UAA Disability Support Services : Tutorials

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Adaptive Software

The following software titles enable persons with disabilities to use a computer and/or computer software much more effectively. However, to make the most of this software, you will need to know how to use it. To that end, DSS has created tutorials for each of these software titles, which you can find by clicking on the software title for more information.

When accessing the tutorials download the document to your computer.

ABBYY FineReader

[ Tutorials ]		ABBYY FineReader is Optical Character Recognition software that can be used to convert scanned material into text that can be read out loud by filereading programs. This can be done manually or automatically with the wizard. http://www.abbyy.com

Accessibility Suite

[ Tutorials ]		The Accessibility Suite features a wide range of programs that can be installed on any UAA computer through the Breaking Down Barriers grant. See the tutorials for a full list. http://www.premier-programming.com

Adobe

[ Tutorials ]		Adobe Reader is a free program that can be used to magnify documents and read them out loud. Adobe Professional can be used to create accessible documents that are tagged to read in the correct order. http://www.adobe.com/accessibility/index.html

Dasher

[ Tutorials ]		Dasher is a way to write that is different than any other. It is like driving through an alphabet. You choose what you write by choosing where to point the cursor. It can be used with a hands-free mouse or other input device. http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/dasher/

Dragon Naturally Speaking

[ Tutorials ]		Dragon is voice recognition software that allows for both dictation and command control of the computer. http://www.nuance.com/naturallyspeaking/

Duxbury

[ Tutorials ]		Duxbury supports grade 1 and grade 2 translation in English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Arabic, Malaysian, Swedish, and other languages. The software can produce contracted and uncontracted braille, mathematics, and technical braille. http://www.duxburysystems.com/

Inspiration

[ Tutorials ]		Inspiration is software that can be used to create graphic organizers and outlines simultaneously. It also provides templates that can help jump start the writing process. http://www.inspiration.com

JAWS

[ Tutorials ]		JAWS for Windows is a powerful accessibility solution that reads information from the screen using synthesized speech. JAWS provides many useful commands that allow computer users who are not using visual input to navigate in and between programs. http://www.freedomscientific.com

MAGic

[ Tutorials ]		MAGic is screen magnification software that can be purchased with or without speech. http://www.freedomscientific.com

MathTalk/Scientific Notebook

[ Tutorials ]		MathTalk is a special program that lets Dragon Naturally Speaking and Scientific Notebook work together to allow for dictation of mathematical and scientific characters. With this program users can integrate text, equations, and graphs in a single doc http://www.metroplex.com

Microsoft Office

[ Tutorials ]		Microsoft Office has many features to improve accessibility including the Language Bar. http://www.microsoft.com/enable/products/officexp/

Operating Systems

[ Tutorials ]		Both Windows and Mac have incorporated accessibility features into their operating systems.

Read and Write

[ Tutorials ]		This software supports literacy through a comprehensive set of tools including text-to-speech, dictionary, phonetic spell checker, word prediction and more. Videos showing how to use each feature are built right in. http://www.texthelp.com

Read and Write Gold

[ Tutorials ]		This software supports literacy through a comprehensive set of tools including scanning, text-to-speech, speech-to- text, talking dictionary, fact organizer, phonetic spell checker, word prediction and more. Videos are embedded in the toolbar. http://www.texthelp.com

ReadingBar

[ Tutorials ]		The Reading Bar is not a program by itself, but rather, is a toolbar that can be added to Internet Explorer to allow webpages to be read out loud. It also allows users to convert text from webpages to audio files. http://www.readplease.com

ReadPlease

[ Tutorials ]		ReadPlease is a filereader that comes in either a free version or a plus version. Either version will open text files and read them out loud, highlighting each word, but the plus version features AT&T voices and control over appearance. http://www.readplease.com

SmartNav Hands Free Mouse

[ Tutorials ]		The Smart Nav unit consists of a small camera that mounts on top of the computer monitor. A user wears a small reflective dot that is tracked by the camera. Software then converts the movement of the reflective dot into movement of the mouse point http://www.naturalpoint.com/smartnav/

Text-to-Audio

[ Tutorials ]		Text-To-Audio is one of Premier Assistive’s leading products. It is a part of the Accessibility Suite that UAA has an unlimited site license for through the Breaking Down Barriers Assistive Technology Grant. http://www.premier-programming.com

TextAloud

[ Tutorials ]		TextAloud is a filereader that can quickly convert text files into sound files. It can also be set to ready any text that is first copied to the clipboard and even features a TextAloud bar to be used in other program like Internet Explorer. http://www.textaloud.com/

Contact Disability Support Services at aydss@uaa.alaska.edu