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Switch Access
Switch access is the use of one or more switches to operate computers and other devices and is primarily used by people with severe physical or cognitive impairment. A switch is an assistive technology device that replaces the need to use a computer keyboard or a mouse. It may allow users to control a computer, power wheelchair, video game console, tablet, smartphone, toy, and a variety of other electronic devices. Types of switch Switches come in a variety of shapes and sizes depending on the action used to activate them (such as sip-puff, pushing, pulling, pressing, blinking or squeezing). Switches also vary in their colour and aesthetics. For push or press switches, the amount of force required to operate them varies or in some cases can be adjusted. Some switches may only require a touch (not even a press), some may be designed to be kicked. A switch can be operated by almost any body part that is able to produce consistent and voluntary movement. Connecting a switch A s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Assistive Technology
Assistive technology (AT) is a term for assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for Disability, people with disabilities and the elderly. Disabled people often have difficulty performing activities of daily living (ADLs) independently, or even with assistance. ADLs are self-care activities that include toileting, mobility (ambulation), eating, bathing, dressing, grooming, and personal device care. Assistive technology can ameliorate the effects of disabilities that limit the ability to perform ADLs. Assistive technology promotes greater independence by enabling people to perform tasks they were formerly unable to accomplish, or had great difficulty accomplishing, by providing enhancements to, or changing methods of interacting with, the technology needed to accomplish such tasks. For example, wheelchairs provide independent mobility for those who cannot walk, while assistive eating devices can enable people who cannot feed themselves to do so. Due to assistive technology, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Augmentative And Alternative Communication
Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) encompasses the communication methods used to supplement or replace speech or writing for those with impairments in the production or comprehension of spoken or written language. AAC is used by those with a wide range of speech and language impairments, including congenital impairments such as cerebral palsy, intellectual impairment and autism, and acquired conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. AAC can be a permanent addition to a person's communication or a temporary aid. Stephen Hawking, probably the best-known user of AAC, had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and communicated through a speech-generating device. Modern use of AAC began in the 1950s with systems for those who had lost the ability to speak following surgical procedures. During the 1960s and 1970s, spurred by an increasing commitment in the West towards the inclusion of disabled individuals in mainstream society and emphasis on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
User Interface Techniques
An interaction technique, user interface technique or input technique is a combination of hardware and software elements that provides a way for computer users to accomplish a single task. For example, one can go back to the previously visited page on a Web browser by either clicking a button, pressing a key, performing a mouse gesture or uttering a speech command. It is a widely used term in human-computer interaction. In particular, the term "new interaction technique" is frequently used to introduce a novel user interface design idea. Definition Although there is no general agreement on the exact meaning of the term "interaction technique", the most popular definition is from the computer graphics literature: A more recent variation is: The computing view From the computer's perspective, an interaction technique involves: * One or several input devices that capture user input, * One or several output devices that display user feedback, * A piece of software ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Computer Accessibility
Computer accessibility refers to the accessibility of a computer system to all people, regardless of disability type or severity of impairment. The term ''accessibility'' is most often used in reference to specialized hardware or software, or a combination of both, designed to enable the use of a computer by a person with a disability or impairment. Accessibility features Accessibility features are meant to make the use of technology less challenging for those with disabilities. Common accessibility features include text-to-speech, closed-captioning, and keyboard shortcuts. More specific technologies that need additional hardware are referred to as assistive technology. There are many disabilities or impairments that can be a barrier to effective computer use. Some of these impairments, which can be acquired from disease, trauma, or congenital disorders, include: *Cognitive impairments (head injury, autism, developmental disabilities) and learning disabilities, (such as dyslex ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Switch Access Scanning
Switch access scanning is an indirect selection technique (or access method), used with switch access by an assistive technology user, including those who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), to choose items from the selection set. Unlike direct selection (e.g., typing on a keyboard, touching a screen), a scanner can only make selections when the scanning indicator (or cursor) of the electronic device is on the desired choice.Beukelman & Mirenda, 2005, p. 97 The scanning indicator moves through items by highlighting each item on the screen (i.e., visual scanning), or by announcing each item via voice output (i.e., auditory scanning), and then the user activates a switch to select the item.American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2004Roles and Responsibilities of Speech-Language Pathologists With Respect to Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Technical Report/ref> The speed and pattern of scanning, as well as the way items are selected, are individua ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sip-and-puff
Sip-and-puff or sip 'n' puff (SNP) is assistive technology used to send signals to a device using air pressure by "sipping" (inhaling) or "puffing" (exhaling) on a straw, tube or "wand." It is primarily used by people who do not have the use of their hands. It is commonly used to control a motorized wheelchair by quadriplegics with very high injury to their spinal cord or people with ALS.{{cite web, url=http://atwiki.assistivetech.net/index.php/Alternative_wheelchair_control , title=Alternative wheelchair control - ATWiki , publisher=Atwiki.assistivetech.net , date= , accessdate=2011-11-04 Calibration and setup Devices that use SNP technology require specific amounts of air pressure to be "sipped" or "puffed" by the user. These amounts of pressure are typically denoted as a hard sip/hard puff or soft sip/soft puff, however other terminologies might exist. Note that the words "hard" and "soft" are relative to the user and depend on their breathing abilities. Typically, air press ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Environmental Control Device
An environmental control device is a form of electronic assistive technology which enables people with significant disabilities to independently access equipment in their environment e.g. home or hospital. An environmental control controller is the device that controls the equipment – like a remote control. You can use the controller to select a range of different options. Each option will control a piece of equipment in a certain way – for example: play on a video recorder. Environmental control is a general term for environmental control systems and controllers and is sometimes abbreviated as EC. Environmental control devices may be assessed for and provided by the National Health Service. The team involved in the assessment for such technologies may consist of an occupational therapist.The effectiveness of a hands-free environmental control system for the profoundly disabled . Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation , Volume 83 , Issue 10 , Pages 1455 - 1458 A . ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Switch Adapted Toys
Switch adapted toys are toys or devices which have been adapted so that their original switches are redirected to a larger external switch that is easier for the user to interact with. Many children and adults with limited fine and gross motor skills cannot play with regular Battery (electricity), battery-operated toys. For children or young people who have profound and extremely limiting physical and intellectual disabilities, operating a switch adapted toy may be the first independent thing they can do, which builds confidence and enjoyment as well as intellectual stimulation and potential learning. Accessible Switch Features Depending on the user's abilities, different switches are available for different purposes, including: finger switches, foot switches and button switches of many different sizes and varieties. Some switches have special textural coverings - soft fabric, "squishy" latex, pom pom, or "bump" patterned for the visually impaired. Use of switches depends on th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
PS/2 Connector
The PS/2 port is a 6-pin mini-DIN connector used for connecting keyboards and mice to a PC compatible computer system. Its name comes from the IBM Personal System/2 series of personal computers, with which it was introduced in 1987. The PS/2 mouse connector generally replaced the older DE-9 RS-232 "serial mouse" connector, while the PS/2 keyboard connector replaced the larger 5-pin/180° DIN connector used in the IBM PC/AT design. The PS/2 keyboard port is electrically and logically identical to the IBM AT keyboard port, differing only in the type of electrical connector used. The PS/2 platform introduced a second port with the same design as the keyboard port for use to connect a mouse; thus the PS/2-style keyboard and mouse interfaces are electrically similar and employ the same communication protocol. However, unlike the otherwise similar Apple Desktop Bus connector used by Apple, a given system's keyboard and mouse port may not be interchangeable since the two devices use d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Computer Keyboard
A computer keyboard is a built-in or peripheral input device modeled after the typewriter keyboard which uses an arrangement of buttons or Push-button, keys to act as Mechanical keyboard, mechanical levers or Electronic switching system, electronic switches. Replacing early punched cards and paper tape technology, interaction via teleprinter-style keyboards have been the main input device, input method for computers since the 1970s, supplemented by the computer mouse since the 1980s, and the touchscreen since the 2000s. Keyboard keys (buttons) typically have a set of characters Engraving, engraved or Printing, printed on them, and each press of a key typically corresponds to a single written symbol. However, producing some symbols may require pressing and holding several keys simultaneously or in sequence. While most keys produce character (computing), characters (Letter (alphabet), letters, Numerical digit, numbers or symbols), other keys (such as the escape key) can prompt the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Serial Port
A serial port is a serial communication Interface (computing), interface through which information transfers in or out sequentially one bit at a time. This is in contrast to a parallel port, which communicates multiple bits simultaneously in Parallel communication, parallel. Throughout most of the history of personal computers, data has been transferred through serial ports to devices such as modems, computer terminal, terminals, various peripherals, and directly between computers. While interfaces such as Ethernet, FireWire, and USB also send data as a serial Stream (computing), stream, the term ''serial port'' usually denotes Computer hardware, hardware compliant with RS-232 or a related standard, such as RS-485 or RS-422. Modern consumer personal computers (PCs) have largely replaced serial ports with higher-speed standards, primarily USB. However, serial ports are still frequently used in applications demanding simple, low-speed interfaces, such as industrial automation sys ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Universal Serial Bus
Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard, developed by USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), for digital data transmission and power delivery between many types of electronics. It specifies the architecture, in particular the physical interfaces, and communication protocols to and from ''hosts'', such as personal computers, to and from peripheral ''devices'', e.g. displays, keyboards, and mass storage devices, and to and from intermediate ''hubs'', which multiply the number of a host's ports. Introduced in 1996, USB was originally designed to standardize the connection of peripherals to computers, replacing various interfaces such as serial ports, parallel ports, game ports, and Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) ports. Early versions of USB became commonplace on a wide range of devices, such as keyboards, mice, cameras, printers, scanners, flash drives, smartphones, game consoles, and power banks. USB has since evolved into a standard to replace virtually all common ports on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
