Disability Coordination Office ACT - Negotiating the Maze

Edited by Christine Bigby, Chris Fyffe and Elizabeth Ozanne

The book outlines the skills needed and common issues in case management practice for working with people with intellectual disabilities at different stages of their life. Emphasising the importance of taking a rights-based approach to supporting people, the contributors show how effective case management needs in order to be individualised and carried out in partnership with the individual and their family.

Areas covered include inter-agency and cross-sector collaboration, balancing risk, rights and protection, listening and communication, aging, approaches to behaviour support and ethical decision-making. The text is complemented by first-hand accounts of the case management experience from service users, parents, and case managers.

An useful reference for people with intellectual disabilities and their families, carers, disability service providers, and policy makers.

Table of Contents:

This pilot DVD was created by the TAFE NSW Disability Programs Unit and contains is a series of 8 video profiles of people with a range of disabilities, who are making their mark in the workforce.

You can view the profiles online at:

www.det.nsw.edu.au/media/downloads/communityed/disabilityacces/beyondexpvideos/index.html

Additional profiles are currently being compiled and should be available later in 2007.

If you would like a copy of the current pilot DVD, please contact:

TAFE NSW Disability Programs Unit
Level 11, 1 Oxford Street, Sydney NSW 2010
Phone: (02) 9244-5089
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  

I'm shouting it from the rooftop! BrailleNote GPS with Australian maps is released! And how did I get on to the rooftop? I found my way using BrailleNote GPS, marking it as a point of interest!

Seriously though, HumanWare is extremely excited to announce that Australian maps are now available for use with the BrailleNote GPS product from Sendero. This tool for independent navigation by vision impaired people combines software, a large database of map and point of interest data and a small satellite signal receiver for allowing informed travel and orientation to outdoor environments.

This technology has been enjoyed and valued by many BrailleNote users in North America and Europe for some years, and now Australians can take advantage of it too.

Sendero’s sophisticated GPS software enables you to use your BrailleNote or VoiceNote to:

• Automatically create routes for either walking or riding in a vehicle, coast to coast if you wish.
• Understand the street layout before travelling to a new city, using the “virtual explore” mode.
• Generate detailed information about your speed, the direction you are traveling and your altitude.
• Calculate the distance and direction to a street address or intersection.
• “See” how street and business names are spelled with the optional built-in Braille display.
• Use Hot keys for one-handed access to Sendero GPS functions.
  

For more information, please visit: www.humanware.com/products/notetakers/BrailleNoteGPS.asp
or contact Ramona Mandy at HumanWare on 03 9686 2601, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

USB Thumb Drive versions of textHELP Read&Write GOLD and ClaroRead 2007 for Windows

A new convenient and economical option has just been released for textHELP Read&Write GOLD and ClaroRead 2007 for Windows.

These two software programs can assist students with learning difficulties. Both programs offer floating toolbars which work with any Windows application (Internet Explorer, Microsoft Word etc) to read out the text with clear Australian voices to assist with reading comprehension. They offer many other supports to assist students struggling with reading and writing too.

Both programs are now available on a portable USB memory drive (otherwise known as a "USB stick" or "thumb drive"). By having the full program installed on the USB stick, a student can use the program on any computer, anywhere by simply inserting the portable USB stick into a USB port of the computer. No software installation is required on the computers being used - all that is needed is stored on the USB stick.

This means that a student is no longer required to buy multiple single user copies of the software for each computer used at home and at school etc. Since user preferences are stored on the USB stick itself, students can work comfortably using their own settings on any computer.
For more information about the features of each program and the "portable licence" options, please visit the Spectronics website

textHELP Read&Write GOLD: www.spectronicsinoz.com/product.asp?product=24925

ClaroRead 2007 for Windows: www.spectronicsinoz.com/product.asp?product=25202

Version 6 Boardmaker for Windows family was released in early 2007. It covers Boardmaker, Boardmaker Plus! and Boardmaker with Speaking Dynamically Pro.

New additions to the Boardmaker Version 6 Family include:

• Australian and New Zealand symbols. Choose whether to install the Australian or New Zealand version on the opening install screen.
• Symbolate Tool - Quickly and easily add symbol support to sentences, stories and other text using a Symbolate button.
• Movable Buttons - Define the buttons and destinations and you’re on your way to an amazing interactive board.
• Swap and Shuffle Buttons - Allow for quick swapping of content, appearance and actions between two or more buttons.
• Align and Centre Buttons - A powerful time saver.

Upgrades are available. Visit www.spectronicsinoz.com/browse.asp?cat=3083 for details

If you purchased Boardmaker Version 5 for Windows from Spectronics from 1 September 2006 onwards, you are entitled to a free upgrade to Version 6 and should have received a letter about this offer earlier this year. Contact Lisa Meyer on This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or phone (07) 3808 6833 for details of how to register your interest in receiving your free upgrade if you have not received your letter.

Source: Spectronics Update 22/3/07 www.spectronicsinoz.com

A trial has found voice technologies can significantly improve the chances of students with hearing impairments to get a job. Usually, to access education and training, hearing impaired students have to rely on interpreters and note takers, who can be in short supply especially in regional and remote locations.

The Sunshine Coast Institute of TAFE, in Queensland, has researched and trialled a range of e-technologies and resources for use in the classroom, online and the workplace that can complement existing support for students.

The e-Interpret trial was funded and supported by the national training system’s e-learning strategy, the Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework).

The technologies used were:

1. Via scribe

The teacher is filmed and the speech is immediately converted to text via voice recognition software. The student views the text on a screen. The presentation is available for all students via a Learning Management System.

2. Direct transcription

A typist transcribes the spoken word into text format, which is viewed by the student on a screen.

3. Wireless voice recognition with text delivery

The teacher wears a wireless headset microphone and the speech is converted using voice recognition software, viewed by a student on a laptop. The student can ask questions via an electronic pen.
The technologies were tested during a traditional class activity, one-to-one tutoring and a practical workplace training session.

Francis Howes, Sunshine Coast TAFE Product and Online Development Director, said there was no “one size fits all” solution to accommodate the challenges faced by students with a hearing impairment. 
"Technology does provide possible solutions as long as it is customised to the student’s individual needs," said Ms Howes.

All the students involved in the trial felt technology could extend beyond the training arena and provide a communication mechanism for enhancing the employability of students with a hearing impairment.
Students had found that, in their experience, employers expected the potential employee to provide the answer to any perceived communication challenges.

Ms Howes added: "The transition from training to work is a major issue for students with a hearing impairment. Yet the students could see the potential for technology to contribute positively to their employment prospects."

To view the full case study of the e-Interpret trial visit the Australian Flexible Learning Framework website:
www.flexiblelearning.net.au/inclusive

Source: DISABILITY NEWS - Weekly Infocast 28/3/07

The new Windows Vista Operating System has been launched by Microsoft. This is the replacement for Windows XP and, like XP, has Accessibility Options built into the system to make using a computer easier for people with disabilities.

Spectronics attended a workshop recently where the new Accessibility features were demonstrated. The existing accessibility tools of the Onscreen Keyboard, Narrator and High Contrast options remain pretty much as they were in XP. The major accessibility improvements in Windows Vista are the "Ease of Access Centre", magnification capabilities and VERY impressive improvements with the speech recognition engine.

Ease of Access Center

In previous versions of Windows, it was often difficult for people to find the accessibility settings they needed because the settings were scattered around the OS. The new Ease of Access Centre replaces the Accessibility Wizard and makes it much easier to discover accessibility settings and tools in Windows Vista because they are in one centralised location.

Magnifier

Improvements to Windows Vista magnification result in crisp images and text that do not stretch and have jagged edges when magnified. Fewer "system crashes" when using magnification are also promised by Microsoft.

Speech Recognition

This is the feature that was significantly improved! Spectronics watched a demonstration of the speech recognition for 30 minutes - and the program only made one recognition error in that whole time which is quite impressive. But the demonstrator did have an American accent. Spectronics are currently building some computers to run Vista and will evaluate the effectiveness of the speech recognition with Australian accents and separately with New Zealand accents. They will share their findings in due course.

The exciting thing is that the Vista speech recognition can be used for so much more than dictating text into any application or online forms. It really does offer hands-free navigation of the computer by voice. It can be used to open programs, use menus within the programs, move the mouse via the clever Mousegrid feature to home in on the item you want, and offers highlighted suggestions if confused about the words spoken or the item being selected by voice. "Show Numbers" also speeds navigation when opening a folder of files. Just say "Show Numbers" and "Double click 23" to open the required folder. Still no scripting or creation of macros is available - but "this is a possible future development" apparently.

Please visit www.microsoft.com/betaexperience/nlarchive/bexp2/issue_8/LookNoHands.aspx  for an independent review of the Vista Speech Recognition features.

Also see www.microsoft.com/enable/products/windowsvista for a host of demos, guides and downloadable information sheets.

Source: Spectronics Update 22/3/07 http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/

www.e-bility.com/links/software.php

Updated links to a variety of free or shareware enabling software and assistive technology options for people with disability.

www.schwablearning.org/articles.aspx?r=1118

There are many different Assistive Technology tools that can help students with learning disabilities. However, you may not be aware of the extent to which the computer hardware and software you already own may include several features and functions that can assist a student with a learning disability. This article, explores how to tap into some of these features.