Posts

Learning Ally Audio App is Now Free

According to a recent entry at the Assistive Technology Blog, Learning Ally has reduced the cost of their iOS app to free. Available only to Learning Ally members, the app previously cost $19.99. The app is compatible with both the iPad and iPhone. The app is the easiest way to listen to Learning Ally books on your iOS device.

For all the new features, the user experience is weakened by the absence of key features such as the ability to browse the Learning Ally catalogue directly from your iOS device, or to do background downloads or background audio play back. When listening to an audio book you cannot follow along with an e-book because the audio book will automatically pause. Also in order to download an audio book you first must add the book to your bookshelf via a web browser.  Perhaps these in time, these features and others will be added to enrich the user experience.

A quick start guide is available as a PDF or Word document. For answers to common questions, check out the FAQ section and to view screen shots of the app in action, consult the quick start guide.

        

Funding Source Directory for Mobile Devices

I am constantly amazed at the multiplicity of apps for smart phones and other devices. Sometimes I catch myself thinking “I never would have thought of that!” when I learn about a particularly ingenious, creative or innovative app.

Individuals with disabilities have benefited from smart technology. A PepNet workshop I attended last year, introduced to me to some of the apps that are popular with individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. Other apps I’ve heard about benefit individuals with vision impairments. The educational environment has particularly benefited from smart technology as there are numerous education related apps available that benefit children and college students with and without disabilities.

BridgingApps.org

The potential for apps to make a difference in the lives of individuals with disabilities is at the heart of an organization I learned about recently. BridgingApps.org was created by parents and therapists who began using the iPad with children who have special needs and discovered the power of this device as a motivation for learning and for improving speech and fine motor skills.

This volunteer community of parents, therapists, doctors, and teachers is committed to sharing information on how they are using the iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch and Android devices to provide access and make a significant difference in the lives of children and adults. These devices, make it possible for individuals to be engaged with the world,  despite challenging language, motor, or other developmental delays.

In response to many questions from the BridgingApps community about how to get a device funded, the organization has created a funding source directory of organizations that grant iPads and similar devices to families who have children with special needs. Individuals are encouraged to use the directory as a guide to explore funding options.

Related articles

2012 a Year of Anniversaries

There are a number of historically significant anniversaries in 2012.  This  year marks the  the bicentennial of the War of 1812, the sesquicentennial of the Homestead Act, and the centennial of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. Although there are many other noteworthy anniversaries, two watershed events in the struggle for civil rights for African Americans and people with disabilities come to mind.

Notable Anniversaries in the Civil Rights Movement

  • Fifty years ago, in 1962, Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black ordered the immediate admittance of James Meredith to the University of Mississippi. Mississippi’s governor, Ross Barnett, attempted to bar Meredith’s entry. President Kennedy, however, federalized the National Guard, which then forced his admittance.
  • Thirty-five years ago, in 1977, the Section 504 demonstration at the San Francisco Regional Office of HEW proved to be a watershed event for the civil rights of people with disabilities.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 adaptive the concept of reasonable accommodation that was originally applied to religious practices was applied to people with disabilities.  504 established and still provides for accommodations in all programs receiving federal funds (education, transportation, arts programs, health care).

This landmark legislation was passed in 1973 but was not being enforced because the implementing regulations were held up in Heath, Education and Welfare. The disability community became increasingly frustrated and on April 5, 1977, roughly 600 people assembled at the San Francisco regional office of United Stated Department of Health, Education and Welfare.

The protest in San Francisco became the longest occupation of a Federal building in U.S. history. After 28 days, Section 504 was signed which was a great victory.

CBS Evening News 504 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbfNJpFni-E

(This video is from a show called “Instant Recall” which aired in the late eighties, and which used footage from the CBS Evening News.)

The Power of 504 part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMC5UuiIQkI&feature=watch_response

The Power of 504 part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vOM0-IOrKg&feature=watch_response

(The Power of 504 Part 1 & 2 form an award-winning 18-minute documentary video, which captures the drama and emotions of the historic civil rights demonstration of people with disabilities in 1977, resulting in the signing of the 504 Regulations, the first Federal Civil Rights Law protecting people with disabilities. The documentary includes contemporary news footage and news interviews with participants and demonstration leaders. It is available in open caption, audio descriptive and standard formats.)

Related articles