Assistive Technology
for the
Motor Impaired
Prepared by Wanda L. Wong, December 8, 2005
LIS 670 - Introduction to Information Science & Technology, taught
by Professor donna Bair-Mundy, University of Hawai`i LIS program
Assistive Technology
Any device, tool, or
system which increases,
maintains, or improves
the functional
capabilities of individuals
with disabilities
Individuals with disabilities…
“are any persons who have a
physical or mental impairment
which substantially limits one or
more major life activities, such as
walking, seeing, hearing, speaking,
breathing, learning and working”
Public Law 101-336 (ADA Statute): Sec. 3. Definitions
Assistive technology
enables disabled individuals to
have greater control over their lives
participate in and contribute more fully to
activities in home, school, work & community
benefit from opportunities that are taken for
granted by individuals who do not have
disabilities
Assistive Technology Act of 1998, Findings. Sect. 2
Laws that enable
equal opportunities
for the disabled
Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Section 504 – equal access to federally funded
programs by the disabled
Section 508 - access to electronic and
information technology (amended 1998)
Architectural and Transportation Barriers
Compliance Board, or the “Access Board”,
sets Accessibility standards
Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA) of 1990
Title II - requires public facilities and public
services to be accessible whether or not the
facility receives federal funding
Physical access - ramps, entryways,
hallways, bathrooms, etc.
Intellectual access to information & services
Telecommunications Act of 1996
Section 255 – telecommunications products
and services accessible to all members of
the public
Requires manufacturers to make products
ACCESSIBLE – or - design them to be
compatible with ADAPTIVE equipment
The Feds can purchase only such equipment
11,000 vendors that do business with the
government
Telecommunications Act, 1996. Sect. 255
54 million people in the U.S. have at
least one form of disability
Vision impaired / blind (10.4 million)
Hearing impaired / deaf (11.1 million)
MOTOR IMPAIRED (32 million)
1.8 million wheelchair users
2.5 million veterans have servicerelated disabilities (2003)
U.S. population approx. 297,827,249 (5 Dec 2005)
Causes
Arthritis
Cerebral palsy
Spinal cord injuries
Accidents or illnesses - head injury,
stroke, amputations
Parkinson's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis,
Muscular Dystrophy
Affects Mobility and Dexterity
Poor muscle control
Difficulty walking, sensing, grasping, reaching,
making fine motor movements with fingers
Difficulty doing complex or compound
manipulations (such as pushing while turning a
doorknob or pressing several buttons simultaneously)
difficulty operating controls that require
pinching or rotating
Inability to exert much force on controls
Design of accessible products
fall into 4 major functions
1. INPUT/CONTROLS – ALL MEANS OF
COMMUNICATING TO THE PRODUCT
2. Output/Displays - all means of presenting
information to a user (i.e. audio output,
screen displays, etc.)
3. Documentation – labels, instructions, etc.
4. Safety – alarms and protection from harm
TRACE, 2005
Adaptive Keyboards
Adaptive keyboards or
keyboard overlays help
users with motor disabilities
to make selections more
easily
Larger or smaller than
standard keys or keyboards
Alternative key
configurations
Use with one hand
USB MiniTM is
a small size
alternative
keyboard that
plugs directly
into a
computer
$775.00
IntellikeysTM
keyboard with
removable
overlays $395.00
On-Screen Keyboard
• Symbol grids (i.e. The Grid™) use text and symbol communication
• Pre-stored intelligent vocabularies for predictive typing
• On-screen keyboards or printed overlays onto screen
• Control by touch-screen, mouse, head pointer, keyboard, joystick or
switches
• Multi-lingual capabilities
The Grid™
Zygo USA
Click_N_Type Virtual Keyboard ®: Free download
http://www.lakefolks.org/cnt/
Alternative Mouse Systems
• Total hands-free mouse alternative for
people with muscular dystrophy, spinal
cord injuries such as quadriplegia, etc.
• Controls computer using motion by a
chosen part of the body
• Virtual keyboard & reflective dots
• Click switch, foot switch, Dwell ClickTM
software (hover the cursor in one
spot to select)
http://www.naturalpoint.com/smartnav/products/
SmartNav3TM
$399.00
Mouse alternatives where users have
little or no control of their hands
Click using slight
variations of air
pressure in the
mouth and in the
mouth piece
(sipping or puffing)
CameraMouse™
Tash Inc. $700.00
Camera mouse: tracks body
movements, (head, nose, chin,
finger or toe, for example).
The web camera converts
those movements into mouse
pointer movements
USB Integra Mouse
Tash Systems $2200.00
Switches
Switches make it possible to access a computer
keyboard using the mouth, head, or foot
A single button, a few buttons, a sensory plate, or
a whole host of adaptive switches available
Touch free, relying instead on motion sensors,
brain activation, or a sip and puff mechanism
Intellitools ™ $54.00 - $129.00 cordless
Voice Recognition
Voice Recognition allows a user
to use his/her voice as an input
device
Dictate text into the computer
Give commands to the
computer
Discreet speech or continuous
speech
Dragon Naturally Speaking ™
Cost $200.00
Nuance, Burlington, MA
Access Utilities
Built-in software programs that modify
the standard keyboard
Replace the mouse, substitute visual
cues for sound signals, add sound
cues to keystrokes, etc
Use by multiple people - easily
activated and deactivated
Accessibility options are customizable
Example: Microsoft–AccessDOS
StickyKeys - For people who need to plug into the serial
port. Headstick or mouthstick (AACs). Press one key and the
application responds as if several keys had been pressed
simultaneously. Also, can access by infra-red link.
MouseKeys - Control the mouse from the keyboard
SerialKeys - Control the keyboard and mouse in
conjunction with a communications aid interface device
Onscreen Keyboard, FilterKeys, ToggleKeys,
SoundSentry, Showsounds, and Magnifier
AccessDos was Developed by the Trace R&D Center, U of Wisconsin-Madison with
support from IBM & the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research
Motor Impairment is…
The only category of disability
that can happen to anyone at
any time in their lives. We can
become disabled by accident
or illness.
Crossing Over
● Technologies cross lines
● In 1933, Talking Books were developed
to assist the blind in accessing books.
Today, audio books are enjoyed by
everyone, blind or not
● Voice Recognition, an assistive
technology, can also search, locate and
index sounds and phrases in audio and
video files
Assistive Technology
● is user-centered
● and human-centered
● It has the potential to “transform the
future of every individual, whether or
not they have a physical or learning
disability.”
Ron Mace, founder the Center for Universal Design, 1998
Information-rich Websites
Adaptive Technology Resource Center (ATRC), U. of Toronto,
Canada. Library, Technical Glossary of Products.
Available at http://www.utoronto.ca/atrc
Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies
(ASCLA). Important Issues.
Available at http://www.ala.org/ala/ascla/asclaissues/issues.htm
Trace Research & Technology Center (TRACE), College of
Engineering, U of Wisconsin, Madison. Designing a More Usable World.
Available at http://trace.wisc.edu/