Sachin Pavithran

Sachin Pavithran is a new member of the Association of Assistive Technology Act Program Board. He will continue with his duties at the CPD in addition to serving with ATAP.

The association is a membership organization for Technology Act programs funded by the US Department of Education. Every state has its own AT program that exists to put assistive technology into the hands of people who need it. Assistive technology is any device—low- or high-tech—that makes independence easier.

Sachin has been heavily involved in assistive technology at the Center for Persons with Disabilities. He is the Assistive Technology Specialist and the Disability Law and Policy Coordinator at the CPD.

His term begins on October 1. He was elected by representatives of the assistive technology programs around the United States. One of his duties will be to do some legislative work to prepare for the reauthorization of the Assistive Technology Act.

The board also works to help programs share information, enter partnerships and keep abreast of issues related to assistive technology.

My dad has an iPad. He’s also got low vision. And for a few hours over the past couple of weeks, we’ve been trying to figure out how he can use his new technology. He’s taking advantage of the built-in speech function, but one of the most frustrating problems right out of the box was sticky fingers.

Dad’s fingertips wouldn’t slide easily over the touch screen. The device would talk to Dad, but he had a terrible time cruising over the icons because his fingers kept catching on the glass.

We were in the office at the CPD after hours last night, trying to figure out what to do, when he wondered aloud if a powdered substance might help. The Up to 3 program down the hall had some baby powder. I poured some onto a tissue, he dipped his fingers in it, and presto! Instant slide. Suddenly the screen was talking up a storm.

I’m not an expert, so I talked to Husband, an electronic engineer who works for a company that builds handheld devices. I asked him if  baby powder will hurt a touch screen. He didn’t recommend dropping the device into a vat of baby powder, but a little on the fingers shouldn’t hurt.

We’ve got other hurdles to go, but it was nice to find a one-step solution to sticky fingers.

Disclaimer: For the best care advice for your device, talk to the experts where you bought it. And remember, never use window cleaner or other chemicals on a touch screen. Polish it with a soft cloth that’s clean and dry, or use a cleaner that’s specifically made for touch screens.

Over the past few months, e-newsletters and RSS feeds have run over with stories about mobile technology and its implications for both education and special education. Every day there’s a new story about a tablet as a teaching tool.

Educational apps can resemble games, with built-in repetition and rewards for students who are trying to master a new concept. This is great not only for students, but also for special education students who can work on their own, at their own pace. Craig Boogaard, a technology support specialist for the Utah Center for Assistive Technology, said the app market is booming for devices of all brands.

The revolution may go beyond the school. Mobile technology may encourage some people to go online who have not done so before. People with disabilities have typically been slower than their peers to use the Internet. A Pew Research Center study found that among adults with a disability, 54 percent were Internet users, compared to 81 percent of those who did not report a disability.

Why the difference? Accessibility may be a complication, since using a computer without assistive technology may be so frustrating for some people with disabilities that it turns them off. Cost may be a big barrier: not only the price of the desktop, but also the price of the assistive technology required to make it work. Age may also play into it, since people with disabilities tend to be older that their peers, and thus they are less likely to be comfortable with new technology. (That’s a generalization, of course.)

Mobile technology may address some of these barriers. A tablet or smart phone is less expensive than a desktop. Some devices have accessibility features built-in. (The iPad, iPhone and iPod appear to be ahead when it comes to accessibility.)

In addition to features that make the device easier to use for people with disabilities, apps are available that transform a device into a mobile piece of assistive technology; one that can magnify print, scans labels in a grocery store, reads the dollar value of paper money or speaks for someone unable to talk. You can read a list of iPad 2 assistive technology apps on the Utah Assistive Technology Program blog–and more have probably become available since it was compiled.

This is all fine in theory, but how does it work in practice? If you are an educator, or a person with a disability who uses a device, or if you know someone who does, please leave a comment. It would be nice to know how mobile technology is working for real people in the real world.

Finally, there’s more information about mobile technology on our website.

Are you an entrepreneur with a disability who needs a business loan for your small business?  Need help writing your business plan? Then sign up for RESNA’S free Accessible Web-based meeting!

Session #1: Introduction and Business Planning Basics – What do you need to consider in order to start or expand a small business?

Kathy Gilman of the Washington Access Fund will be presenting webinar for budding entrepreneurs from around the country so that they can learn about entrepreneurship and the basics of business planning.  Kathy has 15+ years of microenterprise development and microlending experience.

Date:  April 27, 2011
Time:  12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
To Register: Contact Lois Summers. To make arrangements by phone, call 1- 800-524-5152.

PLEASE GIVE US 14 DAYS NOTICE OF ACCOMMODATIONS NEEDED.

The car developed through the National Federation of the Blind’s Blind Driver challenge will appear on NBC’s Today Weekend show on Sunday, March 6. According to KSL’s local listings, the news program will begin at 7 a.m.

The CPD’s Sachin Pavithran also serves on the NFB research and development committee–which made him one of a team of people who gave input on the car’s design. They helped a team of students from Virginia Tech to know which elements of design would and would not work in a car driven by a blind person.

Sachin is the CPD’s assistive technology specialist and law and policy coordinator.

We have written about the car on our blog and in our newsletter–now it will be covered on national news. Tune in if you can!