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.

Workshops from Riley Child Development Center

Events No Responses »
Nov 252010
Funny Face Symbol

Funny Face Symbol

Riley Child Development Center will host a special Child’s Play workshop on Friday, Dec. 10, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for families of children with disabilities, professionals who work with them, and students. The workshop, “Partnering with Families: Keys to Success,” will be presented at the Riley Hospital for Children Conference Center Rooms A-B, 702 Barnhill Dr., Indianapolis.

The morning will focus on family-professional relationships, and the afternoon will focus on issues of grief and denial in the family experience. Riley Child Development center Family Leadership Coordinator Rylin Rodgers and Beth DeHoff, family trainee at the center, will present, helping participants:

  • Understand how family dynamics and issues interact with the development of successful family/professional partnerships
  • Contemplate characteristics of positive relationships between professionals and families
  • Enhance understanding of parent/family issues through personal reflection and group discussion
  • Explore the issues of grief and denial

To register for this Child’s Play workshop, visit http://pediatrics.iupui.edu/body.cfm?id=1131 . Complete course and presenter information is available at http://pediatrics.iupui.edu/body.cfm?id=1124 . For additional information, call the Riley Child Development Center at 317-944-8167, or email Rylin Rodgers at ryrodger@iupui.edu .

Posted by Sara C at 1:19 pm Tagged with: ,

Adaptive Aids for Cooking The Perfect Thanksgiving Dinner

Uncategorized 1 Response »
Nov 182010

Okay, so we may not have the exact recipe for cooking the perfect turkey, but we do have the inside scoop on several adaptive aids that will make cooking this year’s dinner a breeze.

Thanksgiving Spread

Thanksgiving Spread

Locking Lid Stainless Steel Pot – This medium-sized pot has a lid that locks in place and allows a person to strain liquid with one hand. Great for someone who has trouble with balance or can only use one hand at a time.

Talking Scale – This My Weigh Scale makes a great recipe scale. The included weighing bowl and tare feature allow you to get weights of multiple ingredients, and the bowl is removable, so you can empty out your items easily. The Vox also makes a great diet scale for weighing food portions and meals.  The talking component means that the scale will announce the weight and is therefore adapted for a person with low or no vision.

Handheld Video Magnifier – These high-tech devices provide electronic magnification through a camera and LCD screen.  Most devices feature several levels of magnification, inverted and color view options, and the ability to take a snapshot.  The mini-CCTV’s allows for portability and convenience of use when reading recipes, ingredients, or menus at restaurants.  Check out our CCTV Basics video and a product description of the Ruby CCTV.

Black  Cutting Board – Ideal for those with low vision or arthritis.  The board has suction cups to stick to the counter, keeping it from sliding.

Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Alarm with Strobe Lights – This combo alarm system allows has a loud 85 decibel alarm and uses strobe lights to alert hard of hearing of Deaf individuals of smoke or carbon monoxide.  Even if you do not have a hearing impairment, consider checking the batteries in your smoke alarm.

Talking Digital Thermometers – You know your turkey is cooked through when the temperature reads 165 degrees.  These talking digital thermometers will announce the temperature as it climbs and has a large, easy-to-read display.

Stove Knob Turner – This device is designed for those in a wheelchair who cannot reach the dials on the back of a stove.  It has an large grip handle for easy comfort.

Posted by Sara C at 8:39 am Tagged with: , ,

Fix the Web wants YOU to Address Accessibility

Accessibility Reviews, Accessibility Services, Assistive Technology Products No Responses »
Nov 172010

Fix the Web is a new web accessibility service that puts the microphone (or keyboard, in this case) in the user’s hands.  Web accessibility is on the minds of those who work in assistive technology because the adaptive software or hardware that someone might use to access a website is ultimately controlled by the accessibility of the website itself.  Their goal is to get 250,000 websites reported over the next 2 years.

How it works: If you are having accessibility issues with a website, Fix the Web gives you several options for reporting about your experience.  You can either use the form on their website, email post@fixtheweb.net, tweet the URL and include #fixtheweb and #fail, or download the Fix the Web toolbar to report on sites as you surf on them.  Volunteers then take the reports through a short process to check them and then will send them on to website owners, with information about web accessibility.

Fix the Web Report Form

Fix the Web Report Form

Fix the Web has a list of common reporting issues, also taken from the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). Some of these include:

  • keyboard navigation – ex. I can’t get from the home page to the pages for paying my bill. I can’t use a mouse so I use Tab to get to links, but I can’t tab to the Pay Your Bills link.
  • mouse clicking – ex. It’s hard for me to get the mouse to stop on small things. In the survey, it’s hard to click the little circles. On other surveys I’ve used, I can click on the words as well as the circles, which is a lot easier.
  • small text – ex. I can’t read the bus timetables because the text is too small. I set the text size to Larger in my browser, but the text didn’t get any bigger.
  • overlapping text – ex. I had trouble reading the small text. I increased the text size in my browser, but then much of the text overlapped other text and the pictures, making it impossible to read.
  • color combinations – ex. It’s difficult to read some of the product descriptions because the colors make it hard to see the text; in particular I have problems with blue/yellow and blue/orange color combinations.
  • alt text – ex. I’m using a screen reader to listen to your website. Screen readers can’t read images; they read the alt text from the code. The images on this page are missing alt text. For example, I hear “240.gif” which my friend tells me is an image for Special Discounts.
  • distracting animations – ex. I found the home page very confusing and it was difficult to find the information I wanted with all the animated things all over the page. They kept drawing my attention away from what I was trying to read.
  • captions – ex. I was told your website has good video tutorials, but I cannot get much information from the videos because I can’t hear them and they are missing captions.

Web accessibility is a hot topic on the INDATA blog. For more information, visit these informative posts:

Posted by Sara C at 11:17 am Tagged with: , ,

Easter Seals Crossroads 2010 Holiday Ornament

News No Responses »
Nov 162010
2010 Holiday Ornament

2010 Holiday Ornament

Easter Seals Crossroads is proud to announce the 2010 Holiday Ornament featuring Hinkle Fieldhouse.  This piece is the 21st in a series of limited edition, gold-on-brass ornaments featuring Indianapolis landmarks.

Historic Hinkle Fieldhouse on Butler University’s campus has served the University and the community since its construction in 1928.  Originally built as Butler Fieldhouse, it was renamed in honor of legendary coach and athletic director Paul D. “Tony” Hinkle in 1966.  The Fieldhouse held the Indiana High School State Championship basketball games from 1928 through 1971.  The 1954 game featured future Butler start Bobby Plump who was later immortalized in the movie Hoosiers.  The Fieldhouse served as a barracks for military trainees during World War II and has hosted political and civic leaders, indoor track meets, the Billy Graham crusade, tennis matches, concerts and much more.  Hinkle Fieldhouse was updated in the early 1990s with its renovation honoring the original history, charm and character.

Created exclusively for Easter Seals Crossroads, this limited edition ornament not only will brighten the holidays, but also help the children and adults with disabilities and special needs who benefit from Easter Seals Crossroads programs and services.

To order, visit www.eastersealscrossroads.org or call 317-466-2002.

Posted by Sara C at 10:47 am Tagged with: , ,

Product Description: Mountbatten Braille Writter

Accessibility Reviews, Assistive Technology Products No Responses »
Nov 122010
Mountbatten Braille Writer

Mountbatten Braille Writer

The Mountbatten Braille Writer from Humanware has been designed to introduce students to Braille literacy in a fun and inclusive manner. Its versatility as both a teaching and a writing tool makes the Mountbatten the ideal choice for students of all ages, from pre-school children at the very early stages of Braille instruction to high school students looking for an efficient way to produce mathematical equations and other Braille materials.

With Key features:

  • Develops awareness of Braille symbols and characters by utilizing audio response to reinforce which commands are being entered
  • The ergonomic keyboard facilitates literacy activities and spontaneous play for young children, long before they are physically able to use traditional mechanical Braille writers
  • Simple editing functions for correcting and erasing
  • Develops technology concepts and Braille reading and writing as life skills
  • Assists with inclusion and participation. The students work is displayed on the Mimic screen
  • Can be used as a graphics embosser

Specs:

  • MIMic visual display - an LCD display allows easy supervision by sighted teachers and can store up to 32 pages of Braille
  • MB COMM – Free software for the PC to transfer files between the Mountbatten Braille Learning System and the PC
  • Weighs 10.3 lbs and is 4.5″ x 9.44″ x 17.7″
  • Standard photocopy paper recommended, can also emboss regular braille paper
  • Available in foreign languages and braille codes

The Mountbatten Learning System links music and Braille by using three available Braille modes: simple “fun” mode allows playing with peers and siblings, play mode for brailling music notes and listening, Braille music editor for more advanced features.

Posted by Sara C at 9:19 am Tagged with: , ,

Product Description: Visual Thesaurus

Accessibility Reviews, Assistive Technology Products No Responses »
Nov 102010

This blog post was written by Amy Braddock. Amy is the Assistive Technology Specialist for West Fargo Public Schools in West Fargo, North Dakota. Amy has a BS in Special Education: Developmental Disabilities and Physical Disabilities from Minnesota State University Moorhead. Check out Amy’s blog at:  http://amysassistivetech.blogspot.com/.

Visual Thesaurus

Visual Thesaurus

There are many research articles and theories to be found about different types of intelligence and learning styles. I have found that am a kinesthetic learner with strength in musical intelligence. With all this research available, many different ways of presenting materials have come forth. Now in classrooms instead of a teacher or professor at the front of the classroom lecturing, you will see a teacher or professor projecting on a screen using interactive whiteboards and various means of presenting the information.

For the visual learners out there, there is a wonderful tool available called Visual Thesaurus.  Visual Thesaurus is a way of mapping out a word with synonyms and antonyms. It breaks down each word into categories: noun, verb, adjective, and adverb. Each word can be clicked on to hear the word spoken aloud (great for the auditory learners).  Each word in the web can be clicked on to start a new web with synonyms and antonyms. The synonyms and antonyms are color coded which helps to distinguish one from the other.

Visit http://www.visualthesaurus.com/ to try it out. You can click a few times before it asks you to subscribe. The subscription is a relatively low cost, and is available in an online or desktop version.

Visual Thesaurus is a new way to interact with synonyms and antonyms. Gone are the days of lugging down the 8 pound thesaurus and painfully sifting through pages to find the word you were looking for. Now, you can interact with words in a way that pleases multiple learning styles.

Posted by Sara C at 10:23 am Tagged with: ,
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