Serving Children since 1886. Nationally Accredited

Statewide Technology Services

Statewide Technology Services

For more information on the technology project please contact: Bruce McClanahan
(360) 947-3360

CSUN 2016 Materials

The technology project provides consultative and direct instruction services to WSSB and the local school districts. Collaborations are available to the local school district at no charge.
Intensive support is provided for the following assistive technology products:

  • Apple Products: VoiceOver, both Macintosh and iPad

  • BrailleNote

  • Chromebook (Low Vision Only)

  • Duxbury

  • JAWS and Window Eyes

  • OCR Technology

  • Magic and ZoomText

WSSB in partnership with the IRC has purchased a 75 user statewide license for JAWS. WSSB provides JAWS to the local school district at no charge. Installation and training on JAWS systems is provided to local school districts at no charge. The local school provides a Windows compatible computer. JAWS FAQs

The "JAWS Levels" checklist can be used to help determine where a student is currently functioning with JAWS skills.
The “VoiceOver Levels checklist can be used to help determine where a student is currently functioning with VoiceOver skills.

Assistive Technology Training Manuals

I have written training manuals on the BrailleNote, Duxbury, Using the iPad with VoiceOver, Using the Mac with VoiceOver, and Window Access: JAWS.  Recognizing that assistive technology changes quickly these training manuals will be updated every six months.

Training manuals can be downloaded here: 

BrailleNote
Duxbury
Using the iPad with VI (updated 6-27-16)
VoiceOver Mac
Windows Access: JAWS (Updated 6-9-16)

 

Educational iPad Apps for Preschool and Early Elementary Totally Blind Children

There are not many mainstream educational iPad apps that are accessible for totally blind young children with VoiceOver.

Download a list of these apps here(Word Doc) Updated March 2016

However, there are many iOS switch apps accessible for visually impaired students with usable vision.  Jane Farrall maintains an extensive list of AAC and switch apps.
http://www.janefarrall.com/

Switch2Scan is an excellent switch interface for the iPad. This device is both VoiceOver capable and switch capable which makes it an excellent option for totally blind children with significant additional impairments who need switches. It can be purchased from InclusiveTLC and is made by Pretorian.

YouTube video of Switch2Scan

 

Book Creator Materials

These files were created using Book Creator.  They are ePub 3 files. The instructions below assume that the user is opening these files on an iPad with Book Creator installed; these files can be opened with other applications such as iBooks or Voice Dream.

The files on Birds, Musical Instruments and Trains were created in Book Creator version 3.1.0.  Audio hotspots can be activated when VoiceOver is running in Book Creator version 3.1.0 or later.

Many of these files are appropriate for preschool totally blind children or for totally blind children with significant additional impairments. They can be accessed using a switch with VoiceOver, such as Switch2Scan interface from Inclusive Technologies or the iPad VoiceOver Controller from R. J. Cooper.

This download contains the following files:

Animal Game
Basic Foods
Birds
BrailleNote Quiz
Bugs
Butterflies
Concept Development Questions
Dentist
Dinosaurs
Dolch Word Lists
Earthquakes
Farm or Zoo Animals
Frogs
Jack
JAWS Quiz
Lewis and Clark
Literary Braille Code
Musical Instruments
Nature
Nursery Rhymes
Sample Recipes
Social Stories
The Little Red Hen
The Tale of Peter Rabbit
Three Billy Goats Gruff
Trains
Vehicles
VoiceOver Gestures
Whales

Dolch Word Lists & Literary Braille Code

These activities are designed to be used with a Braille display.  The Dolch Word Lists are presented in both random and alphabetical order.  When a Dolch word has a contraction it is also presented and spelled out.  The user moves to the left or right arrow in Book Creator with either a Space+Dot 1 chord or a Space+Dot 4 chord.  All of the words in the Literary Braille Code activities are presented contracted and then spelled out.

The cursor will land at the bottom of the text field when the user moves to the text with a Space+Dot 1 chord, the Rotor should be set to Containers and the user should then enter a Space+Dot 3 chord to move to the beginning of the text.

Birds, Jack, Musical Instruments, Nursery Rhymes, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, The Little Red Hen & Three Billy Goats Gruff

None of these files have an “enter” in the body of the text.  Because an “enter” is not present everything is read when the user moves to the text.

The user can move through these files using the following options:

  1. The Switch2Scan Interface from Pretorian Technologies is a VoiceOver enabled switch interface.  This device is made by Pretorian Technologies and sold by Inclusive Technologies in the United States. https://www.inclusivetlc.com/switch2scan  One to four switches can be used with this interface device.  This device also has a mode that enables it work with switch adapted apps.

  2. A Braille display can be used.  Space+Dot 1 chord will move back and Space+Dot 4 will move forward.

  3. A Bluetooth keyboard can be used.  Use VO-Left Arrow to move back and VO-Right Arrow to move forward.

  4. Gestures

Concept Development Questions

Navigate through this file with a Bluetooth keyboard, a Braille keyboard, an iPad VoiceOver Controller, or Gestures.  Set the Rotor to Containers to efficiently navigate through this file.  This file should be navigated in the same way as the Dolch Word List and the Literary Braille Code file.

Activities with Sound Files

Birds, Musical Instruments, and Trains contain sound files.  All of the sound files have been placed in the same location so that they can be tactually labeled.  X: 760, Y: 603

 

Trekker Breeze®

The Trekker Breeze is a very easy to use talking GPS device designed for visually impaired users.  Brief training materials have been developed to help individuals get started using this device.  These materials are available in both Microsoft Word and Duxbury format.

Training Manual (revised) WORD DOC

Training Manual (revised) DUXBURY

 

Low Vision Access in the Chromebook

This Microsoft Word file contains instructions on using a Chromebook with it's accessiblity features.

 

Assistive Technology Vendors

This Microsoft Word file contains information on assistive technology vendors for visually impaired students.

Video Magnifier Questions to Ask

  • Is the student an academic student or does the student have significant reading issues? 
  • Does the video magnifier need to be portable, how important is portability for this student? 
  • Does the student need an x/y table with the video magnifier or not? 
  • Does the video magnifier need a distance viewing option? 
  • How important is durability for the video magnifier, recognizing that the more durable a video magnifier is the fewer features it will have and the less portability? 
  • Does the video magnifier need to have an OCR option or not?
  • How simple or how complex should the video magnifier be, recognizing that there is a tradeoff between complexity and features?
  • Should the video magnifier be a stand-alone unit or should the unit be connected to a computer? 
  • If the video magnifier is to be connected to a computer, which computer, Macintosh, Windows laptop, Surface tablet, iPad, or Android based?

 

Assistive Technology Videos

AFB has developed assistive technology videos.  They are available at the following link: http://www.afb.org/info/living-with-vision-loss/using-technology/assistive-technology-videos/125

Florida School for the Blind has developed assistive technology videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF2912AB963E70E53

Web Accessibility 101 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dod7tF9E3GA


HOUSE BILL 1573

State of Washington
55th Legislature
1997 Regular Session
 

By Representatives Dunn, Ogden, Carlson, Mason, Radcliff, Kenney, Cole, Wolfe, Van Luven, Sheldon, O'Brien, D. Schmidt, Alexander, Mielke, Cooke, Boldt, Keiser, Costa and Cooper

Read first time 01/30/97. Referred to Committee on Education.

AN ACT Relating to authorizing educational agencies to rent, sell, or transfer assistive technology.
See full description of House Bill 1573 Here (Word doc)