Assistive technology is any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially or off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. Assistive technologies are devices used by people with disabilities to access computers. Some assistive technologies include text-to-speech screen readers, alternative keyboards and mice, head pointing devices, voice recognition software, and screen magnification software.
Assistive Technology Labs (a.k.a. High Tech Centers) provide
a campus location for students with disabilities to learn and acquire new
skills for use with assistive computer technology.
The DPS Assistive Technology Lab, which is located in CCW21,
has a large variety of assistive equipment and assistive software. We also
offer an extensive array of assistive technology for checkout, including
cassette recorders. Our trained tech staff is
available to assist students unfamiliar with the various technology, and
appointments can be made for some formal instruction. A list of some of our
most used assistive equipment and software is below the printable brochure.*Note:
Some assistive technology will require counselor referral.
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The Telex Tutor is our portable all-purpose
tape player. It is ideal for student who use both 2-track and 4-track
tapes. It has easy to operate buttons with raised tactile symbols.
Includes carrying case w/ belt clip.
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The Sony M-455 Pressman® Microcassette Recorder is our smallest tape recorder. Featuring a 30 hour battery life, the Clear Voice™ Recording System, a built-in microphone, one touch recording, Cue and Review Slide Control, and a LED Battery Level Indicator, this recorder is ideal for those who want to travel light and still get the benefits of some of our larger recorders.
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The Panasonic RQ-L31 is our best 2-track (standard) tape recorder - it is one of our newest portable tape recorders. Here are some of the features: one-touch record. Quick record/quick review, tape counter, built-in microphone, earphone jack and a microphone jack.
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The Sony Pressman® TCM-929 desktop 2-track and 4-track cassette recorder provides convenient recording versatility in various situations. It includes automatic shut off, a three-digit tape counter, an earphone jack for private listening and a microphone jack to connect an external microphone. Plus, the built-in retractable handle makes for easy portability.
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The Sony ICD-BMI digital recorder features slide control switch operation, Hi/Lo mic sensitivity, built-in microphone and playback speaker and headphone jack for private listening.
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The IPOD Shuffle is Apple’s newest addition to the IPOD family and is used strictly for audio playback of alternate media such as ebooks or class lectures. Features basic volume, fast forward, rewind and pause controls. Headphones are needed for listening.
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Sony MP3/CD/CDR is another digital audio player that will also play common audio CD’s. Primary use is for e-book playback of large texts. Headphone jack for listening and common CD related controls such as rewind, fast forward, pause and volume. Disk is requred for playback of any format compatible with device.
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The Victor Classic Reader+ is designed for professionals and students; it's essential for reading complex and highly structured books like textbooks, reference works and school manuals. It also has advanced functionality such as skipping instantly to a specific page and placing multiple bookmarks.
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Magni-Cam is a light weight, hand held electronic magnifier which connects to both display goggles or ANY television set to provide enhanced reading ability for students with low vision. It features contrast, brightness, and color controls to easily adjust to individual needs. It is very portable and can be used in class, in the Library, and at home. It is available for checkout to students in the DPS Technology Lab.
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The Aladdin Genie Pro can be used with most computer monitors or televisions to create a color magnification system that best suits an individual's unique viewing needs. In addition to full color, the Genie Pro displays your printed material in high-contrast black text on a white background and white text on a black background along with offering twenty-four background/foreground color combinations to make viewing comfortable for each user. Additionally, the user can display vertical or horizontal line markers and shadow mask to help track text and reduce glare.
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Mimio® is a tool which brings the front of the room to the students in the back of the class. It uses a capture bar which retrieves what the teacher or professor writes and transmits it to a remote computer. The Mimio is available for checkout by instructors only. Arrangements for quick training and check out can be made by contacting the DPS High Tech Lab.
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The Williams Listening Device is designed to bring the speakers voice to the listener's ear. This device is perfect for lecture halls, fieldtrips, or such places where it is hard to hear for the student.
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The WinKing keyboard is a large size alternative. The benefit of this keyboard is that it allows students to control both keyboard and mouse functions, so it's great for students who have difficulty maneuvering a standard mouse.
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The Maltron Single finger or Head/Mouth stick keyboard has a unique shape and keyboard layout. The shape matches head movement and the key arrangement minimizes finger or stick activity, raising speed and relieving frustration.
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BigKeys keyboard is the size of a standard keyboard with 1" square keys, 4 times larger than a standard key. It also has Assist Mode, a built in sticky key feature, allowing students to enter multiple keyboard functions without simultaneous key presses. It is ideal for students with low vision.
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The Tash CameraMouse™ opens up a world of possibilities, connecting the user to their computer in a remarkably intuitive way never before possible. No more wires, no more dots, no more infrared beams or head apparatus.
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The Braille Sense Notetaker is a PDA that uses a Braille keyboard for inputting information and refreshable Braille dots for reading. It can also be used to compose documents and play DAISY BOOKS.
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The iCommunicator™ promotes independent communication for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing, and is offered as an alternative, rather than a replacement, for sign language interpreters.
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Tash USB Joystick that offers smooth proportional control of all mouse movements. The manufacturer boasts: Superior quality, Rugged, Left Click, Double Click, Right Click, Drag and Drop, Latching, and External switch jacks.
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The ALVA Satellite series of refreshable Braille displays combines versatility with an enhanced ergonomic design. Utilizing Double Touch Cursors and the new Satellite Key Pads, the ALVA Satellite offers complete access to even the most complex applications.
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Dragon Naturally Speaking enables continuous dictation into many applications including Microsoft Word and Outlook, with the shortest training time of any speech recognition software. Dragon Naturally Speaking Preferred Version 7 also enables listening to a recording of your dictation which is very useful for editing after dictation and there is also text-to-speech playback of most text on the computer, including what you have created.
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JAWS® for Windows works with the PC's in our lab to provide access to today's software applications and the Internet. With its internal software speech synthesizer and the computer's sound card, information from the screen is read aloud, providing technology to access a wide variety of information, education and job related applications. JAWS also outputs to refreshable Braille displays, providing unmatched Braille support of any screen reader on the market. A training tutorial is included.
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MAGic provides great magnification features that work well with the screen reading capabilities of JAWS. It gives you the ability to choose the information you want read from the screen as you navigate your applications.
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Kurzweil 3000 is the premiere reading, writing, and learning software solution for struggling students. It is widely recognized as the most comprehensive and integrated solution for addressing language and literacy difficulties and accessibility.
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OpenBook allows you to convert printed documents or graphic based text into an electronic text format using accurate optical character recognition and quality speech. OpenBook's many powerful low vision tools allow you to customize how the document appears on your screen, while other features provide portability.
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| Duxbury Braille Translator (DBT) provides a reading medium for visually impaired students by using "cells" made up of raised dots in various patterns (Braille) instead of the characters used in regular print. DBT provides translation and formatting facilities to automate the process of conversion from regular print to Braille (and vice versa), and also provides word-processing facilities for working directly in the Braille as well as the print. "Fonts" are used for displaying the Braille. |
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