![]() How do you do? Was it easier or more difficult than you imagined? Can you appreciate how assistive technology might make things easier? Once your sight has been rendered ineffective, try using a computer, smartphone, or tablet. Use a piece of cloth to create a blindfold. ![]() Can you imagine what it would be like to use technology on a daily basis without the benefit of your sight? Give it a try.Keep the learning going by exploring the following activities with a friend or family member: We hope you enjoyed learning about assistive technologies today. Because of this increasing ease of accessing information and communicating, many people who are blind are more attached to their electronic devices than sighted people. Advances in assistive technology have made it increasingly more possible for people who are blind and visually impaired to learn, compete, and communicate on an equal playing field with their sighted peers. These are just a few of the ways in which students and adults who are blind and visually impaired use computers, phones, tablets, and other technology. Textbooks can be read in hardcopy braille, large print, refreshable braille, or audio format, according to the student's abilities and preference. Electronic notetakers are used to write down notes in a class or to do research for a paper using the Internet. Students who are blind use refreshable braille displays to silently read an e-book. Students who are visually impaired and have some usable vision can use an electronic magnifier to view what the teacher is writing on the board. Students who are blind use assistive technology in the classroom to follow along with their peers and do homework. Tapping twice anywhere on the screen selects the link or item highlighted by the cursor. For instance, using VoiceOver, tapping three times on the screen gives you an audible indication of where you are on a page. There are many hand maneuvers, called "gestures," used to do various tasks on a phone or tablet. Text-to-speech is essentially a synthesized voice that communicates what is on the screen. Apple iOS devices use built-in software known as VoiceOver, which uses text-to-speech output. Android devices use an app called Talkback. This kind of software reads aloud all the text on the screen, including navigation buttons. How would you text your friends? Use apps? Call someone? People who are blind also use screen readers on touch screen phones and tablets. Imagine not being able to see the screen of your phone. ![]() Refreshable braille displays are especially helpful for people who are deaf and blind and cannot use text-to-speech output. Once the person is done reading a line, the pins go down and pop up again with the next line in the text. Pins on a device pop up and can be read with a finger like hardcopy braille. Refreshable braille is an electronic way of reading braille. ![]() Screen readers can give audio feedback, or they can be connected to refreshable braille displays. Instead of using a mouse to navigate around the screen, people who are blind use a system of key commands to get to where they need to go. Software products, such as JAWS® (Job Access With Speech) for Windows and NVDA (Non-Visual Desktop Access), allow users who are blind and visually impaired to navigate the computer and access most of its functions. How would you use a computer if you could not see the cursor on the screen or the screen itself? Desktop and laptop computers use screen readers. There are many types of assistive technology, and different disabilities require different technologies. Blind people use what's called assistive technology, including screen readers, refreshable braille displays, and digital screen magnification to interact with high-tech products.Īssistive technology is any hardware or software used by people with disabilities to access computers, phones, tablets, and printed materials. People who are blind just have different ways of accessing these devices. We use these devices to learn, to play games, to do work, to read, and to communicate and interact with each other.īut what if you're blind? Are you able to participate in our digital society?Ībsolutely! People who are blind and visually impaired can, and do, use computers, phones, and other electronic devices just as much as sighted people. Most of us are constantly using our phones, laptops, computers, and tablets.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |