Sara C

Sara Croft is the Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Assistive Technology center and the INDATA project. Sara enjoys listening to electronic music, anything that deals with the Food Network, and writing for the blog, of course! Sara has been a part of the INDATA team since June 2009 as an intern and August 2009 full-time.

2011 EASI Webinars

Accessibility Services, Online Workshops No Responses »
Dec 172010
Access Keyboard Button

Access Keyboard Button

EASI has a large number of webinars already scheduled for January,
February and for March 2011 with others being planned for the spring.

Karen McCall is enthusiastic about MS OneNote and will describe how it
works and its accessibility on Jan. 10.

Many people use Flash and also many struggle with issues about making it
accessible. Adobe staff will explain Flash and discuss how to make it
accessible in 2 parts: January 11 and January 18.

Not long ago, people with disabilities were largely shut out of smart
phones, but that is rapidly changing and Apple isn’t the only game in town.
Steve Jacobs will discuss Android phones and apps for them in 2 parts:
January 20 and January 27.

Karen McCall returns to give detailed explanations on PDF accessibility
using Acrobat and repairing PDF using Acrobat. This is a 4-part fee-based
series starting January 25 and running for 4 weeks.

You can read more details and register for these at http://easi.cc/clinic.htm.

Posted by Sara C at 9:53 am Tagged with: , ,

5 Productivity Apps for Work and School

Assistive Technology Products No Responses »
Dec 142010

At INDATA, we are constantly coming up with ways to help people work, read or do something easier and faster.  We’ve found some new app’s to hit the Apple market that may assist you in getting more done in a shorter amount of time.

Dragon Search

Dragon Search

Dragon Search (FREE) –  Download Dragon Search and search keywords on Youtube, Google, Wikipedia, Twitter and iTunes just by using your voice.  Download the app, tap it, and say the name of a word or phrase you would like to search.  Dragon Speech instantly uses speech recognition technology to search Google and the other sites for that word or phrase.  This app is similar to Dragon Naturally Speaking, a software program that lets you operate your entire computer with your voice.

Awesome Note ($3.99) – Are you one of those people who is constantly coming up with ideas, but you cannot seem to remember them after the fact? Awesome Note is the app for you.  Quickly jot down your ideas, thoughts and memos into the app, then categorize them, schedule them and order your notes by level of importance. The bright colors and easy to read text allows you to skim the app quickly to find what note you are looking for.

GoodReader ($2.99) - This PDF and .txt reader is perfect for the reader on-the-go.  Highlight important keywords or sentences, add sticky notes and annotations, or use your finger to write and draw on top of the document you are reading.  Use the “text search” feature to find a keyword you are looking for, and use the 50% zoom to give you a better view of the document without distorting its image.  It currently is available for iPad and iPhone.

eWallet (FREE) – How hard is it to keep track of all the usernames and passwords for your social networks, emails or website log-ins? With eWallet you can store all of your password information in one place over a strong, secure connection that will time-out to keep your info safe.  Purchase the Lite version for free and store up to 10 passwords, or pay $9.99 for unlimited access.

aTimeLogger (FREE) – Need a way to track the amount of time you spend on particular tasks? aTimeLogger is a robust stopwatch that lets you create activities (such as studying, walking or eating) so you can record or monitor your time spent on those tasks or projects over a day, week, month or year. This app is great for those who focus better when they see how much time they have left on activities.

Posted by Sara C at 12:43 pm Tagged with: , ,

Indianapolis Museum of Art Focuses on Visitors with Disabilities

Events No Responses »
Dec 022010
Paintbrushes in tin can

Paintbrushes in tin can

The Indianapolis Museum of Art is making a positive effort to make the museum more available and user friendly to individuals who are blind or have low vision.  They have formed a focus group with Art Beyond Sight and are looking for roughly ten participants to come to the museum on Wednesday, December 8 at 6pm.

The purpose of the focus group, one of half a dozen being held around the country, is to help museums better serve visitors with vision loss. The process will take about one and a half hours to complete. Participants will be asked various questions and participate in open discussion.  They will be asked, for instance, to speak about good and bad experiences they’ve had at museums, and to discuss programs that would appeal to them. The session will be taped and notes will be taken on the conversation. The tape and notes will be used for research only – individuals will never be quoted by name on anything said at the session.  This is part of a multi-site museum accessibility study being conducted by Art Beyond Sight/Art Education for the Blind; the professional evaluators (researchers) for the study are research staff at the Museum of Science, Boston.

If you and/or others you know are willing to assist, please contact Jen Mayhill, Coordinator of Education Programs at 317-923-1331 x213  or jnucciarone@imamuseum.org.

The IMA has been great at accommodating people with disabilities to ensure they have just as valuable of an experience as those without disabilities.  Check out our post on accessibility in Indiana museums and on the accessible paths at the 100 Acres Art and Nature Park.


Posted by Sara C at 8:29 am Tagged with: ,

Travel Series: Accessibility and Disney

Accessibility Reviews, Travel No Responses »
Dec 012010
Peter Pan and Wendy

Peter Pan and Wendy

We at INDATA are excited to announce a new “Travel Series” to our blog where we will feature accessibility information for major museums, institutions, airports, hotels and other attractions.  To start, we’ve picked one of the most popular entertainment destinations in the county – Disney World.

Disney Parks: Disney explains that their engineers have been made aware of the need for sloped entrances and wheelchair accessible seating.  Examples include their Jungle Cruise attraction, where a specific lift was built inside several boats to allow guests in wheelchair to remain in their wheelchair and not transfer out for the ride.  Captioning is now available in areas where previously it would have been impossible to configure devices.  Disney engineers developed a wireless communication system that allows for captioning on handheld devices that an individual could read in any Disney environment.  The advancement in technology is so innovative that they are seeking ways to integrate it into other venues.  They are also launching an audio description service to provide narrative information about key visual elements that someone with a visual impairment may not be able to receive otherwise.

Disney Cruise Line Features:

  • Rooms equipped with minimum 32-inch doorways
  • Ramped bathroom thresholds, bathroom and shower handrails,Fold-down shower seats, hand-held shower seats and lowered towel bars
  • Open Bed Frames
  • Added phones in the bathroom and nightstand
  • Emergency call buttons
  • Special viewing areas at scheduled onboard activities are set aside for guests usingwheelchairs
  • Assistive listening systems at theaters and other performance venues
  • Guests may receive kits containing a base unit with alarm clock, bed shaker notification, door bell and phone alerts, phone amplifier, smoke detector with a strobe light and a TTY by contacting Guest Services

All transportation methods available in the Disney Parks are equipped to accommodate wheelchairs.  For more information, read this detailed blog post of one family’s vacation to Disney World including tips for making your vacation an enjoyable one.  Other related posts include MOMA Visitors with Disabilities and Accessible Paths at 100 Acres.

Posted by Sara C at 10:15 am Tagged with: , ,

AbleLink Technologies Announces Everyday Skills for the iPad

Assistive Technology Products No Responses »
Nov 302010

AbleLink Technologies, the nation’s leading developer of cognitive support technology, has announced the release of Everyday Skills for the iPad platform.

This second offering in AbleLink’s series of accessible task playing Apps features self-directed learning sessions for 40 important skills, all vital for living independently and accessing the community, based on proven content developed by the Attainment Company. Everyday Skills provides an accessible learning tool that is specifically designed to be used directly by individuals with autism, learning or other developmental disabilities at their own pace on the coolest technology platform there is – the iPad! Everyday Skills is powered by Visual Impact, AbleLink’s highly effective, cognitively accessible learning tool.

Everyday Skills also utilizes the AbleLink Instructional Media Standard (AIMS), AbleLink’s award-winning step-by-step multimedia training system, which applies universal design principles to provide multimodal instruction using visual and auditory media. Anyone who needs support learning and maintaining skills necessary for daily living, context-appropriate social skills, and skills necessary for accessing the community, can benefit from the simplicity of Everyday Skills.

Indoor Chores - Washing Dishes

Indoor Chores - Washing Dishes

Everyday Skills’ cognitively accessible learning sessions on the Community, Personal Skills, and Transition/Transportation include topics such as:

  • Stairs, Escalators, and Elevators
  • Fast Food Restaurants
  • Grocery Stores
  • Hotels
  • Going out on a Date
  • Outdoor Chores – Lawn Care
  • Taking Care of Pets
  • Recycling and Garbage
  • Visit to the Doctor’s Office
  • Riding the School Bus
  • The Lunchroom
  • Community Signs
  • Safety Signs
  • Working in an Office

Everyday Skills is available now in the iPad App store for $49.99.  Watch for several new cognitively accessible titles from AbleLink in the coming months!  In case you missed it, you can also view AbleLink’s original iPad App, Living Safely (released October 15, 2010).

Posted by Sara C at 1:39 pm Tagged with: , ,

AAC-In-Action Project Workshop

Conferences, Events No Responses »
Nov 262010
AAC Device

AAC Device

The IU School of Education’s AAC-In-Action Project, will host a one-day workshop titled The Use of Core Vocabulary in the Classroom for Students with Little or No Speech, to be held December 4, 2010 from 9:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the School of Education, Room 2101, in Bloomington.

Training content will include:

· A review of core vocabulary literature;
· Analysis of language samples according to Brown’s Stages as a  basis for ACC
intervention;
· Icon  sequences and the pronoun paradigm for Unity/Minspeak software;
·Assessment materials;
· Practical information and advice; and
· Question and answer session.

Professionals (teachers and speech-language pathologists) as well as AAC users and parents should plan to attend. There is no registration fee. Feel free to bring your own lunch and drinks. Parking is available in the Jordan parking garage close to the School of Education. To RSVP or for more information, contact Wenjing Zheng at zhengw@indiana.edu.

Posted by Sara C at 8:34 am Tagged with: ,
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