Trinity College of Music Location: United Kingdom Abstract: The Trinity College of Music in the United Kingdom prides itself on providing a music education that is equally accessible for all individuals. Beginning in September 2003, however, the two coinciding software programs being used by visually impaired individuals to read and create music were no longer compatible with PCs. The college was therefore forced to take the classes requiring the use of computer programs out of the core curriculum requirements to ensure equality in grading for all students. Recently, however, Trinity created a program to make Applied Music Technology available to all students, regardless of physical ability. The solution included two modules of the BMus program to teach contemporary recording techniques and to enable composers to engage in acoustic and electro- acoustic composition. The program set out to work with several visually impaired students of music, most of whom had had little to no experience with computers. Solutions that the college made available to students included the combination of screen-reading software, music notation software using Braille, talking scripts, audio recording software, and CD burning software. The students were walked through the technology and immediately began using it to create and read music at levels that were never available to them previously. Website: Trinity College of Music Practitioner Name: James Hitchins Practitioner Tel: +44 (0)20 8305 4418 Practitioner E-mail: jhitchins@tcm.ac.uk |
Wheelchairnet.org Location: United States Abstract: Wheelchairnet.org is a comprehensive website which covers all aspects of life for wheelchairs users, including community resources and access to the latest relevant research. Through its virtual community, users can ask or answer questions, share knowledge, link to information about wheelchair products and services, and learn about and participate in wheelchair research projects. The site includes resources for customers, clinicians, case managers, rehabilitation technology suppliers, and insurance companies. Among the most helpful resources for wheelchair users provided by the site are options for wheelchair funding, information on wheelchair industry standards, and links to advocacy and support groups specifically tailored to a person’s age, gender, or gravity of disability. In essence, Wheelchairnet.org is a breakthrough virtual community for persons with a common interest in wheelchair technology. The site is free to all users and is sponsored by the RERC (Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center) on Wheeled Mobility at the University of Pittsburgh. Website: Wheelchairnet.org Practitioner Name: n/a Practitioner Tel: 412-586-6908 Practitioner E-mail: ruffing@shrs.pitt.edu |
WiseDX Location: United Kingdom Abstract: Originally conceived by the Institute of Child Health at a hospital in London, wiseDX was a project which built a technology of the same name that integrates other assistive technologies, allowing one to drive a powered wheelchair, access a communication aid, and control a computer remotely all in one system. The project's goal was to design a switch system to replace individual controls in the household. The system is available for persons who use one to six switches, combination switches, and switched joysticks. WiseDX is billed as an all-in-one control system for operating wheelchairs and household equipment and is now sold commercially. Website: WiseDX Practitioner Name: Colin Clayton Practitioner Tel: 020 7242 9789 Practitioner E-mail: info@wisedx.com |
World-Wide Augmentative and Alternative Communication Project Location: United Kingdom Abstract: WWAAC, the World-Wide Augmentative and Alternative Communication Project, was a pan-European initiative to make web- and e-mail-based technology more accessible to persons with communication, language, and/or cognitive impairments. The project recognized that, since both the worldwide web and organization-wide intranets require the ability to use text (traditional orthography), virtually none of the major ICT services widely available in society could be used without adaptation. This was especially the case for users with multiple impairments caused by congenital or acquired brain injury, including deficits in: impressive and/or expressive language, motor function (including speech), perception (interpretation and integration of sensory input), concentration and orientation, and memory and general cognitive capacity. One of the most successful outcomes of the project was the development of a web browser and navigation tool that would allow individuals to use symbols to support communication. A free download of the browser can be obtained from the project website. A further significant innovation was the initial development of a system for ascribing codes to words based on their meanings or concepts. These concept codes can be transmitted between users of different symbol languages and the messages displayed in the symbol language of the choice of the recipient. Website: World-Wide Augmentative and Alternative Communication Project Practitioner Name: Mr Andrew Lysley Practitioner Tel: 01865 759800 Practitioner E-mail: casestudies@g3ict.com |