I deal with a lot of people with "print disabilities." Typically, when we think of people with print disabilities, we think of people who are visually impaired or people with learning disabilities which make reading print difficult. However, part of the definition of a "print disability," includes difficulty physically accessing print. So if I can't turn the pages of a book, I'm also considered to have a print disability. Seems simple enough, right? And so does the solution. I can just grab my handy dandy tablet/Chromebook/laptop, some digital text, and I'm off the reading races! Unless. . . I don't tolerate digital text well. But that's easy too! I can just create audio files and then. . . hmmm, that's a problem if I'm not big on audio. So what do I do if I have trouble physically accessing text? I recently ran into this issue at work, and the solution was surprisingly. . . simple.
This is a plastic binding comb. I had seen them, but never knew what they were called. You might not have seen it separate or even outside of a Kinko's, but this is one. Here's a picture of one in place in a book.
To use the binding comb, we had the original binding cut off of the book. We usually do this so that we can scan a book when we can't get a digital copy of from the publisher or our usual sources (NOTE: DO NOT DO THIS AT HOME. We only do this for a student who has purchased a copy of the book. Their copy is what we cut and scan). Once we've scanned the book, we have it prepared for re-binding with a binding comb. So what's so magical about this binding? How can it possibly be assistive technology for someone with a print disability? I recently worked with a person who has difficulty physically manipulating a book. We had provided him with digital copies of his books because of this. However, he began developing severe migraines after reading digital text for a while. Yes, even after using the Nook Paper White. The digital text was actually becoming a bit of an issue. A regular text book could work if. . . it would just stay open. Do you see where we're going with this? Light bulb moment hit yet? Well, since his books needed to be cut to be scanned anyway, we re-bound them with binding combs and suddenly, we had a book that would stay open without the student having to hold it open.
Just that simple thing of re-binding the book made the difference for the student in making the book usable.
In our high-tech age, we forget the power of a simple, low-tech solution. Assistive technology doesn't only have to be a tablet/Chromebook or on a tablet/Chromebook. There are a lot of great assistive technology devices that come in those flavors, but not all of them do. As long as it helps an individual improve or maintain their functionality, it fits the definition. In this case, it's the comb binding and the rebound book. The "K.I.S.S." (Keep It Smart and Simple) Principle is often forgotten in assistive technology in favor of "cooler or flashier solutions." We can't be afraid to embrace the low-tech solution. Start there and end where you need to.
I know, how is that possible? How does one do that? Can one do that? Why would one want to do that?
Before I give you the secret, and no it's not 42, I'll explain myself a bit more thoroughly.
I've got an iPad. A few of them actually through work. I've used every generation of them so far. I've been exposed to every release of iOS that's shown up for installation.
I've seen the fireworks shows presentations.
I've seen the 60 Minutes pieces.
I've downloaded (and used) the apps.
And then I realized that the magic I wanted wasn't in the iPad. The real magic was in figuring out exactly what I needed to get the job done. It was in figuring out that I didn't need 3 to 1,000 variations of a To-Do list. I needed to know what I needed in a To-Do list. Should it to let me set deadlines on items on the list? Should it to remove completed items? Should it to remind me that I still have items to do on my list? Should it to play "Like A Boss" every time I complete an item? What do I need it to do? Another way to phrase this is what are the properties or features I need in my To-Do list program app? Once I started looking at the features I needed, the hardware or program delivery system became, in many cases, less important. The program app I was using became much more important.
And then hardware became important again. I needed something that would run my To-Do list. I needed that something to be portable to go with me and be available at a moment's notice. I would also like to be able to use a regular full-sized keyboard to enter items into it. I don't need to have just one thing to do this on too. I would also like the flexibility of being able to update my To-Do list from home or work. So maybe I could use an iPad for this? I definitely could. However, I already have a home computer, a work computer, and a smart phone. I could access the To-Do list on my smart phone for ultimate portability. With the right app program, I could enter the To-Do list from my home/work computer and modify it on my work/home computer. Then, I could access it on the go when I needed to from my smart phone.
Perhaps I don't need that iPad tablet after all.
I want to state as I have before in past writings, I'm not anti-iPad. I'm not anti-tablet. I am pro-maximized use of what you have. Tablets are nice, but if I don't need to get one, why should I? I know the fine folks at Apple, Samsung, Asus, Microsoft, and Google could all give me lots of reasons why they want me to buy one, but that's because it helps their bottom line. Now, I'm not saying that any reasonable adult with the means shouldn't get a tablet if they want one.
Let's talk about this in terms of something most people can relate to buying--cars.
Now suppose you can get just one car. How would you decide what to get? Would you start at a car dealership and just let the dealers pick your car? Would you start with what you can afford to spend? Maybe you would start with what characteristics you need in a car (legroom, cargo space, magical cup holders)? Would you just go out and get a car and work it all out later? Usually, unless you're independently wealthy, you put time and thought into what you need in a car, and then you find the car that has as many of those features you're looking for.
We need to use the same type of approach when looking for assistive technology solutions. We need to realize it's not necessarily the hardware alone where the magic resides. It may be the total package of hardware and software, but we need to understand what the true magical bit is.
So let's look at a practical example. Recently, I loaned a man and his daughter an iPad for her to use for school. She needed something to help her with taking notes and staying organized. Great. The iPad worked great for her. It was nice and lightweight, she could take pictures of the whiteboard in her classes and use them for studying later. She could take her notes on it, and it was insanely cool. It did everything she needed it to do.
Her father was a bit taken aback by the prospect of paying the $500 for an iPad in order to get his daughter what she needed. So, we started talking about what she was doing with the iPad and what apps she was using. It turned out she was using Evernote and the tablet's camera. That's it. Imagine Dad's surprise when he found out that Evernote was available on multiple platforms. He didn't need to spend the $500 on an iPad when he could just as easily spend $90 on an inexpensive Android tablet that would run Evernote and had a camera. So everything she needed to do could be done for a lower price tag and, for her purposes, equally as well. Neither of them knew that when the daughter got home she could actually log in to her Evernote account and access her notes on Dad's desktop computer or her laptop. Neither knew that they could download the Windows and Mac programs for their respective computers. At that point, they realized that the delivery method wasn't as important as the true tool-- Evernote.
The delivery system was important for the camera, but the daughter could have used her cell phone iPod Touch as a camera. At the end of the day, they realized what she really needed (access to Evernote for her note-taking and a camera for pictures of the board) was a highly portable package so she could take it from class to class. Cost, it turned out, was a factor for them as well since the school wasn't providing the AT. So taking these factors into consideration, a cheaper Android tablet with a camera provided a suitable solution for school, and then, integration of the computer options at home for a larger screen.
By the time all was said and done, Dad had spent $90 for the tablet AND the school agreed to upgrade the daughter's Evernote account to a premium account for $45. The most important outcomes were that the daughter was happy and confident in her ability to use her tools, and everyone felt the solution was a fair and equitable one.
Just to be clear, the point is not the sheer awesomeness of Evernote, even though it's pretty awesome. The point is that the student found and used a tool for taking her notes that fully met her needs in the classroom and at home. The focus wasn't the device. It wasn't the software delivery system. In fact, it wasn't about the software. The focus was on finding the AT tool with the right features for her. It was about her doing what she needed to do when and where she needed to do it. There are other systems out there that are similar to Evernote and very useful (Springpad and Microsoft One Note to name a couple). The important take-away here is that the hardware wasn't the magic so much as the software was.
So the next time you're ready to recommend something to someone, stop and ask yourself if you really understand what they're looking for and the parameters surrounding that need. If you don't, ask a few questions. You might find that your recommendations change. If they don't and you're still recommending only one solution without (really honestly and truly) considering other options, ask yourself this: Are you stuck living in the Device X era or if you've transcended?
When you do transcend and live post-brand, it can be like that.
It's the HeadMouse Extreme by Origin Instruments. As it's name says, it's a mouse you can control with your head, or perhaps more formally, it's and input device that allows you to use your head to control the mouse pointer.
This little thing
AbleNet Jellybean switch
is just a simple switch. Now, keep in mind that just about any switch can be used in place of this little one. I am using it as my model here because it's what most people typically think of when they thing of switches.
So here's the awesome trio!
Rush, in case you had no idea
And here's the equipment
Chromebook, HeadMouse Extreme, and Jellybean hanging out together
OK so they're not as impressive all separated and disconnected. However, when I plug the switch into the HeadMouse Extreme, and then I plug the HeadMouse Extreme into one of the Chromebook's USB ports. . .
Chromebook with HeadMouse Extreme and Jellybean switch
I get Voltron a hands-free method of controlling my Chromebook.
Add in Google's Input Tools extension, and I have a means to type via a virtual keyboard. The virtual keyboard is nice in that it's small and movable, so when I use the HeadMouse Extreme to type, I don't have to move all over the screen to type. I move my head to move the pointer to the key I want to press, and I press the switch to press that key. Just like that, hands-free control!
On-screen keyboard from Google Input Tools
So why is this important?
Well, it allows anyone with a disability requiring this type of access to be able to access the Chromebook, giving them another option for technology access. Just as people without disabilities may decide to use a Chromebook as a quick and easy web access tool, so might people with disabilities. The same as people want access to tablets, they also want access to things like Chromebooks, so why not facilitate that?
Interestingly, less of the hat-tip goes to Google for this one than to Origin Instruments for the design of their HeadMouse Extreme. It doesn't require installing additional drivers or software to get the unit to work. It's true plug and play. That type of forward-thinking makes the device truly useful. Now, I'm not saying Google doesn't deserve any praise. They certainly do in making their Chrome OS work with HID (Human Interface Device) compliant USB devices. The same appears to be true of the Android OS and it's ability to accept a mouse (and thus something like a HeadMouse Extreme).
And contrary to what some may say, you don't have to have access to these devices solely to use them as assistive technology. You can have access to them just to have access to them. Heaven knows the manufacturers make them so that they can sell as many units as they can. If I want to play Fruit Ninja like everyone else does, why shouldn't I? With accessible hardware like this, it becomes easier and easier for people to truly exercise choice, getting the products they want and accessing them as they are able.
