Disabilities becomes abilities with the iPad's Accessibility features

I attended the iPad feedback session from the Apple Accessibility Conference in Berlin, presented by Karen Hart at the iStore on Sandton Drive yesterday. I am struck that the word "disability" is not the choice word when discussing special needs . It is now only about "accessibility".

With three clicks the iPad changes into an accessible tool that changes learning for special needs' kids completely. The software has been built-in from the start and developed for 25 years.

It addresses vision, hearing, physical and motor skills, as well as learning and literacy.

The following quotes comes from a video about the use of iPads in special needs education: The link is here, and if you have seven minutes, it is really worth seeing: http://t.co/dVs54lRpmb

• iPad makes learning so much easier!
• When learning is fun, it has a bigger impact on the child!
• The focus is on the abilities rather than disabilities!
• The use of iPads open up new ways of looking at the world!
• Independence is very important to learning, and the iPad makes it possible.
• It motivates teaching!

A breakdown of the Accessibility features can be found here:
iOS. A wide range of features for a wide range of use 


The in-built features on the iOS devices:

I am only going to name them, because it can all be Googled to learn how to make use of it!

Vision

- VoiceOver
- Speak Screen
- Siri
- Dictation
- Zoom
- Font Adjustments
- Invert colours and grayscale
- Braille displays are also available

Hearing

- FaceTime video calling
- Unlimited texting
- Closed Captions to watch movies, television, and podcasts
- Mono Audio helps with adjusting stereo to mono, or diverting sound to one ear.
-Visibility and vibrating alerts
- Works with hearing aids

Karen Hart demonstrating her Picster Book apps that specifically addresses South African sign language for English and Afrikaans users. She also demonstrated this at the Berlin Conference. The Picsterbook apps are all available for free download on the iTunes Store.

Karen Heart with her Picster Books 

Physical and motor challenges

- Assistive Touch - the screen can be adapted to unique physical needs, such as not having functional arms.
- Siri
- Switch Control
- Dictation
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Predictive text
- Support for Third Party Keyboards

Karen Hart demonstration of using only head movements to
operate the iPad

Attention, Cognitive and Learning challenges (including autism)

- Guided access
- Speak Screen
- Dictionary
- Safari

Karen hart discussed a few presentations that caught her eye during the Conference, including the story of Srini Swaminathan who uses the iPad as teaching tool in the slums of India.

Earlier today Karen Hart @picsterbooks gave feedback about the Accessibility Summit in Berlin with reference to the passion of @srini091 who teach in the slums if India with his iPad #ipadlearningza

A photo posted by Karen Du Toit (@karentoittoit) on Mar 23, 2015 at 2:06pm PDT

Responses on the Instagram photo:

@karentoittoit Thank you Karen Srini remains an inspiration for me. If we had more teachers like him we could change the face of education
— Karen Hart (@picsterbooks) March 24, 2015

I was inspired as always, and wish we can have this technology in every child's hand!


Related posts:

- iPad learning for special needs - Autism #iPadlearningZA

- iPad in Education at Sacred Heart College #iPadLearningZA

Nappies for those that do not get to grow out of it

We were just talking last night that it is been nearly a year that our little toddler has been nappy free.

 At that stage nobody was as surprised as the surprised mother that it went as smooth-sailing and that something just clicked!

It really puts a dent in your budget each month!

Stacey over at Living Lionhearts has worked out that she has spent nearly R27 000 for her Travis who is a special needs-child, and who is five and there is no end in sight!

She is supporting Nappy Run which starts in October until beginning of December.

Nappy Run 

The details:

" - The Nappy Run is a joint venture between the National Council for Persons with Physical Disabilities in South Africa (NCPPDSA) and the National Association of Persons with Cerebral Palsy (NAPCP).
 - The campaign runs from 1 October to 3 December.
 - This year, the Nappy Run aims to collect 400,000 nappies for children with disabilities.
 - You can drop off your donation of nappies at any of the 350+ Alpha Pharm pharmacies across the country.
 - On National Children’s Day (Saturday 3 November), the Nappy Run 5km ‘fun run’ is taking place at the Johannesburg Zoo, starting at 9am. You run with a ‘doek’! Entrance is a pack of nappies."

Stacey asks that you tweet her at @MissStaceyVee or email her when you have donated so that she can keep score for SA's mommy blogger community!


All the details are on her blog: Help us donate 10 000 nappies this year!

(Photo by Debbie Rogers - Mieka was about 5 months at the time)

The story of a little girl named Caitlin

Photo courtesy of Sherene Hustler of Inner Eye Photography

When you become a parent, you become even more aware of how precious a child is. And it touches you even more when you hear about children suffering, or hurting. This is the story of Caitlin, a 5-year old girl. She is also the daughter of Dries’s cousin, Michelle.

She was born prematurely with her twin sister at 30 weeks. There were complications such as stopping to breathe, struggling with reflux, and she contracted the Rotavirus at 7 months. At nine months Michelle’s niggling suspicions were confirmed that something was very wrong when she demanded answers. Up until then the paediatrician told her not to worry. Caitlin had undetected brain bleeding since birth which led to the fact that her entire motor section in her brain was gone.

The prognosis was very bad: acute cerebral palsy! Caitlin would only live until 15 years of age!

Michelle has not given up hope. To the contrary: she has been researching Caitlin’s condition and she has tried to get her the extra special care she needs. It is very difficult because she is single parent. Their hope is now focused on Neuro-endoscopic Autologous Stem Cell Implantation, which Caitlin has already been approved for at the X-Cell Centre in Germany. Michelle needs R300 000 for the trip and the medical procedures.

She is now bringing the plight of Catlin to everybody’s attention. The story of Caitlin has been published in People Magazine of this week.

Michelle has also started a Facebook fan page for Caitlin, called The Little Train who Can: Caitlin’s story so far. You can find more information about Caitlin and her condition on the page.

We are so blessed when we have healthy children. We believe that this little girl will also outlive her prognosis.

Miracles do happen every day, don’t they?

The reality is definitely stranger than dreams

You sometimes find yourself in a situation where you think: This can’t be real! But it is!
Last Thursday I was in a course where they had to explain the Occupational Health and Safety Act of South Africa to us. Apparently the law requires companies to inform the workers about their rights as well as making them aware of safety issues in the workplace.
Our course presenter was an older man who looks like he has spent his whole career in security, with his curly grey hair, his purple shirt and a short tie.
He introduced himself very politely to each of us, and tried to remember our names by using it again. But he struggled to pronounce the African names, because he only addressed the white workshop participants by their names again. He addressed the rest of the African course participants (which were in the majority) as “Mister” and “Misses.” (Although he had asked for their names as well).

He asked the course participants to read passages from the law, as well as from the course notes, but as soon as they started to read, he interjected by reading as well or saying something about the content.

He initiated a role-play with one of the participants:
Boss (presenter): Knock on door.
Worker (course participant): Come in.
Boss: Will you please drive a fork-lift for me?
Worker: No, I don’t have a license.
Boss: Please, I will give you R500. Do it for me?
Worker: Okay, I will! (And it is explained that he proceeds to drive into another worker – with consequences to the company and the boss.) (Very, very lame…)

The best was when he explained that workers are not able to do their work without their hands or eyes. My blind colleague immediately reacted by saying: “I am going to go home now!”
The presenter flushed bright red, and said that he wasn’t thinking.
My colleague was laughing, but you could see that the presenter felt very bad about his faux’ pas.
A very strange four hours, indeed!