The folks at
Serotek
Have done it again! They are offering another piece of their powerful System Access Network at no cost to a slice of the population that might otherwise not have access to it.
With their new
Keys for K-12
Program, Serotek is allowing blind students in grades K-12 to have at no cost, a license for using the company’s System Access Mobile that is carried on a thumb drive. Serotek is supplying everything but the thumb drives, which are available at a low cost from most retailers of electronics.
It is very benevelant of Serotek to do this, especially in light of the company previously donating the license costs that allows any blind person to use their
System Access To Go
screen reader at no cost via the
Accessibility Is A Right
foundation.
From the official KK12 web site:
“For children in the 21st century, using a computer is as basic as learning to read or riding a bike. Serotek Corporation is introducing a program today that will put blind children on the same page with their sighted peers -- giving them the ability to use a computer anytime, anywhere, with help from Keys for K-12 (kk12.)”
“Keys for K-12 is a free license to carry the System Access Mobile capabilities on a portable thumb drive. With the SA Mobile Software, your student can plug his or her flash drive into any computer, anywhere, and have instant access -- through text-to-speech and/or magnification -- to all Windows-based applications already there.”
“At school, the library, Grandma's house or a sleepover, a blind child can access the same information on the computer as any sighted student who can see the screen.”
“A licensed copy of System Access Mobile sells for $499.00, and now students K-12 can have it for free!”
For more information, including student application procedures, go the the official KK12 site linked above.
Update: 07/11/08
One might ask, “Why does Serotek do this?” For a good understanding of the reasons why this innovative assistive technology company operates in this giving and compassionate manner, read company president and founder
Mike Calvo’s recent blog post.
I have followed Mike’s ascent in the assistive technology field for some time now, to see him rise to his current point of prominence , and continue to be impressed by this intelligent and caring man. His star continues to rise and I predict that it will do so for some time to come. Read that post and you'll also understand why I say that .
Showing posts with label Computer Accessibility. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Computer Accessibility. Show all posts
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Assistive technology continues to evolve, becoming more mainstream
Most often, the steps that assistive technology uses to make computers accessible to people with disabilities is to allow them an alternative method of inputting information into the computer. This is true for screen readers, which allow the operator to use keyboard commands to perform mouse executions; speech input, which allows hands-free computer operation; thought-actuated computer programs, which can execute computer functions by mere thought; head pointers that let people without arm functionality point to the screen to execute commands; and, the various alternative mice that are on the market, which use footpads and other methods to allow input and do not require hand or fingers to operate them.
I’ve recently written posts highlighting advances that demonstrate how
Assistive technology has become more mainstream,
and, more recently, how
Man and machine are integrating much more than ever before.
In that last post, I was struck by the words of the reporter who was chronicling those events on a morning news program. He said that the way technology often works is that it is developed to meet a medical need first, and is very expensive. Then, later it evolves into something more affordable when it becomes more mainstream and applications are developed for the general public.
Immediately, I thought of botox. It was used first here in the U.S. to relieve spasticity in people who have various forms of dystonia. I was actually a little floored when a friend who got botox treatments for her cerebral palsy first told me about the medication and that it was derived from the toxin in botulism cells. That was several years ago, prior to botox becoming legalized for cosmetic applications. Today, you can’t turn on any television celebrity gossip show that doesn’t discuss the latest star getting botox treatments as cosmetic surgery.
Then, I looked at the marvels of assistive technology, just as the reporter was intending. And, here today, I offer proof of the reporter’s assessment.
First, The BBC reports about how
headset controllers using thought and emotion actuation
are the coming trends for gamers. And, as the reporter predicted, the unit is refined from the older versions, which were assistive technology of a unique sort. It no longer requires electrode arrays with gel on the scalp. And the cost is projected to be only $399, not the tens of thousands of dollars previous versions have cost to provide alternative computer input.
Do I think the technology in the gamer’s headset is comparable to that of somebody who would use thought input to operate a computer? Not at all, at least not yet. We all know that technology evolves, and this is equally true for assistive technology. Give it time and the gamer’s unit in just a few years will outperform the current assistive technology devices of today by leaps and bounds. And, I predict this will be mutually beneficial, providing greater accessibility and lowering costs for all.
Additionally, good old Microsoft is looking to its next big thing, called Windows 7 (for now,) which will incorporate input via
speech and touch.
Here again, if Microsoft is putting something into its system, eventually we will all have it. If not from Microsoft, then it will be from other computer companies that will offer their version just to stay competitive.
And, while robots aren’t exactly mainstream yet, understanding how a robot learns and
applying that to the ultimate robotic hand
definitely has broad implications for the future of prosthetics and assistive technology.
Perhaps that reporter was correct.
Note: Thanks to the editors of
Axistive.com
For the original information about the robotic hand.)
I’ve recently written posts highlighting advances that demonstrate how
Assistive technology has become more mainstream,
and, more recently, how
Man and machine are integrating much more than ever before.
In that last post, I was struck by the words of the reporter who was chronicling those events on a morning news program. He said that the way technology often works is that it is developed to meet a medical need first, and is very expensive. Then, later it evolves into something more affordable when it becomes more mainstream and applications are developed for the general public.
Immediately, I thought of botox. It was used first here in the U.S. to relieve spasticity in people who have various forms of dystonia. I was actually a little floored when a friend who got botox treatments for her cerebral palsy first told me about the medication and that it was derived from the toxin in botulism cells. That was several years ago, prior to botox becoming legalized for cosmetic applications. Today, you can’t turn on any television celebrity gossip show that doesn’t discuss the latest star getting botox treatments as cosmetic surgery.
Then, I looked at the marvels of assistive technology, just as the reporter was intending. And, here today, I offer proof of the reporter’s assessment.
First, The BBC reports about how
headset controllers using thought and emotion actuation
are the coming trends for gamers. And, as the reporter predicted, the unit is refined from the older versions, which were assistive technology of a unique sort. It no longer requires electrode arrays with gel on the scalp. And the cost is projected to be only $399, not the tens of thousands of dollars previous versions have cost to provide alternative computer input.
Do I think the technology in the gamer’s headset is comparable to that of somebody who would use thought input to operate a computer? Not at all, at least not yet. We all know that technology evolves, and this is equally true for assistive technology. Give it time and the gamer’s unit in just a few years will outperform the current assistive technology devices of today by leaps and bounds. And, I predict this will be mutually beneficial, providing greater accessibility and lowering costs for all.
Additionally, good old Microsoft is looking to its next big thing, called Windows 7 (for now,) which will incorporate input via
speech and touch.
Here again, if Microsoft is putting something into its system, eventually we will all have it. If not from Microsoft, then it will be from other computer companies that will offer their version just to stay competitive.
And, while robots aren’t exactly mainstream yet, understanding how a robot learns and
applying that to the ultimate robotic hand
definitely has broad implications for the future of prosthetics and assistive technology.
Perhaps that reporter was correct.
Note: Thanks to the editors of
Axistive.com
For the original information about the robotic hand.)
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