Dan Comden: The computer is a vital tool for education and employment.
There's really nothing that does the variety of tasks
that the computer can do but it's not perfect.
Narrator: That's because not everyone can use the standard
computer and that's where adaptive technology comes in.
With a little extra hardware or software,
computers and the Internet can be
accessible to people with a wide range of abilities
and disabilities.
Adaptive technology delivers a big payoff
for a relatively small investment.
Dan: The cost of adaptive technology
really is quite small particularly
when you look at the impact that they
can have for a person able to do their job more effectively
and more efficiently.
Narrator: Adaptive technology addresses the challenges
imposed by specific disabilities.
For example, low vision.
Nate: I use a screen enlarger which
allows me to see everything on the computer screen
that a normal person would see with regular type
on the computer.
Narrator: For someone who is sensitive to light,
software can reverse the screen from dark on light
to light on dark.
Narrator: Large print keytop labels
may also be useful for people with visual impairments
especially if they're just learning to type.
Narrator: The most common adaptation
for people who are blind is speech output.
Screen reader: The lab is well-equipped with adaptive technology.
Tours and demonstrations can be arranged by appointment.
Justin: Really, it helps me out a lot on the Internet.
I have voice output that reads everything that comes up
on the screen, on the computer screen,
so I'm able to access anything that I want to on the computer
and it's really helped me out a lot.
Narrator: A scanner combined with speech output
allows people who are blind to read printed materials.
Screen reader: A tall fellow in a Batman costume
comes soaring out of the winter sky.
Narrator: Other adaptations include Braille displays
and Braille printouts.
Narrator: People with speech or hearing impairments
can use their computers to communicate with friends,
teachers or co-workers.
Katie: I really like using the Internet because it's easier
to communicate with people rather than using
the telephone.
I can read it instead of listening and it's easier
for me to read it than to hear.
Jessie: Yeah, the Internet is helpful.
It allows me to communicate,
to communicate more easily because of my voice.
It allows me to say more, express myself more easily.
Speech output: How... are... we... playing... this... again...
How are we playing this again?
Professor: There are places you could land where you're
on blue, and you're more conspicuous.
Narrator: People who can't speak
can use communication devices to participate
in group discussions and one-on-one interactions.
Anthony: It's like our Army men wearing their clothes.
Professor: That's exactly right.
Narrator: Those who can't hear require visual alternatives
to sound output.
Buffy: When they–when the computer speaks
they have ways of captioning that.
Lloyd: The computer system I use
uses visual output, rather than sound output,
which means instead of making a chime or ring,
it blinks the screen.
Narrator: People with learning disabilities
can use a variety of software to help with reading
and with writing papers.
Adaptive technology ranges from spell check and grammar check
to speech input and output.
Screen reader: ...Washington is leading the world in global health...
Patrick: Schoolwork, it helps me 'cause when me and my mom, like,
try to work to do it, we usually fight,
so it usually ends up being a bad consequence.
So if can do it on my own, it's way better.
Screen reader: Washington Phase Two schedule, August 7 to 13.
Joshua: I've basically just used
standard word processors with the grammar checker
and spell checker, and dictionaries on the computer.
Just using the word processor alone reduces amount of time
that it takes to write things.
Crystal: I have a voice box that it will read it to me,
so I understand what I'm reading.
Screen reader: Was Helen Keller the first deaf-blind person
in the United States to be educated?
Crystal: And then when I have to, like,
read books I just scan those so they can read the books to me
so I don't have to spend two hours reading one page or something.
David: The things that I found really helpful
have been speech-to-text programs,
you know, you talk to your computer and writes.
Person dictating: At the University of Washington a
variety of hardware and software.
David: I've written papers in college in a quarter of the time
that it would have taken me to type them by hand.
With speech-to-text, I just say the word
and it shows up on the screen.
Narrator: People with mobility impairments have a wide range
of adaptive technology options.
For some, flexibility in the positioning
of tabletops, monitors and keyboards is helpful.
Rodney: I use a mouthpiece that I type with.
I can do at least 30 words per minute
when the words are going from my head to the keyboard.
I like to write lots of things, and were it
not for computers and word processing,
spell checking and things like that, it would take me ages.
Erofei: I have a trackball which I roll around and I use
Sticky Keys, like, to hold down "control" and "shift."
The computer helps me type reports better,
and it's easier on my arm.
I don't have to wear my prosthetic.
Jeffrey: One thing that I use is a keyboard where
the keys are enlarged and there is more space between,
because when I hit keys on a regular keyboard,
I get double letters.
Narrator: For people who need to type with only one hand,
left- and right-handed keyboards are available.
You could also use an on-screen keyboard
with a head pointer or a mouth stick for hands-free computer control.
Word prediction software can increase speed and accuracy.
Buddy: I have an on-screen keyboard
and it also has word prediction, where I throw in a letter like,
let's say I throw in a "T"
and like five words that start with "T" will pop up,
the most common ones that I use.
They'll pop up and I'll click on it and it'll just print it up.
I got fairly fast.
Narrator: Some people may choose
to bypass the keyboard by using Morse code.
A sip-and- puff switch registers dot
with a sip and dash with a puff.
Special hardware and software translate Morse code
into a form that computers understand.
Oscar: I'm a junior this year.
Narrator: Other people may choose a speech input system
to replace the keyboard.
Oscar: I use a program that helps me type.
Whatever I say it types.
I talk into the microphone and it types it out
on the computer screen.
Makes me feel a lot more independent and don't have
to rely on somebody for so much and I can do it myself.
Narrator: The Internet can be accessed
from almost any location, at any time
that a person wants to use it.
This is a real benefit for people with health impairments.
Nadira: I think the computer can help hospitalized kids.
When I was in the hospital for like, one month,
I talked to other kids
and I could, like, socialize with them and people sending
me emails, greeting mails to get well.
Mitch: In the past year I've, I lived in the hospital.
And an Internet connection there
allowed me to communicate with teachers.
Alex: I think that the Internet is really helpful for students
who miss school due to medical reasons because it allows them
access to teachers, resources and fellow students
which can be very helpful.
Narrator: For anyone with a disability adaptive computer
technology is a vital link to success in school and in work.
Buddy: It's more fun, I mean, I've had people try to type
for me and you know, it's just no fun to tell someone else
what to write.
Like I took a poetry class,
and I felt weird trying to tell some friends or my aide
what I'm thinking and what I'm trying to put on paper.
Nhi: I like using my computer because it
help me to be independent.
Hollis: It lets me express my ideas.
Shem: I virtually live on computers.
On the computer people are more on an even keel.
On the electronic field we're all equal.