On this episode we are joined once again by Nakia Singh. We explore some interesting new assistive technology apps and devices including a solar powered keyboard, a distraction-free browser, a wearable metronome and more. We also explore a new case study involving an individual dealing with speech loss at an advanced age.

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Most of the AT that we cover is fairly specific in its functionality, but today we are going to look at an app that functions more like an assistive technology suite, providing multiple functions and features designed for multiple learning challenges.

Kurzweil 3000 is a literacy tool that is designed to assist with reading, writing, comprehension, and test-taking, and it does so within one unified app. The software is expensive, especially when compared to the cost of an iPad which has most of Kurzweil’s features already built-in for free, but if you struggle in ALL of the areas listed above, it could be worth considering, especially if you are used to a Windows-based learning environment.

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We’ve covered lots of other notetaking and annotation apps in the past, but we’ve somehow neglected to cover one of the most powerful note-taking tools for iOS. Notability is a multi-media note-taking app that does everything you’d expect and more. The app would be a great choice for many persons with learning disabilities as it provides multiple means of recording and representation, plus it pairs well with Apple’s built-in accessibility features for iOS.

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Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and scanning apps are great for capturing and digitizing physical text such as documents, whiteboards, textbooks, and more. We’ve already mentioned Office Lens, PrizmoGo, and other OCR apps in previous e-bulletins, but when it comes to OCR apps (and AT in general) it’s always good to have multiple options at hand in case one app works better than the other.

Today we’re going to look at Adobe’s free OCR app, Adobe Scan. To use Adobe Scan, you simply open the app, select the type of text you would like to capture, and hit the camera button. Supported text formats include whiteboard, book, document, ID card, and business card.

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Marcie works as a custodian at a church in Salmon Arm.

Marcie had a stroke several years ago, which has left her with hemiparesis — weakness — on her right side. This made using a traditional heavy vacuum with a cord — particularly on the stairs — difficult, and even dangerous for her. The church’s vacuums were unwieldy and awkward for her to use.

Her vocational counsellor at the Shuswap Association for Community Living referred her to WorkBC Assistive Technology Services.

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When it comes to PC-based writing and reading tools, there’s no shortage of choices, and we’ve covered plenty of those apps in past e-bulletins. But what about when you need a more mobile solution, perhaps something that works with Android tablets or iPads? Today, we’re going to look at a premium text-to-speech app that has a range of useful features for reading and writing on the go.

ClaroSpeak Plus is a premium reading and writing app with Optical Character Recognition (OCR) capabilities, which means that this app can turn a piece of paper or page from a textbook into digitized text which can then be read aloud. This is especially helpful for students with unique learning challenges, but there’s no one who WOULDN’T benefit from having this kind of technology in the classroom, on the job, or even at home.

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Shandell works in customer service at a physiotherapy clinic in Vancouver, with her duties including working closely with patients to book their appointments, collecting payment, tracking treatment progress while they are in the office, answering phones, and ensuring that they feel welcomed and comfortable attending the clinic.

“I have a moderate to severe hearing impairment,” she explains. “This impacts my employment as there are times where I struggle to hear certain pitches or sounds when communicating with patients. Sometimes I would not hear the timer go off when tracking the patient’s treatment progress.”

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We’ve said many times before that the Apple iPad is one of our favorite platforms due to its many built-in accessibility features. But what if those built-in features aren’t quite enough? What if you need a bit more of your iPad but you still want to use the apps that you are most familiar with?

Enter Read&Write, a literacy app that functions as a keyboard replacement/enhancer. The app is designed to support reading, writing, comprehension, and vocabulary development, and it does so within the apps that you’re already used to using, from documents and presentations to email and browsers. The app is helpful to a wide range of individuals including persons with learning disabilities such as dyslexia or dysgraphia, persons with mobility challenges, and ESL students.

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In 2019, Carol started work as a picture framer in Langford and began dealing with customers face-to-face.

“I’ve had hearing loss since my teenage years and have worn hearing aids most of that time. I’m 66 now and my hearing loss has progressed, but it’s still moderate. For the last decade I’ve worn inexpensive hearing aids I got off the internet. Although they amplified sounds, I still had a lot of trouble with speech recognition,” she explains.

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For those who aren’t aware, screen readers are apps that allow blind or visually impaired users to read the text that is displayed on the computer screen via speech or braille display. A few weeks ago, we learned about the NVDA screen reader, and we found it to be a great free tool that gets the job done at an unbeatable price. Today however, we’re going to look at a premium-priced screen reader that comes with a much bigger price tag, but also offers a much wider variety of functionality and features.

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