Our Technology for Equal Access: Sensory Impairments

Students with sensory impairments talk about the assistive technology they use in educational settings. Students share information about screen-reader technology, optical and audio devices, screen enlargement, and more. Also available with audio description: https://youtu.be/k2rR2H7Bbus

>> Eric: I’m Eric and I have a
visual impairment called Stargardt’s

and it’s a macular degeneration
which affects the center of my vision

so it makes it really hard to read,
read fine print and see details

so I use the sides of my eyes
to see more in the periphery.

>> Computer: Zoom Text enabled.

>> Eric: The main piece of
assistive technology that I use

on the computer
is ZoomText

which is a screen magnifier
that allows me to make

everything on the computer screen
as big or as small as I need it

depending upon what I’m reading.

There’s also a built-in
screen reader on ZoomText

which I can also use
to help read documents

because my eyes get
tired really easily.

I use a TV monitor
that I have on my desk

that allows me
to see the board

and what is being projected
on the board by the teacher.

>> Mike: Hi, I'm Mike.

My disability is
that I am visually impaired.

I can see things up close but
further away it gets blurry.

I use a whole bunch
of different technologies

in my daily life.

My smartphone works brilliantly
for what I need it to.

It has a whole bunch
of different apps on it

that will help me
in my day-to-day life.

I have Voice Dream Reader
which is an input app

so you can switch over
different types of media

and it will allow it
to be read aloud to me.

>> iPad: Lyceum, Lyceum Tuesday
July 19 2016, five-zero P-M.

>> Mike: And that's
what the sign says.

Scanning is very important for
somebody with a visual impairment

because there are a lot of printed
materials in the world in general

that are very not
visually impaired friendly,

not blind friendly.

>> Jessie: Hi.

My name is Jessie,

and I'm a fourth-year student
at the University of Washington,

majoring in informatics
with a minor in diversity.

And I identify myself as deaf.

So the assistive technology,
I use a cochlear implant,

which is my own, personal device
I need to hear.

I often use an FM system,
which I give to my professor

so that I can hear the professor more
directly through my cochlear implant.

It's like a microphone.

Another accommodation
I use almost every day

is called CART, C-A-R-T,

which stands for
Communication Access Realtime.

So what it is, is a captioning device
that's real-time captioning,

that I can read the
transcript on the screen

while the professor is
talking in real-time.

>> Takashi: My name
is Takashi

and I have a disease
called retinoschisis

that affects my retinas.

Mostly I use my phone's camera

to take pictures of the whiteboard
or homework or what not

and just blow it up
as big as I can.

I use screen readers not so much
but I do like them and

ZoomText on my laptop.

Smartphones are such
an amazing tool.

I am oh so very glad that I was
born in an era with smart phones

because I just can't
imagine doing school

or living my life
without a smartphone.

>> Grace: I'm profoundly Deaf.

I grew up with two hearing aids
and then last year when I was 17,

I got a cochlear implant
on my right side

because I wasn't hearing anything
through my right ear.

In school, in school I use an interpreter,
a sign language interpreter

and also have a note taker
for each of my classes

whenever I request one

and if the class has
a video or movie showing

it usually has captions
or if there's no captions,

my teacher will
provide a transcript.

There's a lot of group projects
in my engineering classes

and I just use an
ASL interpreter pretty much.

And I talk to
the other students

and make sure that they're
aware that I'm Deaf.

I just tell them
to slow down a bit

or speak louder and they're usually
very flexible with me.

>> Vincent: My name is Vincent

and I’m currently a
PhD student at Georgia Tech

in human centered computing.

As it is with people with
all types of disabilities,

people with the same disability
also access information differently.

For example, I’m totally blind
and I primarily utilize my computers–

and I say that because I have
five or six different computers

with different operating systems–

and I utilize them
different ways.

I access a lot using the variety
of screen reading programs

with hardware and software
-based synthesizers.

I am wearing something
no one's even noticed yet.

I am wearing something that's
off-the-shelf technology.

It used to be military and
then it was extremely expensive.

This is a bone conduction headset
designed for runners.

I wear one
almost continuously.

This is off-the-shelf technology
that anyone can use right now

and also my watch
is connected to this

when things come through now
I hear them in my head

even with people around

and I just hear the notification
or whatever,

text messages,
news updates.

And now I don't even have
to go to my phone anymore.

>> Sheryl: My name is
Sheryl Burgstahler

and I direct
Accessible Technology Services

at the University of Washington
in Seattle.

As you can see,
it’s really important

that people with disabilities have access
to the technology that they need

including assistive technology

so they can be successful
in education, in careers,

and all the activities
that they wish to pursue.

It’s also important
that IT developers

including those that create websites,
documents, software and other IT

make those products accessible to people
who are using assistive technology

and to everyone else.

Subtitles created on the Amara.org platform.