Scenario 3 – Modifications to the input medium

A child’s visual functioning, physical and cognitive abilities will impact upon the way they interact with technology, not least in the way they are able to control the input process. Adaptations to the mouse and keyboard allow many pupils with a visual impairment to gain access, but alternatives are available where this is not suitable.

Switches

The young pupil who is blind will have no knowledge of the keyboard and the potential for interaction with the computer. The use of a switch with a simple cause-and-effect application or indeed appliances such as hairdryers or toys, will introduce them to the concept of causation and environmental control. Some pupils will then be able to move onto other input devices whilst some will develop choosing skills through the use of two switches and auditory scanning (see Unit 8 – The development of switching skills for more general information about switch access).

For a pupil who has partial sight, a switch may be used as an introduction to input devices where there is a need to minimize distraction from a busy keyboard. The pupil is able to engage in simple choice or matching activities to develop discrimination skills, whilst difficulties with input are minimized.

Example 3a – Sophie

Sophie has retinal dysplasia which means she is totally blind. She is beginning to develop Braille skills but finds tactile discrimination difficult.

She enjoys using a tactile overlay with Braille labels to listen to poems with lots of sounds effects. Her teacher is keen that she develop her listening skills and the ability to make choices when information is presented through sound. As curriculum demands increase, she will need to use her listening skills more and eventually use a screen reader to obtain full access to a computer. Switch Clicker has been used to design and create on-screen grids from which Sophie can choose which poems she would like to hear.

Currently she is using two switches to control the auditory scan and selection of the poem. The teacher intends to move her towards using designated key strokes to scan and select and eventually use the on-screen grids with a talking word processor.

Key skills and equipment

The key skills for the above example are the ability to:

• design tactile overlays relevant to the needs and interests of Sophie
• operate software used to design overlays
• design on-screen grids and implement through the use of switches

The key equipment is:

• overlay keyboard
• overlay design software e.g. Overlay Maker, Soundbook or Concept Plus
• on-screen grid application e.g. Clicker
• variety of switches
• equipment to produce tactile overlays

Touch screen

It is often difficult to establish how much a young pupil is able to see and the mechanics of eye-hand coordination may pose a barrier to developing visual skills. Touch screens allow the pupil to focus on both their hand and the screen contents at the same time, without the need for exaggerated hand movements.

The use of a touch screen with standard point and click software may give an indication of the child’s functional vision. Many simple touch screen / monitor applications exist and simple authoring tools allow design and creation of tailor made screens to meet more of the individual interests and abilities of the child.

The touch screen is not a suitable input method for a pupil who is totally blind. Although it can be used as an input method to develop causation skills, unlike switches, there is no potential for progression or more complex usage based on tactile discrimination. It should therefore be avoided and a more appropriate method explored.

Example 3b – Davinder

Davinder has ocular albinism which results in extreme photophobia (intense dislike of light), low vision, poor tracking skills and difficulty following and focusing on moving objects. It has also been extremely difficult for her teacher to establish what use Davinder is making of her peripheral vision, as when she lacks interest in an activity she can be very uncooperative.

A touch screen has been purchased with a range of touch screen software. Despite an enthusiastic start, Davinder soon lost interest in the applications as the same images appeared, many of which were not simple enough for her to identify.

Davinder’s teacher designed and created her own screens by importing simple images into PowerPoint and creating a presentation activated by a screen touch by Davinder. Her teacher now has much more accurate information about how Davinder is using her functional vision and by using the features of the software, has been able to train her to use it more effectively. The teacher has used this information about Davinder’s sight to create resources to support a number of curriculum areas. One such resource is a sequence of screens designed to help identify shapes in Maths. A selection of shapes are given on screen and a question posed, Davinder has to correctly identify the requested shape by pointing at it. The area pointed to obviously evokes a varied auditory response based on accuracy. The technology based activity is also reinforced by hands on investigation of two and three-dimensional objects.

Key skills and equipment

The key skill for the above example is the ability to:

• design appropriate screens through the use of a multimedia authoring package

The key equipment is:

• multimedia authoring package e.g. PowerPoint, Hyperstudio or SwitchIt! Maker
• touch screen (Touch Monitor)

Overlay keyboards

Overlay keyboards potentially offer pupils with a visual impairment a combination of sensory stimuli. Tactile overlays, speech output and visual representation can be combined in the most appropriate ways to enhance access and participation. Overlay keyboards have long been used as an alternative input device for word-processing but there are many other uses. Applications exist to create talking books which are accessed via a tactile overlay and output audio samples. Soundbook from RCEVH is one example of a simple application which allows the pupil to press tactile areas to activate digitized sound samples.

Example 3c – Hussain

Hussain has lebers amaurosis which means he was born blind. He is developing his Braille skills but finds the process of tactile tracking very difficult and is completely disinterested in reading. To try to encourage him to participate more readily in reading activities and improve his tactile skills, his teacher has introduced Soundbook to the classroom. Soundbook is software which uses a tactile overlay to activate audio files.

The overlays are designed to encourage tracking over a set of tactile markings from left to right with two hands in the same way that Braille is read. The stories have a predictive and repetitive nature to provide the pupil with familiarity and confidence to engage in the activity. For a sighted pupil, pre-literacy activities would involve enjoying pictures and extracting contextual meaning. In the same way, Hussain is not only able to extract information from the sound samples but also, alongside his peers, enjoy ‘reading’ stories, reinforce concepts and develop tactile discrimination skills.

Key skills and equipment

The key skills for the above example are the ability to:

• design tactile overlays relevant to the needs and interests of Hussain
• operate software used to design overlays for story reading

The key equipment is:

• overlay keyboard
• overlay design software e.g. Soundbook or Concept Plus
• equipment to produce tactile overlays

A tactile overlay may also be created which allows the pupil to launch applications or control devices. Often the accurate syntax needed to enter information into a computer causes difficulty and frustration on the part of the child. As the pupil is developing familiarity with the operating system, experiences need to be positive and actually facilitate learning rather than pose greater barriers.

Other applications provide the option to create quizzes and access CD-ROM titles via a tactile overlay. ClickIt! and IntelliPics provide the opportunity to create customized resources, differentiated to the needs of the individual. Examples of overlay keyboards can be found in section Appendix 5.

This ICTS website is maintained by Inclusive Technology.