One of the issues I try to stress most to high school students I work with is how different college will be for them, as opposed to their K-12 experience. So, you can imagine the smile I got when I found a web site designed specifically for college-bound teens with disabilities.
Aptly titled,
Going to College,
The web site (developed by
Virginia Commonwealth University)
proclaims itself “A resource for teens with disabilities.”
The site breaks down into three primary areas of focus:
My Place – where the student will do some self analysis to identify strengths and learning styles to help in goal setting.
Campus Life – describing what the student can expect at the college and what professors will expect, as well as accommodations and assistive technology.
Planning for college – how to proactively prepare today for college tomorrow.
Its great to see something so unique as this put together. Now, all we have to do is spread the word about it.
(A special thanks to the
Disability Studies, Temple U.
blog for this valuable information.)
Showing posts with label Web sites. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Web sites. Show all posts
Friday, April 17, 2009
Saturday, August 02, 2008
100 Web Tools for Learning with a Disability
For a good and fairly comprehensive listing of assistive technologies to assist a wide spectrum of disabilities, check out
100 Web Tools for Learning with a Disability.
This rich article includes links for both free and paid software titles in the following categories:
This is one of several articles posted in the library on
CollegeDegree.com,
a web site that matches users’ fields of interest with accredited, online, college programs. The site reports having 1049 programs and 115 colleges in its database.
I didn’t spend a lot of time looking over the colleges and programs on the home page, but the site has user configurable settings to narrow the search. Spend some time there and check it out if you’re interested. If you do, please leave a comment and share your thoughts.
However, even without anything else, just that one article in the library makes it worthwhile. There are a few others listed on the home page, and a few more on the
Library page.
100 Web Tools for Learning with a Disability.
This rich article includes links for both free and paid software titles in the following categories:
- * Text to speech
- * Alternative formats
- * Math help
- * Physical disabilities
- * Language disabilities
- * Visual disabilities
- * Hearing impairment
- * General disability
- * Concept mapping
- * Web browsing
This is one of several articles posted in the library on
CollegeDegree.com,
a web site that matches users’ fields of interest with accredited, online, college programs. The site reports having 1049 programs and 115 colleges in its database.
I didn’t spend a lot of time looking over the colleges and programs on the home page, but the site has user configurable settings to narrow the search. Spend some time there and check it out if you’re interested. If you do, please leave a comment and share your thoughts.
However, even without anything else, just that one article in the library makes it worthwhile. There are a few others listed on the home page, and a few more on the
Library page.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Diabetic Days: a good tool for managing lifestyle through technology
Thanks to
Fred’s Head Companion
For tipping me to the following information.
If you or somebody you know is a diabetic, here is a web site you might find very useful.
Diabetic Days
Is much more than just an online community of diabetics. However, that communal link is definitely one of the strengths Diabetic Days offers its members.
The ability to use online reporting and exporting/sharing of insulin diaries and the like is a great step in involving today's ubiquitous technologies such as cell phones and SMS messaging to manage one’s health. Some very cool innovation, indeed.
Fred’s Head Companion
For tipping me to the following information.
If you or somebody you know is a diabetic, here is a web site you might find very useful.
Diabetic Days
Is much more than just an online community of diabetics. However, that communal link is definitely one of the strengths Diabetic Days offers its members.
Diabetic Days is a new FREE website that allows anyone, anywhere to easily keep a track of their Diabetic life.
WHAT DOES IT OFFER?
• Submit your records via the web, email, or mobile phone (sms).
• Never carry an insulin diary or record book ever again.
• Export & share results with your specialists & doctors.
• Participate in a community of thousands with Diabetics from across the world.
The ability to use online reporting and exporting/sharing of insulin diaries and the like is a great step in involving today's ubiquitous technologies such as cell phones and SMS messaging to manage one’s health. Some very cool innovation, indeed.
Friday, November 16, 2007
AMIS and GOCR: two free assistive technology programs
I’ve got a couple of free assistive technology applications to share with you today.
My reason for sharing them is that I was reviewing the
1 Stop for Free Assistive Technology
site this morning, looking over the list of free programs. After reading what they do, these two programs sure sound like tools I could make use of.
I’ve previously posted about this web site, basically a clearinghouse of free assistive technology, here on Access Ability and it is definitely a site worth noting again.
Now, about the software…
First, I will grab
AMIS,
The acronym for the Adaptive multimediaInformation System.
AMIS is open source DAISY playback software that is free to download and use. So, instead of needing to purchase software to playback DAISY files, I’ll give this community-built player a whirl. If it works as it should, this can help the pocketbook of blind and visually impaired people who need to access books in the DAISY format.
Additionally, the web site has downloads of the scripts needed to make the program play nice with the JAWS screen reader.
The second piece of software I’m going to download is
GOCR,
“an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) program, developed under the GNU Public License. It converts scanned images of text back to text files.”
After I’ve downloaded and installed these utilities, followed by a little time to familiarize and used them enough to discuss them, look back here later for reviews of these two assistive technology tools.
My reason for sharing them is that I was reviewing the
1 Stop for Free Assistive Technology
site this morning, looking over the list of free programs. After reading what they do, these two programs sure sound like tools I could make use of.
I’ve previously posted about this web site, basically a clearinghouse of free assistive technology, here on Access Ability and it is definitely a site worth noting again.
Now, about the software…
First, I will grab
AMIS,
The acronym for the Adaptive multimediaInformation System.
AMIS is open source DAISY playback software that is free to download and use. So, instead of needing to purchase software to playback DAISY files, I’ll give this community-built player a whirl. If it works as it should, this can help the pocketbook of blind and visually impaired people who need to access books in the DAISY format.
Additionally, the web site has downloads of the scripts needed to make the program play nice with the JAWS screen reader.
The second piece of software I’m going to download is
GOCR,
“an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) program, developed under the GNU Public License. It converts scanned images of text back to text files.”
After I’ve downloaded and installed these utilities, followed by a little time to familiarize and used them enough to discuss them, look back here later for reviews of these two assistive technology tools.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Disaboom strives to be online social community for people with disabilities
Q: What would you get if you crossed a multi-faceted web site targeting the disabled community with a focus on the coming impact of the Baby Boom” generation?
A: Well, you’d get
Disaboom.com,
Of course.
Here’s what the site’s “Overview” page says:
“Disaboom, Inc. was founded to develop the first interactive online community dedicated to constantly improving the way people with disabilities or functional limitations live their lives. It will also serve as a comprehensive online resource not only for people living with such conditions, but also their immediate families and friends, caregivers, recreation and rehabilitation providers, and employers. There are more than 100 million adults worldwide living with disabilities or functional limitations today. Founded and designed by doctors and fellow Disaboomers to meet this untapped market’s specific needs, disaboom.com will bring together content and tools ranging from specialized health information to social networking to daily living resources, in a single interactive site.”
The team behind this fresh, new site, launched just last month, seems to have done a good bit of homework in preparing the site for its debut. There are social networking aspects, similar to those found on MySpace and FaceBook, but there are other tools, which are more directly tailored to fit the needs of the direct community the site is aimed at, those with disabilities. The site offers blogs and video hosting to registered users, just like the two social networking giants, but adds some things that they don’t have.
First, there is the focused news on the disability front. Secondly, there are groups and forums with participation of medical professionals. And, finally, there is a review section that is a uniquely qualified offering for this audience. In that section, members can, not only read member reviews of the accessibility of retail businesses, hotels, and restaurants, but they can also write their own. Being that the site is directed at people with all disabilities, and not just looking at one segment of the disabled population, this offers wheelchair users and guide dog users alike a forum to share both good and bad experiences with business establishments. Hopefully, they will post good ones, as those are just as useful as tipping others off about businesses to avoid.
I’d like to share a personal comment about the web site. While I like the approach of aiming towards an audience cutting across all types of disabilities, doing so means that there is the potential to overlook some details. In that sense, I feel that that the developers have missed a step concerning the accessibility of their web site by visually impaired people who use screen readers. The site incorporates Flash animation and, it does not appear that they have taken the steps to make their Flash content accessible. As I’ve written about previously, Flash does not play nice with screen readers like JAWS, but it can be made to work. However, the developers must create their content with that aspect in mind. As the page is constructed at present, it takes some extra effort to navigate the home page due to the inaccessible Flash. To me, this is a glaring oversight when you are directing your site towards people with disabilities.
However, I am optimistic and feel that the developers at this fresh upstart will address those concerns once made aware of them.
I spent a good bit of time last night looking over the site and must say that I’m pretty excited about what this could grow into. It is a very promising venture that has a large upside. Now, I’m off to go set up my Disaboom membership to check it out in even more depth.
A: Well, you’d get
Disaboom.com,
Of course.
Here’s what the site’s “Overview” page says:
“Disaboom, Inc. was founded to develop the first interactive online community dedicated to constantly improving the way people with disabilities or functional limitations live their lives. It will also serve as a comprehensive online resource not only for people living with such conditions, but also their immediate families and friends, caregivers, recreation and rehabilitation providers, and employers. There are more than 100 million adults worldwide living with disabilities or functional limitations today. Founded and designed by doctors and fellow Disaboomers to meet this untapped market’s specific needs, disaboom.com will bring together content and tools ranging from specialized health information to social networking to daily living resources, in a single interactive site.”
The team behind this fresh, new site, launched just last month, seems to have done a good bit of homework in preparing the site for its debut. There are social networking aspects, similar to those found on MySpace and FaceBook, but there are other tools, which are more directly tailored to fit the needs of the direct community the site is aimed at, those with disabilities. The site offers blogs and video hosting to registered users, just like the two social networking giants, but adds some things that they don’t have.
First, there is the focused news on the disability front. Secondly, there are groups and forums with participation of medical professionals. And, finally, there is a review section that is a uniquely qualified offering for this audience. In that section, members can, not only read member reviews of the accessibility of retail businesses, hotels, and restaurants, but they can also write their own. Being that the site is directed at people with all disabilities, and not just looking at one segment of the disabled population, this offers wheelchair users and guide dog users alike a forum to share both good and bad experiences with business establishments. Hopefully, they will post good ones, as those are just as useful as tipping others off about businesses to avoid.
I’d like to share a personal comment about the web site. While I like the approach of aiming towards an audience cutting across all types of disabilities, doing so means that there is the potential to overlook some details. In that sense, I feel that that the developers have missed a step concerning the accessibility of their web site by visually impaired people who use screen readers. The site incorporates Flash animation and, it does not appear that they have taken the steps to make their Flash content accessible. As I’ve written about previously, Flash does not play nice with screen readers like JAWS, but it can be made to work. However, the developers must create their content with that aspect in mind. As the page is constructed at present, it takes some extra effort to navigate the home page due to the inaccessible Flash. To me, this is a glaring oversight when you are directing your site towards people with disabilities.
However, I am optimistic and feel that the developers at this fresh upstart will address those concerns once made aware of them.
I spent a good bit of time last night looking over the site and must say that I’m pretty excited about what this could grow into. It is a very promising venture that has a large upside. Now, I’m off to go set up my Disaboom membership to check it out in even more depth.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Two sites offering wheelchair perspective
I have been following a couple of web sites for a little while I want to share with you. They are related as both are written by men who use wheelchairs. However, in some ways, that is where they split. They are different, as the first offers the resources of a professional rehab counselor and the other is a savvy and literate mobility expert. Their similarities are the strength of the resource each provides.
The first one is a web site titled
Pitt Rehab Counselor,
Written by Greg Traynor, a man who had a spinal cord injury while diving in 1999. As the web site’s title indicates, he is a rehab counselor in Pittsburgh.
On his site, Greg provides some useful links under various categories ranging from accessible entertainment to a variety of adaptive activities including driving, gardening, and sports. He also provides a good gathering of other resources, which is where I found the second site I want to share with you.
WheelchairJunkie.com
Is a site operated by Mark E. Smith, a self proclaimed mobility superstar. I can not vouch for Mark’s mobility skills, but will take him at his word on that. However, I can attest to his ability to capture thoughts and events in a manner which grabs the reader’s attention. On his site, which seems to be a gathering place for his latest blog entries, Mark describes day-to-day encounters and thoughts he has in a direct, yet personable style. He is both candid, as evidenced by his post about
Equality at the Strip Club,
and also very insightful to the world of disabilities. For proof of the latter, read his
July 27, 2007 post
where he compares the level of rehab care one gets from the perspective of sudden trauma versus progressive disabilities.
I know there are other disability related blogs and web sites that are worth noting. Trust me, I read many of them regularly. I have just been impressed with these two sites lately and wanted to share them.
The first one is a web site titled
Pitt Rehab Counselor,
Written by Greg Traynor, a man who had a spinal cord injury while diving in 1999. As the web site’s title indicates, he is a rehab counselor in Pittsburgh.
On his site, Greg provides some useful links under various categories ranging from accessible entertainment to a variety of adaptive activities including driving, gardening, and sports. He also provides a good gathering of other resources, which is where I found the second site I want to share with you.
WheelchairJunkie.com
Is a site operated by Mark E. Smith, a self proclaimed mobility superstar. I can not vouch for Mark’s mobility skills, but will take him at his word on that. However, I can attest to his ability to capture thoughts and events in a manner which grabs the reader’s attention. On his site, which seems to be a gathering place for his latest blog entries, Mark describes day-to-day encounters and thoughts he has in a direct, yet personable style. He is both candid, as evidenced by his post about
Equality at the Strip Club,
and also very insightful to the world of disabilities. For proof of the latter, read his
July 27, 2007 post
where he compares the level of rehab care one gets from the perspective of sudden trauma versus progressive disabilities.
I know there are other disability related blogs and web sites that are worth noting. Trust me, I read many of them regularly. I have just been impressed with these two sites lately and wanted to share them.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Disapedia.com offers promise as disability resource
I came across the following through a news alert on assistive technology. It is a relatively new web site, but if web traffic is any indication, then the site is getting more and more popular.
Disapedia.com
Has been on line for only seven months and has already had more than 7,000 visitors.
The Disapedia site seems to be a good and solid beginning foundation of a web site that could evolve into a good, one-stop resource. I don’t think the achievement of an end-all, be-all site is a true reality, but this could definitely find its place in the resource toolbox as one is putting together pieces of a larger puzzle.
I see good promise here, especially in the area of site updates, letting the reader see the ten latest updated articles on the home page. Disapedia on a whole is a noble effort that will take work to maintain. I wish them well as they pursue this endeavor and will be watching their progress.
Disapedia.com
Has been on line for only seven months and has already had more than 7,000 visitors.
The Disapedia site seems to be a good and solid beginning foundation of a web site that could evolve into a good, one-stop resource. I don’t think the achievement of an end-all, be-all site is a true reality, but this could definitely find its place in the resource toolbox as one is putting together pieces of a larger puzzle.
I see good promise here, especially in the area of site updates, letting the reader see the ten latest updated articles on the home page. Disapedia on a whole is a noble effort that will take work to maintain. I wish them well as they pursue this endeavor and will be watching their progress.
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