Hello, my name is John Paul Harris and I am the Wyoming AIM Clearinghouse project coordinator at the Wyoming Institute for Disabilities. I work with educators and individuals across the state of Wyoming to enhance the accessibility of devices, services, and education curriculum. Today, we are going to talk about the iPad, accessibility features of the iPad, and apps. Overall, we want to ask you: “do you have the App factor?”
My Fellow presenters are Darcy Regan, a speech language pathologist with the Wyoming Institute for Disabilities, and Wendy Alameda, Wyoming Assistive Technology Resources project coordinator, and also with the Wyoming Institute for Disabilities.
Let’s get started.
The overview for today is:
1. iPad built-in accessibility features available for free!
a. Zoom
b. Large text
c. Inverted colors
d. VoiceOver (text-to-speech)
e. Assistive Touch
2. Then, we will discuss what is the “App Factor”.
Learning outcomes. When you finish this module I want you to be able to:
1. Identify the available built-in accessibility features of the iPad.
2. Identify useful features of apps and then be able to match to an AIM type.
3. Be able to locate additional resources.
iPad built-in accessibility features. There is a lot you can do with the iPad out-of-the-box to support accessible instructional materials. To find these useful features, we will go to the Accessibility menu.
__DEMO
I will select the Settings icon from the iPad home screen and then select the General button from the left-hand list. Now, on the right-hand side of the screen select the Accessibility button.
First, we will turn on Zoom. Select the Zoom setting from the right-side menu. Then, swipe to turn on Zoom.
You will notice the Zoom tool has magnified the top-right of my screen and the rest of the screen is out-of-view. I can move around the screen by dragging three fingers. I can also double-tap three fingers and drag to change zoom.
Notice the instructions below the Zoom setting:
· Double-tap three fingers to zoom
· Drag three fingers to move around the screen
· Double-tap three fingers and drag to change zoom
Let’s go back to the Accessibility settings page and turn on Large Text. I will click the Accessibility back button at the top of the page. Now, I will select the Large Text button. I am going to set the font size to 40 pt.
The Zoom and Large Text features are a great match for students with low vision and in need of large print instructional materials.
In settings where students will use a hard copy textbook or workbook, the Wyoming Institute for Disabilities can provide digital accessible instructional materials, such as a Word document or PDF, to allow the student access to the instructional materials on the iPad. These digital materials can be displayed with Large Text or viewed with the Magnifier feature.
I am going to use the Zoom and Large Text features to read a science textbook.
__DEMO
Let’s go back to the Accessibility settings page, again, to turn on the Invert Colors feature. I will swipe the Invert Colors button to turn the feature on. This is the only color option for the Invert Colors feature.
__DEMO
Now, I can use all three of these features to read the science textbook. The Invert Colors feature provides more contrast to the science figures and graphs. This increased contrast can also be helpful for reading text on the iPad. The Invert Colors feature benefits many iPad users, not just students with print disabilities. The Invert Colors feature is popular with people who read in dark environments, such as night time reading.
__[BACK TO ACCESSIBILITY MENU]
I want you to notice all of the accessibility features available from the Accessibility menu.
We have:
1. Zoom
2. Large Text
3. Invert Colors
4. VoiceOver
5. Guided Access
6. AssistiveTouch
We have reviewed the first three accessibility features and now we will cover some more.
Next, we will review VoiceOver. I will enable VoiceOver from the Accessibility menu. I will select the VoiceOver menu button and tehn swipe to turn on. Notice the instructions below the VoiceOver button:
Tap once to select an item
Double-tap to activate the selected item
Swipe three fingers to scroll
Before we begin to use VoiceOver I want to show you the VoiceOver Practice feature, just below the VoiceOver button. We can use this to practice different swipe gestures and identify the action of swipe gestures.
__VoiceOver Practice
Did you notice when I swiped up or down the associated action was “Move to previous item using rotor settings”?
VoiceOver Rotor
The rotor feature is useful when navigating a website, itunes, or any well structured document. We can use the rotor feature to navigate by headings, form fields, etc.
To use the rotor feature, use two fingers and turn clockwise or counterclockwise.
__DEMO ROTOR WITH VOICEOVER PRACTICE
Next, I will demonstrate Guided Access. Guided Access is a feature every educator should know. Guided Access locks the iPad to one app. For example, a student who needs to use only one app to complete an in-class assignment, such as a calculator app.
__DEMO
To turn on Guided Access go to Settings, General, Accessibility and select Guided Access. We will need to set a passcode that only the educator knows. I will use “1-2-3-4” as the passcode. Now, I will return to the home screen and open the app I want the student to use for the classroom assignment. To activate Guided Access in the desired app, triple-click the Home button, select Guided Access from the pop-up list, then select “Start” in the top right corner.
To unlock the app, triple-click the home button, enter passcode, and then select “end” in the top left corner.
__PowerPoint
Next, we will review AssistiveTouch. Consider all the interactions most people have with the iPad:
Swiping
Shaking
Double-tapping
Triple-tapping
Adjusting the volume
All require precise movements of our fingers and arms. AssistiveTouch gives students with physical disabilities the same interaction with a very simple gesture: a tap.
__DEMO
To enable AssistiveTouch go to Settings, General, Accessibility and then select AssistiveTouch.
1. Welcome/Introduction
(1) My name is Wendy Alameda and I am the project coordinator for WATR (Wyoming Assistive Technology Resources), AgrAbility, and iCanConnect. Today I would like to share some information with you about iDevices and apps. As of June, there are 900,000 apps available in the iTunes store. That is a lot of apps to explore and learn about and it can be overwhelming when looking for something you need. Today I am going to share my top 10 literacy and vision apps with you. Please keep in mind that due to time constraints I will not be able to cover everything each app is capable of doing. I will be covering my favorite features and those that I think are most beneficial to the widest group of participants.
1. Claro PDF
An accessible, professional and user-friendly PDF viewer, Reader and Annotator. (what is a PDF? a file format that provides an electronic image of text or text and graphics that looks like a printed document and can be viewed, printed, and electronically transmitted.)
· Built in human quality voices with synchronized colored highlighting options
· Compatible with VoiceOver
· Smart Zoom
· Full text search & navigation
$5.99 – in app purchases for additional voices
2. Pocket
When you find an interesting article, video or web page that you want to read, watch or view later, put it in Pocket. Once it is in Pocket it will automatically sync across to your phone, tablet, and computer so you can view it anytime on any device, even without an internet connection.
It has been called the “DVR for the web”.
$ free
3. VoiceDream Reader
Makes written text accessible to everyone. This app allows you to: load and manage text, listen to text, and interact with the text.
Control how text sounds in speech and how text looks on screen to suit every reading style; completely audio, completely visual or a synchronized combination of both.
$9.99 - in app purchases for additional voices
4. iReadWrite
Easy to use reading and writing app runs directly on the iPad with no Wi-Fi or 3G access needed. Includes powerful support features that benefit struggling readers and writers of all ages, especially those with dyslexia, dysgraphia, or other learning difficulties.
· Text to speech with dual color highlighting
· Contextual word predication
· Phonetic spell checker
· Sounds like confusable word checker
· Text and picture dictionary
· Customizable background and text colors
· Choice of voices and fonts
· Importing and sharing documents
· Share, print, and export documents
$19.99
5. NaviDys
Browser designed to facilitate reading on the web. Many settings are available and you can precisely adjust the font for your eyes.
· Change settings in real time
· Change the font
· Adjust font size
· Adjust the spacing between letters
· Adjust the spacing between lines
· Zoom in on all web pages
$2.99
6. Prizmo
Universal photo based scanner app that lets you scan and recognize text documents, business cards, and images, and then export them as PDF, Text, vCard, or JPEG or PNG. Prizmo uses state of the art technologies, like highly accurate OCR (Optical Character Recognition), real time page detection, and beautiful image cleanup.
· Fully compatible with VoiceOver: provides guidance to help position your iDevice when taking document pictures and will find the text orientation automatically
· Quick capture mode provides a fast path from picture to speech synthesis
$9.99 – in app purchases for additional voices
7. Digit-Eyes
Reads barcode labels. Scan UPC/EAN codes (Universal Product Code/European Article Number) to hear the names of over 34 million products. You can even make your own QR (Quick Response) labels on the Digit-Eyes website and print them on inexpensive address labels. These barcoded labels may contain text that VoiceOver reads aloud or they can be used to record audio on your iPhone or iPad that is played back whenever the bar code is scanned.
$19.99
8. Talking Calculator
This calculator has large colorful buttons, optimal high contrast, full VoiceOver support, and the option to use speech for answers, button names and formulas.
· Select between standard calculator and ultra-simple.
· Read answers, entered numbers and formulas aloud.
· Paper log feature, designed for classroom use. Calculations are recorded and timestamp and can be viewed or emailed.
$1.99
9. LookTel Money Reader
Instantly recognizes currency and speaks the denomination, enabling an individual to quickly and easily identify and count bills. Twenty one currencies are supported.
No need to hold the iOS device still or capture a photo and wait for a result, recognition happens instantly. Does not require an internet connection.
$9.99
10. TapTap See
Designed to help identify objects encountered in their daily life.
Double tap the screen to take a photo of anything and hear the app speak the identification back to you.
*Spoken identification requires VoiceOver to be turned on.
$free
There are MANY great apps available and many more being developed every day! Please contact us and let us know if there is something specific you are looking for.
Predictable is a communication app that was developed by Tbox Apps in the UK. Predictable is a switch-accessible communication app with word prediction. Predictable contains US English, British English, Australian English, Spanish, Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian languages. Predictable uses an on-screen keyboard, and will also allow input through handwriting. The user can type their message on the keyboard; and as it appears in the message window, it will speak the message aloud. You can choose to clear the text in the message window by clearing the last letter, last word, or entire message. Predictable will save the user’s most commonly used phrases, as they will be saved in the History Pages. You can also use the word prediction feature in the app, as you may have noticed words appearing here as you were typing. When you use the prediction strip frequently; it will learn which words you commonly use. The prediction strip will also manage high frequency spelling errors; so that if you accidently type, “hte,” it will recognize it as “the.” You can also send an email, or access Facebook and Twitter directly from the app when you are using Wi-Fi or your 3G /4G network. In the handwriting mode, you are able to write a letter while the prediction strip will show all the words that begin with that letter. Once you write a letter or word, you can select it to go into the message window.
Our next app is TouchChat HD. TouchChat HD offers several different vocabulary templates to support different levels of communication. Vocab PC was designed by Speech-Language Pathologist Gail VanTatenhove for adults and adolescents with developmental disabilities. Vocab PC is found in the 12 location page layout. VocabPC offers both landscape and portrait settings, and uses carrier phrases, interactive sentences, activity vocabulary, and naming words. The spelling page uses a QWERTY keyboard with four word prediction buttons, and a few pre-stored phrases. Multichat 15 is designed for those with emerging language skills. MulitChat 15 uses sentences, phrases, individual words, and digitized recordings for storytelling. MultiChat 15 also allows for the use of Visual Scenes, and the ability to program phrases from school to home and vice versa. Word Power was developed by Speech Pathologist Nancy Inman. Word Power was designed to create sentences “on the fly.” Word Power uses high-frequency core words for quick and easy message generation. In Word Power 80, when the user taps on the descriptor button; then, taps on the letter “f” it will bring up all descriptor words that start with the letter “f.” Social chat will allow you to share with what is in your message window on FaceBook. Just hold down the message window button and select “share.”
TouchChat HD allows switch scanning; and allows you the option of using SymbolStix symbols, PCS symbols, your own images, or photos with the built in camera. TouchChat HD has high quality text to speech and a pronunciation editor. You can also create Visual Scene Displays on Touch Chat; however, all hot spots are created in a grid layout. iShare is a subscription based service that allows you to back up your own device to the computer and download various page sets and vocabulary files. The first year iShare is free.