Physical Access to Computers

Physical Access to Computers: Where have we been? Where are we now?

Where are we going?

Michael O’Leary B Occ Thy HONS

Managing Director

29th November 2011

AT keeping up with IT• CPU Microprocessors - Moore’s Law (number of

transistors on a chip doubles every two years)from 4,500 in 1974 to 731 Million in 2009

• Memory - from 10’s of KiloBytes to GigaBytes• Storage – punch cards, punch tapes, cassette

tapes, floppy disks (8”, 5¼”, 3½”), CDs, DVDs, thumb drives, GigaByte hard-drives

• VDU’s from Monochrome, Green Screens to full colour, digital, touch sensitive flat screens

• Internet – from 56K modems to 100s MegaBits/ second

• Yet the QWERTY Keyboard and Mouse remain the major input devices

Early History of PCs

June 1979: Apple II+ US$1195

August 1981: IBM PC US$1595

1982: BBC Model B (Beeb) £335

NB – No Hard Drive! Applications and data stored on floppy disks

Assisted Keyboard

• How to press two keys at once with a mouth stick or head-pointer? e.g. @ = Shift key + 2 key

• 1985 – amazing what one can do with an old wire coat hanger!

Switch Access

• Started in the mid 80’s with Atari and Nintendo video games

Emulating the fire buttons

Switch Access

Donkey Kong

Press the fire button to avoid Mario being blown up

Switch AccessApple II

Emulating Joystick fire buttons

Switch Access

Micro-LADS Software from

Adaptive Firmware Cardfrom Don Johnston Developmental Equipment Inc

• convert any standard software program so that it can be controlled by a single switch or the unicorn board (a touch sensitive tablet), thus giving people with physical handicaps access to many computer programs

• includes a slowdown mode so that games can be played by people with delayed responses.

• It is installed in Apple II+, IIe, & IIGS computers

Alternative KeyboardsIn 1979, to help a friend with Cerebral Palsy, Steve Gensler created the Unicorn Keyboard. This remarkable tool, accessed with a head pointer, launches the firm Unicorn Engineering.

It plugged into the Adaptive Firmware Card and was the precursor to IntelliKeys

Concept Keyboard – BBC and PC

GUI (Graphical User Interface)

• 24th January 1984 introduced in the USA US$2495

• by September 1985 sold 500,000

GUI (Graphical User Interface)• Keyboard and Mouse• Apple IIGS followed by Macintosh• Windows 3.1 through to today• “The mouse was actually invented in California in

the early sixties--but its first real impact on our world was with the "graphic user interface" on the Apple Macintosh in the 80's. This initially caused havoc in the disability world which had learned to harness keyboard short cuts and wasn't at all sure about analogue movements on screen.”

Martin Littler, CEO Inclusive Technology, Friends of ATIA Newsletter “The Global Edition”, Nov 2011

Microsoft Windows

• 22 May 1990: Windows 3.0 Released• Jan 1991: Microsoft releases the second

version of Windows, version 2.03. Seeing as 1.01 was almost unusable, many improvements (much of which was taken from the Mac) were made: Mac-like icons, and overlapping instead of tiling windows

Curb Cuts

Late 80’s Dr Gary Moulton developed:• Slow Keys• Sticky Keys • Adjustable Key Repeat & Delay• Mouse Keys

• CloseView (x2 to x16 screen magnifier)For both Mac and Windowshttp://www.apple.com/accessibility/http://www.microsoft.com/enable/

Text-To-SpeechDECTalktext-to-speech synthesiser developed in early

80’s by Digital Equipment Corporation based largely on the work of Dennis Klatt (Klatt-Talk)

Text-To-SpeechAs made famous byStephen Hawking with his EZ Keys for Windows speech generating device by Words+ Inc

Text-To-SpeechAs made famous byStephen Hawking with his EZ Keys for Windows speech generating device by Words+ Inc

Now using NeoSpeechhttp://www.neospeech.com/audios/NeoSpeech_Paul.wav

Nuance RealSpeak Voices including:Karenhttp://nextupdownloads.com/scansamples/Karen.wav

Lee http://nextupdownloads.com/scansamples/Lee.wav

Check out Rachel by Acapela:http://www.acapela-group.com/text-to-speech-interactive-demo.html

Text-To-Speech Today

Voice Recognition

• 100’s of millions of dollars spent on voice recognition – sadly for defence purposes!

• Late 80’s - Dragon Dictate (discrete speech)by Dragon Systems ≈ $18,000 (US accent)took about 10 hours to learn a person’s voice

• Today – Dragon NaturallySpeaking (Continuous Speech) developed by Nuance Version 11 ≈$200 (other accents)

Voice Recognition• Accessibility for the Physically Impaired

Dragon speech recognition software enables PC accessibility for people with paralysis, quadriplegia, spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, apraxia, visual impairments and repetitive stress injuries

• Accommodations for Language and Speech ImpairmentsEven people with articulation and pronunciation problems can use the Faster, Better, Smarter DNS 11 Premium software to complete their daily PC tasks

• Assistive Technology for the Visually ImpairedDragon offers speech output capabilities so that users can have text previously dictated, read back to them

• Assistive Technology for Students with Learning DisabilitiesDragon generates new excitement for writing and learning for students with learning disabilities such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, working memory issues and other cognitive challenges

Alternative KeyboardsIn the mid-eighties, Arjan Khalsa, joins Unicorn Engineering. His and Dave Schmidt’s creativity helps forge IntelliTools, Inc. in 1991, and shapes a new vision for assistive technology.

IntelliKeys• Unicorn Engineering + Print Shop =

IntelliTools• IntelliKeys with 6 bar-

coded standard overlays & 2 programmable switch ports

• Overlay Maker• IntelliTalk• IntelliPics

• ClickIt + Instant Access Overlays for Broderbund “Just Grandma and Me”

& Edmark Software

TASH Mini Keyboard• QWERTY and

Frequency-of-Use layouts

• Ideal for mouth-stick users

Big Keys – 1” Square Keys

Ultra Compact Keyboard

Half QWERTYfor one handed typing

Keyboard & Mouse Alternatives

Ke:nx from Don Johnston Inc.5 Alternative Access methods to

Macintosh computers1. Assisted Keyboard2. Alternative Keyboard3. On:Screen Keyboard4. Morse Code (1,2 or 3 switch)5. Switch Access (1, 2 or 3 switch

scanning)

Keyboard & Mouse Alternatives

EZ Keys on-screen and switch access to Windows from Words+

Keyboard & Mouse Alternatives

EZ Keys is just about the only system on the market today that offers morse code input, the fastest computer access method possible for a switch user

Keyboard & Mouse Alternatives

Discover:Board

Discover:Screen

Discover:Switch

Touch Window

Edmark Software

1991

1992

1995

1984

Touch Screen Monitors today

Mouse Alternatives

Track Balls

Joystick Mouse

Head TrackingHeadMaster is a head

pointing system that takes the place of a mouse

Head movements cause the mouse to move on the screen

For mouse selection (click, drag, etc.), a sip 'n puff switch can be attached to the headset

Typing is replicated by an on-screen keyboard

Head Tracking• TrackerPro is a computer input

device that takes the place of a mouse for people with little or no hand movement

• Simply plug it in and it works just like a mouse

• tracks a tiny reflective dot worn on your forehead or glasses

• Clicking can be accomplished by using an ability switch, or dwell click software such as MagicCursor 2000

Swype

28th Jan 2011Guinness World Record for

“Fastest Hands-Free Typing”Hank Torres from Round Rock Texas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1tNXWpmA5I&feature=player_embedded

Developed by Cliff Kushler & Randy MarsdenAcquired by Nuance 6th October, 2011

Eye-Gaze Technologies• Developed for tracking eye-movements, and later

modified as an input method• Tobii Technologies P10

http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/product/mytobii-p10

Eye-Gaze Technologies

• DynaVox EyeMax with VMax

Switch Access Today

• Switch adapted mouse• DJ Switch Interface Pro• Crick USB Switch Interface• IntelliSwitch

Inclusive Educational SoftwareUniversal Design for:• Symbols• Dyslexia• Learning Difficulties• Switch Access• Speech and Language Difficulties• Low Vision

iPad• It's the device everyone wanted

Apple to create, even though most of us weren't sure how it was going to fit into our lives once it got here. But Jobs got sentimental when showing off the first iPad in 2010. He said it was a culmination of years of work, starting with OS X, then iTunes, then the iPhone, then the App Store.

• The shockwaves are still evident more than a year later as manufacturers race to catch up, pumping out their own tablets. But they can't match Apple's success.

• The iPad 2 was Steve's swan song. We all felt it, but few chose to accept it. What nobody can argue is that the man went out on top, crossing the finish line well ahead of everyone else.

• 5th October 2011 RIP

Steve Jobs’ Swan Song“Touch technology and large clear finger-friendly on-

screen menus have been around for fifteen years in assistive technology. Last year Steve Jobs took all of this mainstream. Whether you are into VOCAs, autism or, like my company, simple software for complex needs, then touch tablets, iPads and Apps are going to impact your world.”

“The iPad has led to an astonishing burst of creativity and user engagement. Software Apps are now being written in bedrooms and kitchens again, just as they were in the 80's.” 

Martin Littler, CEO Inclusive Technology, Friends of ATIA Newsletter “The Global Edition”, Nov 2011

The Future?The Future?

Assistive Technology in the Clouds

Global Public Inclusive Infrastructurehttp://gpii.net/

Webinar on Global Public Inclusive Infrastructure (GPII) for Australia and New Zealand

Have you seen the GPII animation and website, but want to know more? Don't feel like attending a webinar in the middle of the night?

We've scheduled a webinar just for folks in Australia and New Zealand at a convenient time:

December 14, 2011; 12 noon AEDT (GMT +11)Attendees will learn some of the details of the project and where we are at in our development plan. This webinar is for a general audience, and will include time for Q&A and feedback -- we want to learn about how

GPII should operate in your countries.Click this link to register.

There is no limit to the number of attendees, so please feel free to circulate this announcement.

Webinar on Global Public Inclusive Infrastructure (GPII) for Australia and New Zealand

Have you seen the GPII animation and website, but want to know more? Don't feel like attending a webinar in the middle of the night?

We've scheduled a webinar just for folks in Australia and New Zealand at a convenient time:

December 14, 2011; 12 noon AEDT (GMT +11)Attendees will learn some of the details of the project and where we are at in our development plan. This webinar is for a general audience, and will include time for Q&A and feedback -- we want to learn about how

GPII should operate in your countries.http://raisingthefloor.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=3

There is no limit to the number of attendees, so please feel free to circulate this announcement.

michaelo@spectronics.com.au

Suggested Links

• http://applemuseum.bott.org/sections/history.html

• http://www.disaboom.com/disability-rights-and-advocacy-general/disability-accessibility-and-assistive-technology-interview-with-alan-brightman

• http://i.tuaw.com/2010/01/02/found-footage-knowledge-navigator-concept-from-1987/

• http://ataccess.ning.com/video/curb-cuts-episode-1-handsfree

History of Computers• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbhbssXWDAE• http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=22JaQK7XUnI&feature=related• http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=jH8uFiexU4w&feature=related• http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/content/articles/

2008/06/17/210608_computer_timeline_feature.shtml• http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/25151/• http://www.daftmoo.org.uk/bbc/history.html• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACE_Centre• http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/10/steve-jobs-

greatest-achievements/