Realizing the multi-faceted strengths of its product, the manufacturer of the
KNFB Reader Mobile
Is now also marketing the
handheld OCR device to people with learning disabilities.
The latest stage for the innovative assistive technology device is the Chicago Hilton, the host of the currently on-going annual conference of the
Learning Disabilities Association of America.
(Warning: this site had audio streaming when I loaded it. I don’t know if that is always the case, but be warned.)
Product information from the official KNFB press release:
“The pocket-sized device is the first of its kind, and enables users to take pictures of and then read most printed materials at the push of a button, using the high-resolution camera in the state-of-the-art Nokia N82 cell phone. Users can hear documents, signs, menus, receipts, even currency - most any printed text - read aloud in clear synthetic speech, at an adjustable speed.”
“KNFB Reading Technology is the brain child of Ray Kurzweil, a thirty-year innovator and pioneer in assistive technologies and the inventor of the world's first print-to-speech reading machine. The kReader uses a combination of unique intelligent image-processing software with text-to-speech and text-tracking features, which makes interpreting text much easier for individuals with learning disabilities. They can now enlarge, read, track, and highlight text using the phone's large, easy-to-read display.”
Given the background of the Kurzweil 1000 and 3000 products, the KNFB Reader Mobile seems a logical advance in integration of these two pieces of assistive technology. Using the video screen of the cell phone as a text magnifier for people who are visually impaired seems like a no-brainer, but I tip my hat to Mr. Kurzweil for employing the K3000 aspects in the Mobile Reader to also make it usable by people with LD.
If interested in pricing and related information, you may wish to read my
earlier post announcing this product.
Showing posts with label Learning Disabilities. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Learning Disabilities. Show all posts
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
LD podcast offers good resource
I just discovered the
LD Podcast
Blog through one of my news alerts. Just looking over the subjects of recent podcasts, it appears very interesting and appropriate for anybody seeking an informational resource for learning disabilities.
The link above is for just the blog, which is how I found the podcast. However, there is a richer and more comprehensive web site, including the same text from the blog on the podcast's home page,
ldpodcast.com
What first caught my eye, er, ears, was The podcast’s Show #72 which featured an interview with Ben Mitchell, Director of Admissions at
Landmark College.
For those who don’t know, Landmark is a college specializing in presenting a postsecondary learning environment for students with learning disabilities and ADHD.
From that firstintroduction, I checked out the blog and main web page much more thoroughly. I haven’t listened to any more podcasts yet, but, like I said, it strikes me as very interesting. And, the main web site is rich in supportive resources.
Additional: The interview with Ben Mitchell is a two-parter, concluded in Show #73.
Also, for trivia buffs, check out the second part, or read the blog to find out who is the most famous graduate of Landmark College.
LD Podcast
Blog through one of my news alerts. Just looking over the subjects of recent podcasts, it appears very interesting and appropriate for anybody seeking an informational resource for learning disabilities.
The link above is for just the blog, which is how I found the podcast. However, there is a richer and more comprehensive web site, including the same text from the blog on the podcast's home page,
ldpodcast.com
What first caught my eye, er, ears, was The podcast’s Show #72 which featured an interview with Ben Mitchell, Director of Admissions at
Landmark College.
For those who don’t know, Landmark is a college specializing in presenting a postsecondary learning environment for students with learning disabilities and ADHD.
From that firstintroduction, I checked out the blog and main web page much more thoroughly. I haven’t listened to any more podcasts yet, but, like I said, it strikes me as very interesting. And, the main web site is rich in supportive resources.
Additional: The interview with Ben Mitchell is a two-parter, concluded in Show #73.
Also, for trivia buffs, check out the second part, or read the blog to find out who is the most famous graduate of Landmark College.
Friday, October 12, 2007
University of Arizona to loan laptops to students with learning disabilities
The University of Arizona, with the assistance of a donation of more than $25,000 from Gateway, is launching a novel program to loan
laptop computers to students with learning disabilities.
The group of incoming freshmen have been identified by their academic need and predicted academic difficulty.
As long as the students maintain a grade of C or better, they can keep the laptops for the duration of their time at the university.
However, what makes this endeavor truly unique is that the students will also attend a class twice a week covering a variety of topics. Subjects will include the campus computer network, computer security, anti-virus applications, campus library computer resources, and training on software, as well as other computer skills.
I would hope that specific computer tools, such as Kurzweil 3000, would be identified to assist each student individually and training be included for them. It may be, but the news article does not specifically say so.
laptop computers to students with learning disabilities.
The group of incoming freshmen have been identified by their academic need and predicted academic difficulty.
As long as the students maintain a grade of C or better, they can keep the laptops for the duration of their time at the university.
However, what makes this endeavor truly unique is that the students will also attend a class twice a week covering a variety of topics. Subjects will include the campus computer network, computer security, anti-virus applications, campus library computer resources, and training on software, as well as other computer skills.
I would hope that specific computer tools, such as Kurzweil 3000, would be identified to assist each student individually and training be included for them. It may be, but the news article does not specifically say so.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
College Internship Program offers promise for students with Aspergers and learning differences
Imagine a college internship geared specifically towards students with learning differences and Aspergers. Now, what if I told you that this is not just in the imagination, but a reality which is already up and running.
I first learned about the
College Internship Program,
Or CIP, on the latest edition of the
Disability 411 podcast.
On D-411's Show 47, host Beth Case interviews Janet Miller, the Program Director of CIP’s newly-opened Berkeley, California psite.
So what exactly is CIP?
According to Ms. Miller, CIP is “a residential program for 18-25 (sometimes 26) year olds with Asperger’s and non-verbal learning disability predominantly. We do have some other students who enter.”
The Berkeley Center is the fourth program that CIP operates. The other programs are at the Berkshires in Lee, Massachusetts, the Brevard Center in Melbourne, Florida, and Bloomington, Indiana.
There is a lot of information about the CIP program in the interview. Basically, it is a residential program to work on the social deficits or independent living problems that are common with Asperger’s and learning disabilities, coupled with at least one college class for the students to gain academic experience. It is a 3-4 year program with, what Ms. Miller describes as what appears to be a high cost. However, she emphasizes that CIP does have funding sources available, including an alliance with Sally Mae.
Something I personally found very intriguing in the D-411 interview was the story about Dr. Michael McMannon, CIP’s Executive Director and founder of the program. Miller says, “He will tell you right out on his website that he himself, in his fifties, like five or six years ago, was diagnosed with Asperger’s… Here’s this man who had been a high, high functioning multi-tasker guy, you know, who had an employee, a longtime employee, come to him with a list a few years ago and said, “Michael, here’s a list of twenty traits of something called Aspberger’s Syndrome. You have nineteen of them.” From this, Dr. McMannon drew his inspiration to develop CIP.
For more comprehensive information about the program, check out the CIP web site and also the podcast.
(Note: The Disability 411 podcasts are always posted with a transcript available. If you are unable to listen to the audio, then click on the link and read the transcript. Like I’ve said before, if your work is worth producing in the first place, then it is worth producing in an alternate format.)
Finally, if you want the latest information about the program, CIP also provides updates on the
Asperger’s Syndrome & LD Blog.
I first learned about the
College Internship Program,
Or CIP, on the latest edition of the
Disability 411 podcast.
On D-411's Show 47, host Beth Case interviews Janet Miller, the Program Director of CIP’s newly-opened Berkeley, California psite.
So what exactly is CIP?
According to Ms. Miller, CIP is “a residential program for 18-25 (sometimes 26) year olds with Asperger’s and non-verbal learning disability predominantly. We do have some other students who enter.”
The Berkeley Center is the fourth program that CIP operates. The other programs are at the Berkshires in Lee, Massachusetts, the Brevard Center in Melbourne, Florida, and Bloomington, Indiana.
There is a lot of information about the CIP program in the interview. Basically, it is a residential program to work on the social deficits or independent living problems that are common with Asperger’s and learning disabilities, coupled with at least one college class for the students to gain academic experience. It is a 3-4 year program with, what Ms. Miller describes as what appears to be a high cost. However, she emphasizes that CIP does have funding sources available, including an alliance with Sally Mae.
Something I personally found very intriguing in the D-411 interview was the story about Dr. Michael McMannon, CIP’s Executive Director and founder of the program. Miller says, “He will tell you right out on his website that he himself, in his fifties, like five or six years ago, was diagnosed with Asperger’s… Here’s this man who had been a high, high functioning multi-tasker guy, you know, who had an employee, a longtime employee, come to him with a list a few years ago and said, “Michael, here’s a list of twenty traits of something called Aspberger’s Syndrome. You have nineteen of them.” From this, Dr. McMannon drew his inspiration to develop CIP.
For more comprehensive information about the program, check out the CIP web site and also the podcast.
(Note: The Disability 411 podcasts are always posted with a transcript available. If you are unable to listen to the audio, then click on the link and read the transcript. Like I’ve said before, if your work is worth producing in the first place, then it is worth producing in an alternate format.)
Finally, if you want the latest information about the program, CIP also provides updates on the
Asperger’s Syndrome & LD Blog.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Irish web sites employing built-in assistive technology
There is an interesting bit of assistive technology news discussed in a news article on the Irish Developers Network web site. What I think makes it interesting is that the assistive technology is being promoted to be employed by the developers of the web content, instead of on the users’ computers.
According to the article, an Irish retail banking institution is employing
Browsealoud technology
on its web site.
The Browsealoud technology reads the web content aloud while also highlighting the word that is being read. This technology is being targeted towards users who have learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, as well as people who have mild vision impairments. The article also mentioned how those who spoke other languages could benefit from the software.
Additionally, the article also mentions other entities aside from the bank who have begun employing this particular software, which means it is not a unique quirk of implementation.
Some of the latest features this software allows the webmaster to consider:
• Dual Colour Highlighting making it easier for web users to read and interact online, thereby, improving comprehension.
• High Quality Voices, customisable by the webmaster and adjustable reading speeds to suit individual requirements.
• Online dictionary allowing Users to look up the definitions of words.
• Ability to save online content and listen to it offline through the MP3 facility
• Ability to have selected text magnified and read aloud to them.
• continuous reading option allows Whole pages read aloud at a time.
• Hyperlinks, HTML, Java and PDF documents can also be read with the technology.
There was also a strong statement about web accessibility which was made in the article, but was not attributed to any individual, so I’ll assume it was the opinion of the article’s author. It is a quote worth repeating.
“Website accessibility should be a concern for everyone, from public establishments to big and small corporations. Making sure that website visitors can access all information which has been carefully written and selected for an organisation’s website is of key importance in order to ensure that customers and clients are fully informed and receive the correct messages.”
I am an advocate for web accessibility and will speak up in whatever forums I need to do so to bring awareness to others. While the assistive technology this software employs is not new, and is not the first time I’ve heard of it being employed by the producer of a web site, it is the first time I have seen its employment on a large scale project. Maybe they have the right idea here. Make the content accessible in the first place. Granted, this software makes only the one web site accessible, but if all sites employed such insight, the entire web could be accessible.
Finally, while this software would bring access to the web, it would not make other assistive technology obsolete. There would still be a need to use magnifiers and screen readers to access other programs aside from the web browser. Still, it is a good innovation to see.
According to the article, an Irish retail banking institution is employing
Browsealoud technology
on its web site.
The Browsealoud technology reads the web content aloud while also highlighting the word that is being read. This technology is being targeted towards users who have learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, as well as people who have mild vision impairments. The article also mentioned how those who spoke other languages could benefit from the software.
Additionally, the article also mentions other entities aside from the bank who have begun employing this particular software, which means it is not a unique quirk of implementation.
Some of the latest features this software allows the webmaster to consider:
• Dual Colour Highlighting making it easier for web users to read and interact online, thereby, improving comprehension.
• High Quality Voices, customisable by the webmaster and adjustable reading speeds to suit individual requirements.
• Online dictionary allowing Users to look up the definitions of words.
• Ability to save online content and listen to it offline through the MP3 facility
• Ability to have selected text magnified and read aloud to them.
• continuous reading option allows Whole pages read aloud at a time.
• Hyperlinks, HTML, Java and PDF documents can also be read with the technology.
There was also a strong statement about web accessibility which was made in the article, but was not attributed to any individual, so I’ll assume it was the opinion of the article’s author. It is a quote worth repeating.
“Website accessibility should be a concern for everyone, from public establishments to big and small corporations. Making sure that website visitors can access all information which has been carefully written and selected for an organisation’s website is of key importance in order to ensure that customers and clients are fully informed and receive the correct messages.”
I am an advocate for web accessibility and will speak up in whatever forums I need to do so to bring awareness to others. While the assistive technology this software employs is not new, and is not the first time I’ve heard of it being employed by the producer of a web site, it is the first time I have seen its employment on a large scale project. Maybe they have the right idea here. Make the content accessible in the first place. Granted, this software makes only the one web site accessible, but if all sites employed such insight, the entire web could be accessible.
Finally, while this software would bring access to the web, it would not make other assistive technology obsolete. There would still be a need to use magnifiers and screen readers to access other programs aside from the web browser. Still, it is a good innovation to see.
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