need. Obviously to navigate safely, you’ll still need to be concerned about object in your path and still use your cane skills, but is an interesting augmentative device for navigation. They say the retail street price for these are going to be $40-$50 for folks who are blind or visually impaired or $100 for everybody else. It seems to be a fairly affordable kind of solution. I’ll stick a link in the show notes and you can check out this newest version of fibrin shoes to help folks were blind or visually impaired to navigate.
Today we’ve got a little bit of an unusual assistive technology toolbox segment. Normally when folks call in and talk about what’s in their assistive technology toolbox, they do it on the phone, on our listener line. However I have a new friend who’s visiting us here. His name is Ivan Simer, and he is an assistive technology user, and I talked him into coming in and sitting down in our studio to tell us what’s in his AT toolbox. First of all Ivan, how are you?
IVAN SIMER: Pretty good.
WADE WINGLER: Thank you for being here. I thought I would ask you what’s in your assistive technology toolbox can Mark
IVAN SIMER: Well, I have three or four things actually. I was born with glaucoma, and I’ve had several surgeries. I’m totally blind in the right eye, and I’ve got about 40 percent in the left. As anyone with a visual disability knows, your vision changes from day to day, week to week, good days and bad. So I use a variety of tools. I have Zoom Text that I use regularly, and sometimes my eyes get fatigued, and I’ll switch over to JAWS, and I’m finding more and more that that is actually going to be my tool of choice screen reader versus magnification. I am navigating through the computer processes much more quickly with that. I also use NVDA, that’s a great free screen reader that’s available. Also I have a candy grip. It’s a portable CCTV. It’s probably the size of a large, galaxy note 2 with a five inch screen. I also have a scanner where I can scan in text and have that read to me. I think Zoom Text has that function as well.
WADE WINGLER: it sounds like you have a lot of tools in your toolbox and to you some pretty effectively. Are the things that aren’t in your toolbox that you’d like to add Primark
IVAN SIMER: I would like to get a hold of an iPhone. The latest one, and I have an android phone. It’s a little older, and the assistive technology on that is improving, but the iPhone is far ahead of everyone else right now. They are really setting the standard for how AT should work on portable devices.
WADE WINGLER: Ivan, thank you so much for popping in and telling us what’s in your assistive technology toolbox.
IVAN SIMER: Thank you.
WADE WINGLER: Each week, one of our partners tells us what’s happening in the ever-changing world of apps, so here’s an App Worth Mentioning.
DARINA TARZACK: Today’s app is cause and effect sensory like box by Cognible. This app is like an electronic lava lamp or a light box with colorful images and music. This app is perfect for teaching cause and effect to users who are unfamiliar with an iPad or young users who don’t understand the idea of cause and effect or for Switch users because this app is Switch accessible which is a huge benefit. When you open the app, you see several choices for visual and auditory options that, once you make your selection, you go into the app and you see a blank screen. When the user touches the screen, you can have a glow worm with disco music follow your finger, or you can see fireworks everywhere that you tap the screen. It’s fabulous forgiving that really instant feedback of when you touch the screen, this really cool sound or this really cool image comes up to reward you. Like I said, it was initially designed for teens with autism, but we have used it with very young children or children with intellectual disabilities or autism or multiple disabilities. Because it has a visual component, it’s great for kids with hearing impairments because they still are able to see what happens when they touch. And because there is an auditory component, you hear the music, the banks, the raindrops, it’s great for kids with visual impairments as well because they can hear what happens when you touch the screen. With Switch users, you’re able to start and stop, and so realizing when you push this button, something cool happens on the screen in front of you. So making all of that connections really work for a broad range of people. And adults and teens and kids, it’s great for all ages. Another benefit in addition to being switch accessible is you don’t need to have super refined fine motor skills. You don’t just have to be able to use her finger, you can use a couple of fingers or you can do a whole hand or you can use a stylus to do it. But because this app is so interesting and motivating, it can help develop fine motor skills which is huge benefit. You can find this in the iTunes store for about three dollars, and it’s also available on the android market in the Google place door. So for more information on this app and others like it, visit BridgingApps.orc.
WADE WINGLER: I’m so excited today to be joined in my studio here in Indianapolis by my friend and colleague, Doctor Patricia Wright, from Easter Seals. Patricia, how are you?
PATRICIA WRIGHT: I’m great, Wade. It’s so fun to be here.
WADE WINGLER: I’m excited that you’re here. I’m sorry that my voice is hoarse and I’m dealing with getting over this nasty cold today. I’ve promised that I’ll set my phone far away from you so that you won’t get any of the residual germs that are hanging around me and my sick self.
PATRICIA WRIGHT: As long as you stay over there, we will be okay.
WADE WINGLER: I’m glad that you’re here visiting our center today. I wanted to pull you into the studio today and talk a little bit about a topic that I think is fascinating, and I think within the industry is something that people are talking about a lot. That is the impact of iPads or tablet computers on the world of autism and assistive technology. I thought we might start a little bit by playing some groundwork and talking about your role at Easter Seals and your experience in this issue, and then will jump into some of the more technical stuff. So tell us about yourself a little bit.
PATRICIA WRIGHT: I have this really great job where I get to work the Easter Seals affiliates throughout the United States supporting them to develop increased quality and capacity for serving people with autism. Certainly assistive technology is part of that. Many people with autism benefit from having access and support with assistive technology. Then I have another kind of components. I’m kind of a gadget girl. I like technology in general, and in my history, I did work for an AT manufacture at one point. So I have kind of an understanding of what technology development looks like.
WADE WINGLER: And you take that information out to the affiliates and kind of help them build capacity so that they can do a better job of doing the services.
PATRICIA WRIGHT: That’s right.
WADE WINGLER: So let’s talk a little bit about how assistive technology has changed for folks with autism in the past. When you think about assistive technology that used by folks with autism, I think about augmentative communication and those dedicated devices, and I also think about some of those prompting and reminding systems that have helped people who have Asperger’s deal with scheduling and navigation their academic environment and the exact that. Can you tell me a little bit about what you see as the history of those devices and how the iPad has kind of impact that over the last two years?
PATRICIA WRIGHT: Assistive technology, we use it to kind of mediate some the challenges, so people with autism have challenges and to core areas, social communication, but they also have issues around restrictive and repetitive behavior. When you think about augmentative and alternative communication, that really helps kind of mediate those challenges with communication, and those scheduling and prompting components that you talk about help with those issues around restrictive and repetitive behavior. There’s many people with autism who need to medication support and more formal assistive technology communication support for both receptive and expressive language. So we use it to help people understand language receptively and know what’s going to happen for schedules and expressively help them be able to communicate more effectively outwardly with others. Assistive technology, augmentative communication, I’ve been in the field for 30 years, and I can’t think of a point in my career when people with autism that I was supporting weren’t using augmentative and alternative communication. But there’s certainly been lots of changes. Back in the day, I spent a lot of time with paper and scissors cutting things out, gluing communication boards together, and then we kind of moved in to this kind of high-end, high tech realm, but you needed kind of a golf cart to move the devices around because they were so heavy. If you had a child, sometimes I think the device weighed more than the child. So with a tablet computer, these lights devices and the handheld PDA devices have been life altering.
WADE WINGLER: So you’re describing a situation where we went from having big laminator machine for some of those communication systems on paper to more computer-based systems at something that’s actually very portable. Which really mirrors the trajectory of technology in general. I think there’s a lot of comparison between what happens with mention technology and then technology for folks with autism.
PATRICIA WRIGHT: Yes, indeed. You and I are old enough to remember mainframe computers.
WADE WINGLER: Yep.
PATRICIA WRIGHT: And our little cards that were used to send to them. So from mainframes to as we officially call those computers with rear ends attached to them, and now we’ve got flat screens. The same is true in assistive technology, we just keep getting faster, better, cheaper, smaller.
WADE WINGLER: I think one of the impacts that I see is the fact that when you think about stigma associated with the use of assistive technology, tablets have changed that a little bit, because I have a lot of friends were walking around with the iPhone or the iPad or those kinds of devices, playing games, communication, email, Skype, this time. You and I have communicated in those methods before, so I think I’m seeing kind of a coming together of major technology and assistive technology.
PATRICIA WRIGHT: The human factor is something I don’t think we as professionals spent enough time talking about, so what do people want from their technology? Device abandonment is something that is spoken about related to augmentative and alternative communication. We do these vast assessments and we get the best device for the individual, and then we’re so proud of ourselves for individuals, and even though we try to engage the person that’s going to be using it, but six months later the person wants nothing to do with that piece of technology. That’s the human factor. Trying to be respectful about what people want. Carrying an iPhone around has no stigma attached. Tablet computers and that way – for you and I, it would be rare for us to go to a meeting now and that she one of our colleagues pull out a tablet to work on and take notes on. So that has improved the human factor, the fact that assistive technology lays on top of typical technology instead of technology that was highly specialized for people with disabilities.
WADE WINGLER: So you think of some of the changes that are happening with tablet computers and those kinds of things, what you see as some of the pros and cons related to that and how that impacts folks with disabilities?
PATRICIA WRIGHT: Certainly the pros is the human factor. That’s a huge component for me is the fact that people with disabilities are not stigmatized, they have access. Certainly when we can use more commercial technology, it decrease the cost for development. So if you don’t have to design specialist hardware, you can use the systems. I’m fascinated by the whole app movement of everyone can design, so when you have billions of people and their minds together, what are we going to come up with in that way. But the cons for me, there was a lot of effort from assistive technology companies put into research and development, and some pretty smart engineers had lots of time to be able to think about what’s best practice and do research on what’s best practice and work with academics to do what’s best practice is. I’m not wholly convinced that we’re not going to lose some of that in this new wave of how technology is developed. Then the other piece with it is concerning to me – and it’s not as big of a deal for people with autism, because most people with autism can use commercial communication, commercial technology and have access – some people with very complex can vacation needs and significant disabilities need alternative access. They need kind of robust systems that meet their unique needs. The commercial technology just doesn’t do that yet. So we’re going to continue to need those great we have engineers and those really amazing speech language pathologist to adopt systems for people with the greatest complexity around access and language.
WADE WINGLER: I’m glad that you mentioned that, because that’s a job security issue for me. But certainly I kind of agree. Whether or not you love or hate them, Steve Jobs always talk about the fact that as we move to more streamlined technology and more portable technology, there’s still going to be a need for what he called trucks. The still going to be a need for big computers and big service so not everything can be done with an iPad. I think that technology kind of holds true for assistive technology as well. You may have sleeker, less expensive apps that are going to meet the needs of a lot of people, but you’re still going to have folks to have those their unique needs and they’re going to need a more complex, robust system.
PATRICIA WRIGHT: That’s I think another con is sometimes I think in the community, we think iPads solve the world’s problems in the field of autism. It’s all been a lot of problems, and let’s get on the bus for sure, but we also need to be realize it’s not the panacea for all things. As with all technology and all of assistive technology, a good assessment, a good thoughtful look at how we’re addressing this issue. Like I said, I’m a gadget girl. I’m the first person to pick up a gadget, but gadgets don’t solve the unique challenge. If the application and looking at what you’re trying to improve: quality of life, not the gadget itself.
WADE WINGLER: I think that’s true. We like to throw tools at things. Like to throw toys at things and sometimes the solution isn’t the latest gadget. We talk about finding apps and finding apps that are useful, when I speak to groups, one of the examples I like to use is think about how easy it is to build an app. From a technical perspective, it’s not that hard to build apps. Think about the way that apps are sold. A lot of times apps are a dollar or two dollars, and I like to joke around that if you have a bunch of engineering students who are trying to earn beer money, the first thing they’re going to do is make a bunch of apps for $.99 that says Autism on them because they know from a keyword perspective that people would try an app that has Autism on it for one dollar and maybe it’s a useful thing and maybe it’s not. Unfortunately I’m seeing a lot of apps in the app store that are out there that are keyworded or have a title that says something about disability utilization, but when you actually try it, it’s not something that’s research-based. Is that something that well thought out. As people try to navigate and find apps that are useful for them, what kind of advice do you have to mark
PATRICIA WRIGHT: Well, there’s some great resources. Probably one you and I lean on a lot is called BridgingApps. They are people who evaluate and a really constructive way the apps that are out there. That’s a first end of support. I also think leaning on your professional team who may have some access to it, so your assistive technology professional, your speech pathologists, your educators. Check in with her other autism munication members. If you’re part of a support group, start asking other parents and family members. If you’re a person with autism, put something out there on a conversation board about what they’re using to remind them of their course load and schedule at the University. Two other people are using to use that social structure to inform you. I agree, we also need to hold people accountable. It’s not okay to fit from a disenfranchised population in general. If you’re downloading an app that’s horrific, put a comment out there about it. Most of us read the reviews before we purchased an app. At least a few of them. If you download an app and its horrible, put a review up there to say this was horrible and here’s why. Don’t just say this was awful, but say it was because it was Clichy and didn’t do what it said was going to be. This is what the review said, but it really didn’t. We can help kind of monitor the community in that way. If the app doesn’t sell, it will probably go away. We can help police our own community and that way as well.
WADE WINGLER: So what advice do you have for the assistive technology industry and practitioners in the industry and families in terms of considering app based technology for autism?
PATRICIA WRIGHT: First thing is get on the bus. It is here. Most of us who use technology in general have a tablet, so we’ve got a computer, you got a tablet, we’ve got a smartphone. Those are kind of the three categories. He wants to make sure that people with autism have the benefit of accessing all those devices as well. Tablet specific, first you want to identify from an assistive technology perspective. The tablet can do lots of things. It can be an entertainment device. It can be lots of things that is for the typical population. But if you’re going to load that also to be an assistive technology device, start asking questions. You have to first identify a need and then asking question about what you can do to mediate that need. If a person is having difficulty with communication, what level of vocabulary to they want to need of that device. Maybe Artie have a dedicated communication device that they use primarily for munication, but they want to be able to use this iPad fast and dirty on the bus. So they really only need access to a few hundred words on the device. Try to figure out what happens. If it’s going to be a dedicated indication device for them, then maybe they need a much more robust system. But my advice is start asking the questions about what it needs to do, not just hate there’s an app. Maybe it will do it. It’s what the need is first and then you start saying, I wonder what app would do that. Then that’s when you start heading out to the sites for reviews and asking questions of other professionals in your life and other family members who might have people with autism. Start asking those questions. The first is identified the need. Then find the app.
WADE WINGLER: That makes sense. We’ve got about a minute left. Tell me quickly what you see coming down the road. What’s in the future for apps and assistive technology for folks with autism?
PATRICIA WRIGHT: Kind of how we started out. Better, faster, cheaper, sleeker. I would like to think we will start having more self policing so we’ll start to see less plethora and better quality. People will start to identify those that are the leaders in the app development. Those really are going to be the winners and that. Then I also think that we might have some better strategies for how we try out apps. I’d like to see a time when it’s like, do I get a minute trial with that, do I get H2 minute trial with that so I can actually see what it does. Consumers are going to be more demanding of their purchasing power before we keep downloading even cheap apps, because 100 two-dollar apps add up. I think that will start to have better consumer power in that universe to be able to try things out.
WADE WINGLER: So if folks want to continue the conversation with you, do you have contact information you like to share?
PATRICIA WRIGHT: The best place we have is easterseals.com to find out what’s happening in the national level. This also a blog on there. We talk a little bit about assistive technology on the Easter Seals blog. You can always reach me again through that Easter Seals.com website.
WADE WINGLER: excellent. My friend and colleague, Doctor Patricia Wright, is a National Director for Autism Services at Easter Seals. Thank you for being here today.
PATRICIA WRIGHT: thank you, Wade. Always a pleasure.
WADE WINGLER: Do you have a question about assistive technology? Do you have a suggestion for someone we should interview on Assistive Technology Update? Call our listener line at 317-721-7124. Looking for show notes from today’s show? Head on over to EasterSealstech.com. Shoot us a note on Twitter @INDATAProject, or check us out on Facebook. That was your assistance technology update. I’m Wade Wingler with the INDATA Project at Easter Seals Crossroads in Indiana.