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With its ease of use and built-in speech capabilities, the Macintosh is a powerful tool for many individuals with disabilities. However, the Mac's use of icons and the need to use the mouse for most tasks present difficulties for users with low vision or physical disabilities. These programs were hiding in various ftp and web sites and needed to be gathered in a common location. Many thanks to the authors who wrote them. If you can't find what you need, see Scott Norris' Macintosh Disability Shareware and Freeware Page.
The following is a list of free programs which assist individuals with visual and physical disabilities. Note: Click on a program name to download it to your computer. Installation instructions are included in each folder and are fairly easy, but if you have any difficulty, please send e-mail to G. Denise Lance.
Freedom is a HyperCard stack that provides a talking communication board intended for people with physical and speech disabilities. It can be used with built-in row-column scanning or direct selection with the mouse. Users can compose messages from an alphabet board or store entire phases. The program takes advantage of AppleĠs Speech Manager software for high-quality text-to-speech output. Requires Apple Speech Manager and HyperCard Player. FREE
This program allows users reset to desktop settings, icon locations, resolution, and appearance theme. Then, if settings get changed or icons get out of place you can restore them with one selection or a double click. This program helps teachers whose students sometimes change settings on the classroom computer from the way they want them. It would also be good for those using programs that set "markers", such as ClickIt! or other scanning applications, which need for icons to be in the same location on the desktop.
A calculator that works through Apple's Speech Recognition technology.
This program helps you type in four ways. First, it automatically corrects typing that violates conventional typesetting rules, such as typing more than one consecutive space. Second, it automatically corrects fast typing errors, words that are often misspelled, such as "teh" for "the" and "THe" for "The". Third, it can require modifiers to engage the Caps Lock and the Help key, making them more difficult to press inadvertently. Finally, in case of a system crash, it can keep a log of what was typed. Shareware ($15).
This program lets users launch programs by typing their name rather than clicking on an icon. Good for users who have difficulty using the mouse.
UltraLaunch (209k)
by Randy Brandt and Ross W. Lambert, JEM Software
by Steve Zellers (zellers@sun.soe.clarkson.edu)
This utility allows the menus to remain dropped down after one click on the menu bar. It is helpful for people who have difficulty holding the mouse button down and dragging at the same time. One can click once on the menu bar, situate the pointer on the desired menu item, and click again to select it.
This utility underlines the first letter of radio button and check box selections, so that they may be activated by pressing the underlined letter. This program is helpful for those who have great difficulty using the mouse, use Mouse Keys, or use some other alternative pointing device.
by David Niemiejer (KeyStrokes@niemconsult.nl)
An on-screen keyboard for the Mac. This program allows those who cannot use the standard keyboard to type using only the mouse. The Keyboad has seven different sizes of keyboards from which to choose. Note: this program is now compatible with TypeIt4Me!
Although these programs were not specifically written for people with disabilities, they have tremendous potential for making Macs easier to use and increasing productivity. These programs are Shareware, which means that you can try them for a few weeks and then pay the author if you plan to continue using it. All are relatively cheap when compared to commercial adaptive programs. Many thanks to the authors!
Note: Click on a program name to download it to your computer or go to a page where you can download it. Installation instructions are included in each folder and are fairly easy, but if you have any difficulty, please send Email to G. Denise Lance .
PHYSICAL DISABILITIES
This program allows users to have an open window from which they can drag and drop of frequently used text into documents or text fields. This might me a good alternative for people with learning disabilities or those who do not have the recall skills to use macros. Requires a Power Mac and System 8.0 or higher. $10
This is an abbreviation/expansion or macro program. Users can type shortcuts for frequently typed words, phrases, web addresses, and other text. It requires a Power Mac and is accessible through the contextual menus. $10
DragThing is an application dock designed to tidy up the icons littering your desktop. Simply drag an application from the Finder onto an empty square in a dock and then drag documents onto it as normal. Click a docked application to launch it or bring it to the front. $15.
FinderPop allows users to access OS 8's contextual menus by just by holding down the mouse key, rather than holding down the control key and mouse together. In addition, applications can be placed into the FinderPop Items Folder, making applications immediately accessible from within contextual menus.
Speech Typer allows you to "type" commonly used words and phrases into any application just by saying them. While Speech Typer does not make your Mac a full fledged dictation machine, it does hold potential to speed typingfor those who have consistant enough speech. I have a speech impairment, but was successful in getting the program to type "Denise Lance" when I said "name." This program could possibly be used with those who cannot necessarily speak words intelligibly, but who can make consistant utterances. Creating an entire voice recognition vocabulary this way would require much time and creativity, but may be worth a try! $15 shareware.
TypeTalker is an application that speaks aloud every word you type so you can audibly check it for errors as you are typing. This might be a good program for students with learning disabilities or as an augmentative communication program when used with a PowerBook. Demo
by Graham Herrick, Quadratic Software
AutoMenus
Pro 3.1.2
by Night Light Software (NLSoftware@aol.com)
TypeIt4Me
4.8
by Richard Ettore 72277.1344@compuserve.com
KeyQuencer
1.2.1(591k)
by Alessandro Levi Montalcini LMontalcini@pmn.it
COMMAND and z, the current window expands, eliminating
the need for me to use the mouse to click the zoom box. People who have difficulty
using the mouse can assign mouse functions to keystrokes. People with learning
disabilities or other memory problems can reduce hard-to-remember complex
command sequences to a two-key combinations. The process of scripting the
macros is somewhat difficult, but the effort is worthwhile. Read the documentation
carefully!!
Tex-Edit Plus (847k)
by Tom Bender tomb@aol.com
Same as above, but with the ability to open styled documents of unlimited size (as much as your RAM can handle) instead of only 32K per window
$10 Shareware
by Digital Communiqu
See And Speak is a communications product that was initially designed to help friends and families of disabled individuals communicate easily. We understand the problems communicating with a friend or family member who may have a speech or hearing impairment. TTY/TDD devices are expensive and technologically old. Internet chats are not private and anybody can monitor the conversation. And email lacks the real-time interaction we all want when we talk to somebody.
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Free Internet Answering Machines - Hear incoming telephone messages in real time while surfing the Internet on the same phone line. Free software downloads quick & is easy to set up. Several programs to choose from.
Free Stuff For Teachers - SCHOLARSHIP SEARCH ENGINE, Teacher aids, free learning cds and more.
Free Software - A listing of places online to get free software.
Outpost.com
(Cyberian Outpost)
- the computer superstore.
If you find these programs helpful or have other comments, please write G. Denise Lance .
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