[Athen] Assistive tech compatibility?
Kidd,Allison
Allison.Kidd at colostate.edu
Wed Jul 9 15:38:30 PDT 2014
Hello Rachel,
We are using a site license model at Colorado State University, and have an AT image that is installed all over campus (although not on every computer in all departments due to a few paid licenses that we just can't afford to put everywhere). The image is Windows 7 64 bit, it has all of our AT installed on it, and they all play fine together with an absolute minimum of 4GB RAM. I wouldn't advise running them all at once, but I've seen users with many applications open at once without crashing. The list of software is quite long and includes both paid and free. Email me if you'd like the full list. (I don't want to write a novel here!)
Some installation tips that I've learned along the way while creating a solid image:
- Kurzweil 3000 v.13 and Zoomtext 10 use the same NeoSpeech voice engines. Zoomtext must be installed before Kurzweil 3000 if you are using both.
- If you start getting explorer.exe crashes after installing Dragon 12, running a command to repair Windows solves it.
- Microsoft Office 64 bit causes problems with software that relies on plugins (Read & Write Gold will crash a lot, for example). Stick with 32 bit Office.
- Right-click and select "Run as Administrator" when installing from Setup.exe as often as possible.
- When installing software with voice engines, don't reinstall voices that are already on the system (do the custom install and de-select voices).
- Reboot often between installations of major software to give the system a chance to finish updating itself.
- Prevent software from automatically starting with the system to prevent conflicts and bogging down (except for those that are needed at login, of course). Check your Startup folder and msconfig.exe to disable unwanted and unnecessary items (which also helps with system speed).
- A lot of AT software works better if you configure it to "Run as administrator for all users." I set this for most of the software on the image, and I think only Dragon had the opposite reaction so I made a note not to apply this setting specifically to Dragon.
Hope this is helpful. Feel free to contact me directly if you need / want more details.
Allison Kidd
allison.kidd at colostate.edu
Assistive Technology Resource Center
Colorado State University
-----Original Message-----
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Today's Topics:
1. FW: Sorry for the Repost: Job Opening! Adaptive
Technology/Internet Access Specialist (Gaeir Dietrich)
2. Re: Onscreen Keyboard (Brad Held)
3. other voices for Windows 7 (Robert Beach)
4. Re: Onscreen Keyboard (Joan Robson)
5. Re: other voices for Windows 7 (Al Puzzuoli)
6. Re: other voices for Windows 7 (Robert Beach)
7. Re: other voices for Windows 7 (James A.)
8. Assistive tech compatibility? (Thompson, Rachel)
9. Re: Assistive tech compatibility? (Al Puzzuoli)
10. Re: Assistive tech compatibility? (Jeffrey Dell)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2014 12:14:53 -0700
From: "Gaeir Dietrich" <gdietrich at htctu.net>
To: "ATHEN" <athen-list at u.washington.edu>
Subject: [Athen] FW: Sorry for the Repost: Job Opening! Adaptive
Technology/Internet Access Specialist
Message-ID: <00a901cf9ae0$e6500770$b2f01650$@htctu.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
From: Mark C Mintz [mailto:mmintz at hancockcollege.edu]
Sent: Monday, July 07, 2014 6:47 PM
To: Alternate Media
Subject: Sorry for the Repost: Job Opening! Adaptive Technology/Internet Access Specialist
Hi Everyone,
We just had to extend our opening for Adaptive Technology/Internet Access Specialist (My current position - I'm moving to Pasadena soon).
I've attached a copy of the job description. The people I work with are great, the area is awesome, the weather is terrific. It's a good school, and the department moved into this brand new building less than a year ago.
Leaving here was a very difficult decision indeed.
If you have any questions about the job, the school, the area, or anything else, please feel free to ask. I'm not part of the hiring committee, but I want to make sure my students get some continuity in service when I'm gone.
The recruitment ends July 22, and it has to be in on paper, so don't delay!
Mark Mintz
Adaptive Technology/Internet Access Specialist
Allan Hancock College
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Message: 2
Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2014 14:17:44 +0000
From: Brad Held <Brad.Held at ucf.edu>
To: Access Technology Higher Education Network
<athen-list at u.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: [Athen] Onscreen Keyboard
Message-ID:
<CC6FE0C2C3B29E44A3ADB65BE1C0CD4E244F8271 at NET5013.net.ucf.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Dear Rachel,
My thoughts. UCF is a Windows 7 campus (for the most part; just a few Macs and Windows 8.1). With features like, resizing of the keyboard (to get larger letters), text prediction, number pad, and alternate input (hover keys and scanning), the on-screen keyboard in W7 is sufficient enough for our campus needs for accessibility and equal access. Plus it is built-in!
Click-N-Type is updated and maintained, but still looks like a Windows 95 program, I am sure this is for accessibility, but still a polish image is important. The W7/8.1 and Mac on-screen keyboards look modern. Again, just my preference for campus wide. For an AT lab, I think having Click-N-Type is a good freeware solution. An even better paid solution is Applied Human Factors - REACH on-screen keyboard. It has smart keys (dictionary base spelling), smart list (solid word prediction), scanning, mouse/pointer assistance, and completely customizable with lots of templates. http://newsite.ahf-net.com/reach/
**Have to mention: The windows ease of access center is housed in the control panel. The simple command of 'Windows key + U' to access it is sometimes locked out due to administrative settings. This is a common security measure to stop students from messing up the computers in labs, etc. Work with your IT departments to ensure students have access to it. You can also add a desktop shortcut to all the programs (magnifier, narrator, speech recognition, on-screen keyboard), or make sure they can be found in the start menu under accessories.
I hope this information helps. I appreciate your commitment to creating an accessible educational experience!
Brad Held
Assistive Technology Coordinator
Student Disability Services
University of Central Florida
Ferrell Commons 7F, Room 185
Orlando, FL 32816-0161
(407) 823-2371
-----Original Message-----
From: athen-list [mailto:athen-list-bounces at mailman13.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Thompson, Rachel
Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2014 2:28 PM
To: athen-list at u.washington.edu
Subject: [Athen] Onscreen Keyboard
We are deciding what tools need to be on public computers campus-wide.
Some suggestions from other institutions from a few years ago included Click-N-Type, but I wonder if the PC and Mac native onscreen keyboards have caught up with user needs. Do your users who prefer an onscreen keyboard use the ones included with the Mac OS or with Windows? Do you know of reasons why we would install Click-N-Type as well?
http://www.lakefolks.org/cnt/
Any input would be helpful.
Rachel
Dr. Rachel S. Thompson
Director, Emerging Technology and Accessibility Center for Instructional Technology University of Alabama http://accessibility.ua.edu
_______________________________________________
athen-list mailing list
athen-list at mailman13.u.washington.edu
http://mailman13.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/athen-list
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2014 14:27:03 +0000
From: Robert Beach <rbeach at KCKCC.EDU>
To: "Access Technology Higher Education Network
(athen-list at u.washington.edu)" <athen-list at u.washington.edu>
Subject: [Athen] other voices for Windows 7
Message-ID:
<34D068EC55A9914494617A37B8D8FA846A6D16A6 at EROS.EMPLOYEES.KCKCC.LOCAL>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Hi all,
I have a student who is wanting to get other voices to use with NVDA. He is on a Windows 7 machine and has Microsoft Anna, but would like something different. He likes the David voice that comes with Windows 8, but I'm not sure if he can install it on a Windows 7 machine. Has anybody tried this?
Also, can anybody give recommendations of good voices, preferably free, for a Windows 7 system? I haven't played with any of the third-party voices in a couple of years now.
Thanks for any direction you can provide.
Robert Lee Beach
Assistive Technology Specialist
Kansas City Kansas Community College
7250 State Avenue
Kansas City, KS 66112
913-288-7671
rbeach at kckcc.edu
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Message: 4
Date: Wed, 09 Jul 2014 10:28:41 -0400
From: "Joan Robson" <joanr at beaufortccc.edu>
To: <athen-list at u.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: [Athen] Onscreen Keyboard
Message-ID: <53BD1959020000D100040936 at gwise1.beaufortccc.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Hi Rachel,
We are a small community college and so far this has not be an accommodation on our campus.
Joan C. Robson
Special Populations Coordinator
Beaufort County Community College
P.O. Box 1069
Washington,NC 27889
(252)940-6356
>>> "Thompson, Rachel" 07/08/14 2:29 PM >>>
We are deciding what tools need to be on public computers campus-wide.
Some suggestions from other institutions from a few years ago included Click-N-Type, but I wonder if the PC and Mac native onscreen keyboards have caught up with user needs. Do your users who prefer an onscreen keyboard use the ones included with the Mac OS or with Windows? Do you know of reasons why we would install Click-N-Type as well?
http://www.lakefolks.org/cnt/
Any input would be helpful.
Rachel
Dr. Rachel S. Thompson
Director, Emerging Technology and Accessibility Center for Instructional Technology University of Alabama http://accessibility.ua.edu
_______________________________________________
athen-list mailing list
athen-list at mailman13.u.washington.edu
http://mailman13.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/athen-list
Beaufort County Community College is a public comprehensive community college committed to providing accessible and affordable quality education, effective teaching, relevant training, and lifelong learning opportunities for the people served by the College.
E-mail correspondence to and from this sender may be subject to the North Carolina Public Records law and may be disclosed to third parties.
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2014 14:57:44 +0000
From: Al Puzzuoli <alpuzz at msu.edu>
To: Access Technology Higher Education Network
<athen-list at u.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: [Athen] other voices for Windows 7
Message-ID:
<C99C9AB72549EB41918F4431856C03DD3418ECBB at mail1.rcpd.msu.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Hi Robert,
There are several good options out there but unfortunately, "free" is the sticking point. NVDA have partnered with Nuance to offer the Vocalizer voices. These are quite responsive and of very high quality, but the whole package costs approximately $120.00. You may be able to purchase voices individually for less, but I'm not sure whether or not that's actually possible. Unless your student is dealing with multilingual content, Tom and Samantha would probably suffice. There are other, perhaps somewhat less expensive options available as well such as AT&T Natural Voices; but unfortunately, really nothing I can think of that's free and of any real quality.
Best of luck,
Al Puzzuoli
Information Technologist
Michigan State University,
Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities, 120 Bessey Hall East Lansing, MI 48824-1033
517-884-1915
http://www.rcpd.msu.edu
From: athen-list [mailto:athen-list-bounces at mailman13.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Robert Beach
Sent: Wednesday, July 9, 2014 10:27 AM
To: Access Technology Higher Education Network (athen-list at u.washington.edu)
Subject: [Athen] other voices for Windows 7
Hi all,
I have a student who is wanting to get other voices to use with NVDA. He is on a Windows 7 machine and has Microsoft Anna, but would like something different. He likes the David voice that comes with Windows 8, but I'm not sure if he can install it on a Windows 7 machine. Has anybody tried this?
Also, can anybody give recommendations of good voices, preferably free, for a Windows 7 system? I haven't played with any of the third-party voices in a couple of years now.
Thanks for any direction you can provide.
Robert Lee Beach
Assistive Technology Specialist
Kansas City Kansas Community College
7250 State Avenue
Kansas City, KS 66112
913-288-7671
rbeach at kckcc.edu<mailto:rbeach at kckcc.edu>
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Message: 6
Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2014 15:13:08 +0000
From: Robert Beach <rbeach at KCKCC.EDU>
To: Access Technology Higher Education Network
<athen-list at u.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: [Athen] other voices for Windows 7
Message-ID:
<34D068EC55A9914494617A37B8D8FA846A6D16EC at EROS.EMPLOYEES.KCKCC.LOCAL>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
I did tell him about the AT&T and Neo Speak voices. I was hoping to give him some other options as well, but it doesn't look like there's much out there.
Thanks.
Robert Lee Beach
Assistive Technology Specialist
Kansas City Kansas Community College
7250 State Avenue
Kansas City, KS 66112
913-288-7671
rbeach at kckcc.edu
From: athen-list [mailto:athen-list-bounces at mailman13.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Al Puzzuoli
Sent: Wednesday, July 09, 2014 9:58 AM
To: Access Technology Higher Education Network
Subject: Re: [Athen] other voices for Windows 7
Hi Robert,
There are several good options out there but unfortunately, "free" is the sticking point. NVDA have partnered with Nuance to offer the Vocalizer voices. These are quite responsive and of very high quality, but the whole package costs approximately $120.00. You may be able to purchase voices individually for less, but I'm not sure whether or not that's actually possible. Unless your student is dealing with multilingual content, Tom and Samantha would probably suffice. There are other, perhaps somewhat less expensive options available as well such as AT&T Natural Voices; but unfortunately, really nothing I can think of that's free and of any real quality.
Best of luck,
Al Puzzuoli
Information Technologist
Michigan State University,
Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities, 120 Bessey Hall East Lansing, MI 48824-1033
517-884-1915
http://www.rcpd.msu.edu
From: athen-list [mailto:athen-list-bounces at mailman13.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Robert Beach
Sent: Wednesday, July 9, 2014 10:27 AM
To: Access Technology Higher Education Network (athen-list at u.washington.edu<mailto:athen-list at u.washington.edu>)
Subject: [Athen] other voices for Windows 7
Hi all,
I have a student who is wanting to get other voices to use with NVDA. He is on a Windows 7 machine and has Microsoft Anna, but would like something different. He likes the David voice that comes with Windows 8, but I'm not sure if he can install it on a Windows 7 machine. Has anybody tried this?
Also, can anybody give recommendations of good voices, preferably free, for a Windows 7 system? I haven't played with any of the third-party voices in a couple of years now.
Thanks for any direction you can provide.
Robert Lee Beach
Assistive Technology Specialist
Kansas City Kansas Community College
7250 State Avenue
Kansas City, KS 66112
913-288-7671
rbeach at kckcc.edu<mailto:rbeach at kckcc.edu>
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Message: 7
Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2014 15:17:38 +0000
From: "James A." <A.James at soton.ac.uk>
To: Access Technology Higher Education Network
<athen-list at u.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: [Athen] other voices for Windows 7
Message-ID:
<66DDE98B5449F549AA90D10FEF3653822C081B43 at SRV00048.soton.ac.uk>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
In the UK we would usually direct users to Ivona (http://www.ivona.com/en/voices/) or Cereproc (https://www.cereproc.com/en/storesapi). Both companies provide high SAPI quality voices at a relatively low cost although you may have to purchase in UK? or Euros.
Ivona is now owned by Amazon and are the voices built into the Kindle Fire HDX devices.
Best wishes
Abi
======================================
Abi James
Assistive Technology Consultant & Researcher British Dyslexia Association New Technologies Chair (bdatech.org) Accessibility Group, WAIS, University of Southampton
From: athen-list [mailto:athen-list-bounces at mailman13.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Al Puzzuoli
Sent: 09 July 2014 15:58
To: Access Technology Higher Education Network
Subject: Re: [Athen] other voices for Windows 7
Hi Robert,
There are several good options out there but unfortunately, "free" is the sticking point. NVDA have partnered with Nuance to offer the Vocalizer voices. These are quite responsive and of very high quality, but the whole package costs approximately $120.00. You may be able to purchase voices individually for less, but I'm not sure whether or not that's actually possible. Unless your student is dealing with multilingual content, Tom and Samantha would probably suffice. There are other, perhaps somewhat less expensive options available as well such as AT&T Natural Voices; but unfortunately, really nothing I can think of that's free and of any real quality.
Best of luck,
Al Puzzuoli
Information Technologist
Michigan State University,
Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities, 120 Bessey Hall East Lansing, MI 48824-1033
517-884-1915
http://www.rcpd.msu.edu
From: athen-list [mailto:athen-list-bounces at mailman13.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Robert Beach
Sent: Wednesday, July 9, 2014 10:27 AM
To: Access Technology Higher Education Network (athen-list at u.washington.edu<mailto:athen-list at u.washington.edu>)
Subject: [Athen] other voices for Windows 7
Hi all,
I have a student who is wanting to get other voices to use with NVDA. He is on a Windows 7 machine and has Microsoft Anna, but would like something different. He likes the David voice that comes with Windows 8, but I'm not sure if he can install it on a Windows 7 machine. Has anybody tried this?
Also, can anybody give recommendations of good voices, preferably free, for a Windows 7 system? I haven't played with any of the third-party voices in a couple of years now.
Thanks for any direction you can provide.
Robert Lee Beach
Assistive Technology Specialist
Kansas City Kansas Community College
7250 State Avenue
Kansas City, KS 66112
913-288-7671
rbeach at kckcc.edu<mailto:rbeach at kckcc.edu>
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Message: 8
Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2014 10:31:01 -0500
From: "Thompson, Rachel" <rsthompson2 at ua.edu>
To: Access Technology Higher Education Network
<athen-list at u.washington.edu>
Subject: [Athen] Assistive tech compatibility?
Message-ID: <CFE2C72F.45877%rsthompson2 at ua.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Hi, all.
Many thanks to those of you who shared your expertise about onscreen keyboards and what has worked on your campus.
I would like to ask for more input related to our campus-wide assistive technology proposal. We are exploring the possibility of installing the following tools campus-wide. In some cases, these tools have overlapping capabilities, but at the same time, we may have students who have experience using NVDA, but not JAWS, etc. If adding an extra tool dos not bring an added financial or support burden, we will likely include it.
Click-N-Type Virtual Keyboard (may not be necessary because of native onscreen keyboard tools) JAWS
MathPlayer
NaturalReader
NVDA
Read: Outloud University
Read and Write Gold
Window-Eyes
ZoomText
At this point, we have determined cost for our campus public computers and computer classrooms. I am looking into what technical challenges or incompatibilities these programs might have that add to the workload of our campus support teams (separate for each college, libraries, central IT), As I looked at the technical requirements and common troubleshooting/support issues for each program, I came across the statement below from AI Squared?s ZoomText site. Have you had problems running multiple AT programs on your campus machines, either in an AT lab or in a computer facility used by all students/faculty/staff?
We have to figure out if we are heading in a good direction. Our goal is to make it so our students and others who could benefit from the tools do not have to wait for a specific machine or go to a separate location to access the resources they need. I hope to test these tools on our most commonly used computer image and can share here any problems that arise.
If there is interest.
?Compatibility with Other Accessibility Programs Most accessibility programs install a chaining display driver that is always active, whether or not the accessibility program is currently running. When two or more accessibility products are installed on the same machine, there is the potential for compatibility problems with the accessibility programs. It is also possible that installing multiple accessibility programs may cause a crash when the system boots.
Some accessibility programs, including ZoomText 10, utilize DCM (Driver Chain Manager) to improve compatibility with other DCM compliant accessibility programs. ZoomText 10 utilizes DCM on Windows XP systems and Windows Vista systems that are equipped with older video hardware.
If you are running other accessibility programs on your system, check with the manufactures of each program for compatibility information and upgrades recommended for improved compatibility with other accessibility programs.? From http://www.aisquared.com/support/more/release_notes#10.1
I welcome your input on this.
Rachel
Dr. Rachel S. Thompson
Director, Emerging Technology and Accessibility Center for Instructional Technology University of Alabama http://accessibility.ua.edu
On 07/09/14, 9:17 AM, "Brad Held" <Brad.Held at ucf.edu> wrote:
Dear Rachel,
My thoughts. UCF is a Windows 7 campus (for the most part; just a few Macs and Windows 8.1). With features like, resizing of the keyboard (to get larger letters), text prediction, number pad, and alternate input (hover keys and scanning), the on-screen keyboard in W7 is sufficient enough for our campus needs for accessibility and equal access. Plus it is built-in!
Click-N-Type is updated and maintained, but still looks like a Windows 95 program, I am sure this is for accessibility, but still a polish image is important. The W7/8.1 and Mac on-screen keyboards look modern. Again, just my preference for campus wide. For an AT lab, I think having Click-N-Type is a good freeware solution. An even better paid solution is Applied Human Factors - REACH on-screen keyboard. It has smart keys (dictionary base spelling), smart list (solid word prediction), scanning, mouse/pointer assistance, and completely customizable with lots of templates.
http://newsite.ahf-net.com/reach/
**Have to mention: The windows ease of access center is housed in the control panel. The simple command of 'Windows key + U' to access it is sometimes locked out due to administrative settings. This is a common security measure to stop students from messing up the computers in labs, etc. Work with your IT departments to ensure students have access to it.
You can also add a desktop shortcut to all the programs (magnifier, narrator, speech recognition, on-screen keyboard), or make sure they can be found in the start menu under accessories.
I hope this information helps. I appreciate your commitment to creating an accessible educational experience!
Brad Held
Assistive Technology Coordinator
Student Disability Services
University of Central Florida
Ferrell Commons 7F, Room 185
Orlando, FL 32816-0161
(407) 823-2371
-----Original Message-----
From: athen-list [mailto:athen-list-bounces at mailman13.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Thompson, Rachel
Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2014 2:28 PM
To: athen-list at u.washington.edu
Subject: [Athen] Onscreen Keyboard
We are deciding what tools need to be on public computers campus-wide.
Some suggestions from other institutions from a few years ago included Click-N-Type, but I wonder if the PC and Mac native onscreen keyboards have caught up with user needs. Do your users who prefer an onscreen keyboard use the ones included with the Mac OS or with Windows? Do you know of reasons why we would install Click-N-Type as well?
http://www.lakefolks.org/cnt/
Any input would be helpful.
Rachel
Dr. Rachel S. Thompson
Director, Emerging Technology and Accessibility Center for Instructional Technology University of Alabama http://accessibility.ua.edu
_______________________________________________
athen-list mailing list
athen-list at mailman13.u.washington.edu
http://mailman13.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/athen-list
_______________________________________________
athen-list mailing list
athen-list at mailman13.u.washington.edu
http://mailman13.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/athen-list
------------------------------
Message: 9
Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2014 15:42:10 +0000
From: Al Puzzuoli <alpuzz at msu.edu>
To: Access Technology Higher Education Network
<athen-list at u.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: [Athen] Assistive tech compatibility?
Message-ID:
<C99C9AB72549EB41918F4431856C03DD3418ED2C at mail1.rcpd.msu.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Hi Rachel,
The only issue I see is with MathPlayer. Unless things have recently changed, the problem is that the plugin only works with outdated versions of Internet Explorer. I believe IE9 was the last supported version. It might be practical to designate a few stations as MathPlayer enabled, and prevent those stations from doing browser updates, but you definitely wouldn't want to roll out IE9 campus-wide!
Al Puzzuoli
Information Technologist
Michigan State University,
Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities, 120 Bessey Hall East Lansing, MI 48824-1033
517-884-1915
http://www.rcpd.msu.edu
-----Original Message-----
From: athen-list [mailto:athen-list-bounces at mailman13.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Thompson, Rachel
Sent: Wednesday, July 9, 2014 11:31 AM
To: Access Technology Higher Education Network
Subject: [Athen] Assistive tech compatibility?
Hi, all.
Many thanks to those of you who shared your expertise about onscreen keyboards and what has worked on your campus.
I would like to ask for more input related to our campus-wide assistive technology proposal. We are exploring the possibility of installing the following tools campus-wide. In some cases, these tools have overlapping capabilities, but at the same time, we may have students who have experience using NVDA, but not JAWS, etc. If adding an extra tool dos not bring an added financial or support burden, we will likely include it.
Click-N-Type Virtual Keyboard (may not be necessary because of native onscreen keyboard tools) JAWS
MathPlayer
NaturalReader
NVDA
Read: Outloud University
Read and Write Gold
Window-Eyes
ZoomText
At this point, we have determined cost for our campus public computers and computer classrooms. I am looking into what technical challenges or incompatibilities these programs might have that add to the workload of our campus support teams (separate for each college, libraries, central IT), As I looked at the technical requirements and common troubleshooting/support issues for each program, I came across the statement below from AI Squared?s ZoomText site. Have you had problems running multiple AT programs on your campus machines, either in an AT lab or in a computer facility used by all students/faculty/staff?
We have to figure out if we are heading in a good direction. Our goal is to make it so our students and others who could benefit from the tools do not have to wait for a specific machine or go to a separate location to access the resources they need. I hope to test these tools on our most commonly used computer image and can share here any problems that arise.
If there is interest.
?Compatibility with Other Accessibility Programs Most accessibility programs install a chaining display driver that is always active, whether or not the accessibility program is currently running. When two or more accessibility products are installed on the same machine, there is the potential for compatibility problems with the accessibility programs. It is also possible that installing multiple accessibility programs may cause a crash when the system boots.
Some accessibility programs, including ZoomText 10, utilize DCM (Driver Chain Manager) to improve compatibility with other DCM compliant accessibility programs. ZoomText 10 utilizes DCM on Windows XP systems and Windows Vista systems that are equipped with older video hardware.
If you are running other accessibility programs on your system, check with the manufactures of each program for compatibility information and upgrades recommended for improved compatibility with other accessibility programs.? From http://www.aisquared.com/support/more/release_notes#10.1
I welcome your input on this.
Rachel
Dr. Rachel S. Thompson
Director, Emerging Technology and Accessibility Center for Instructional Technology University of Alabama http://accessibility.ua.edu
On 07/09/14, 9:17 AM, "Brad Held" <Brad.Held at ucf.edu> wrote:
Dear Rachel,
My thoughts. UCF is a Windows 7 campus (for the most part; just a few Macs and Windows 8.1). With features like, resizing of the keyboard (to get larger letters), text prediction, number pad, and alternate input (hover keys and scanning), the on-screen keyboard in W7 is sufficient enough for our campus needs for accessibility and equal access. Plus it is built-in!
Click-N-Type is updated and maintained, but still looks like a Windows 95 program, I am sure this is for accessibility, but still a polish image is important. The W7/8.1 and Mac on-screen keyboards look modern. Again, just my preference for campus wide. For an AT lab, I think having Click-N-Type is a good freeware solution. An even better paid solution is Applied Human Factors - REACH on-screen keyboard. It has smart keys (dictionary base spelling), smart list (solid word prediction), scanning, mouse/pointer assistance, and completely customizable with lots of templates.
http://newsite.ahf-net.com/reach/
**Have to mention: The windows ease of access center is housed in the control panel. The simple command of 'Windows key + U' to access it is sometimes locked out due to administrative settings. This is a common security measure to stop students from messing up the computers in labs, etc. Work with your IT departments to ensure students have access to it.
You can also add a desktop shortcut to all the programs (magnifier, narrator, speech recognition, on-screen keyboard), or make sure they can be found in the start menu under accessories.
I hope this information helps. I appreciate your commitment to creating an accessible educational experience!
Brad Held
Assistive Technology Coordinator
Student Disability Services
University of Central Florida
Ferrell Commons 7F, Room 185
Orlando, FL 32816-0161
(407) 823-2371
-----Original Message-----
From: athen-list [mailto:athen-list-bounces at mailman13.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Thompson, Rachel
Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2014 2:28 PM
To: athen-list at u.washington.edu
Subject: [Athen] Onscreen Keyboard
We are deciding what tools need to be on public computers campus-wide.
Some suggestions from other institutions from a few years ago included Click-N-Type, but I wonder if the PC and Mac native onscreen keyboards have caught up with user needs. Do your users who prefer an onscreen keyboard use the ones included with the Mac OS or with Windows? Do you know of reasons why we would install Click-N-Type as well?
http://www.lakefolks.org/cnt/
Any input would be helpful.
Rachel
Dr. Rachel S. Thompson
Director, Emerging Technology and Accessibility Center for Instructional Technology University of Alabama http://accessibility.ua.edu
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Message: 10
Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2014 12:07:35 -0400
From: Jeffrey Dell <jeffreydell99 at gmail.com>
To: Access Technology Higher Education Network
<athen-list at u.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: [Athen] Assistive tech compatibility?
Message-ID:
<CADWGbzi3BCvbqAwFhzP37f9q1U=8=ALNMjbYdYbuDM0FtC10eQ at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
JAWS and ZoomText will not run in Thin Client computing environments.
I have not tested the other programs on think client terminals, but I don't think you will get the screen readers to work. So make sure your IT department is not running thin client computers in the computer labs. Some universities like this because it saves money on maintenance for the computer labs since only a hand full of servers need to be updated to run hundreds of computers. Our IT department runs about half of the computers in each lab like this so we were unable to role out JAWS and ZoomText on those specific machines.
Jeff
On 7/9/14, Al Puzzuoli <alpuzz at msu.edu> wrote:
> Hi Rachel,
> The only issue I see is with MathPlayer. Unless things have recently
> changed, the problem is that the plugin only works with outdated
> versions of Internet Explorer. I believe IE9 was the last supported
> version. It might be practical to designate a few stations as
> MathPlayer enabled, and prevent those stations from doing browser
> updates, but you definitely wouldn't want to roll out IE9 campus-wide!
> Al Puzzuoli
> Information Technologist
> Michigan State University,
> Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities, 120 Bessey Hall East
> Lansing, MI 48824-1033
> 517-884-1915
> http://www.rcpd.msu.edu
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: athen-list
> [mailto:athen-list-bounces at mailman13.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of
> Thompson, Rachel
> Sent: Wednesday, July 9, 2014 11:31 AM
> To: Access Technology Higher Education Network
> Subject: [Athen] Assistive tech compatibility?
>
> Hi, all.
>
> Many thanks to those of you who shared your expertise about onscreen
> keyboards and what has worked on your campus.
>
> I would like to ask for more input related to our campus-wide
> assistive technology proposal. We are exploring the possibility of
> installing the following tools campus-wide. In some cases, these tools
> have overlapping capabilities, but at the same time, we may have
> students who have experience using NVDA, but not JAWS, etc. If adding
> an extra tool dos not bring an added financial or support burden, we will likely include it.
>
>
>
> Click-N-Type Virtual Keyboard (may not be necessary because of native
> onscreen keyboard tools) JAWS
>
>
>
>
> MathPlayer
> NaturalReader
> NVDA
>
>
>
> Read: Outloud University
> Read and Write Gold
>
> Window-Eyes
> ZoomText
>
>
>
>
>
> At this point, we have determined cost for our campus public computers
> and computer classrooms. I am looking into what technical challenges
> or incompatibilities these programs might have that add to the
> workload of our campus support teams (separate for each college,
> libraries, central IT), As I looked at the technical requirements and
> common troubleshooting/support issues for each program, I came across
> the statement below from AI Squared?s ZoomText site. Have you had
> problems running multiple AT programs on your campus machines, either
> in an AT lab or in a computer facility used by all students/faculty/staff?
>
> We have to figure out if we are heading in a good direction. Our goal
> is to make it so our students and others who could benefit from the
> tools do not have to wait for a specific machine or go to a separate
> location to access the resources they need. I hope to test these tools
> on our most commonly used computer image and can share here any problems that arise.
> If there is interest.
>
>
> ?Compatibility with Other Accessibility Programs Most accessibility
> programs install a chaining display driver that is always active,
> whether or not the accessibility program is currently running. When
> two or more accessibility products are installed on the same machine,
> there is the potential for compatibility problems with the
> accessibility programs. It is also possible that installing multiple
> accessibility programs may cause a crash when the system boots.
>
> Some accessibility programs, including ZoomText 10, utilize DCM
> (Driver Chain Manager) to improve compatibility with other DCM
> compliant accessibility programs. ZoomText 10 utilizes DCM on Windows
> XP systems and Windows Vista systems that are equipped with older video hardware.
> If you are running other accessibility programs on your system, check
> with the manufactures of each program for compatibility information
> and upgrades recommended for improved compatibility with other accessibility programs.?
> From http://www.aisquared.com/support/more/release_notes#10.1
>
> I welcome your input on this.
>
> Rachel
>
> Dr. Rachel S. Thompson
> Director, Emerging Technology and Accessibility Center for
> Instructional Technology University of Alabama
> http://accessibility.ua.edu
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On 07/09/14, 9:17 AM, "Brad Held" <Brad.Held at ucf.edu> wrote:
>
> Dear Rachel,
> My thoughts. UCF is a Windows 7 campus (for the most part; just a few
> Macs and Windows 8.1). With features like, resizing of the keyboard
> (to get larger letters), text prediction, number pad, and alternate
> input (hover keys and scanning), the on-screen keyboard in W7 is
> sufficient enough for our campus needs for accessibility and equal access. Plus it is built-in!
>
> Click-N-Type is updated and maintained, but still looks like a Windows
> 95 program, I am sure this is for accessibility, but still a polish
> image is important. The W7/8.1 and Mac on-screen keyboards look
> modern. Again, just my preference for campus wide. For an AT lab, I
> think having Click-N-Type is a good freeware solution. An even better
> paid solution is Applied Human Factors - REACH on-screen keyboard. It
> has smart keys (dictionary base spelling), smart list (solid word
> prediction), scanning, mouse/pointer assistance, and completely customizable with lots of templates.
> http://newsite.ahf-net.com/reach/
>
> **Have to mention: The windows ease of access center is housed in the
> control panel. The simple command of 'Windows key + U' to access it is
> sometimes locked out due to administrative settings. This is a common
> security measure to stop students from messing up the computers in
> labs, etc. Work with your IT departments to ensure students have access to it.
> You can also add a desktop shortcut to all the programs (magnifier,
> narrator, speech recognition, on-screen keyboard), or make sure they
> can be found in the start menu under accessories.
>
> I hope this information helps. I appreciate your commitment to
> creating an accessible educational experience!
>
> Brad Held
> Assistive Technology Coordinator
> Student Disability Services
> University of Central Florida
> Ferrell Commons 7F, Room 185
> Orlando, FL 32816-0161
> (407) 823-2371
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: athen-list
> [mailto:athen-list-bounces at mailman13.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of
> Thompson, Rachel
> Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2014 2:28 PM
> To: athen-list at u.washington.edu
> Subject: [Athen] Onscreen Keyboard
>
> We are deciding what tools need to be on public computers campus-wide.
> Some suggestions from other institutions from a few years ago included
> Click-N-Type, but I wonder if the PC and Mac native onscreen keyboards
> have caught up with user needs. Do your users who prefer an onscreen
> keyboard use the ones included with the Mac OS or with Windows? Do you
> know of reasons why we would install Click-N-Type as well?
> http://www.lakefolks.org/cnt/
>
> Any input would be helpful.
>
> Rachel
>
> Dr. Rachel S. Thompson
> Director, Emerging Technology and Accessibility Center for
> Instructional Technology University of Alabama
> http://accessibility.ua.edu
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> athen-list mailing list
> athen-list at mailman13.u.washington.edu
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> athen-list mailing list
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>
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> athen-list at mailman13.u.washington.edu
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