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RE: Setting up a lab?

for

From: Joy M. Hyzny
Date: Aug 2, 2001 1:17PM


Hi Gina,
Setting up a lab is very exciting! Are you setting this up for use in higher
education or elementary? What platform will you be using - Windows or Mac?
Would you be setting up something in the network environment and what ports do
you have available on the computers? Just some additional considerations!
I would include a scanner with OCR software such as OmniPage. Depending on
your budget, software such as the Kurzweil 1000 or 3000 or Open Book have some
terrific capabilities for student with learning disabilities. Another
text-to-speech program such as Read Please is also helpful. A variety of
low-tech typing aids, ergo mouse - trackballs - mouthsticks, etc., and
potentially a keyguard can be an asset. Depending on the needs of your
students and environmental considerations, you may want to consider a voice
recognition program (such as IBM Via Voice or Dragon Naturally Speaking).
JAWS and/or Window-Eyes are very popular screen readers for IBM. A screen
magnification program such as ZoomText can be helpful for users with low
vision. Thinking about universal design, a height-adjustable table that can
accommodate multiple users is advisable.
Just some ideas!
Joy Hyzny
University of Illinois at Chicago
(312) 413-0886

>===== Original Message From WebAIM forum < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
====>Hi all -
>
>I am interested in setting up a "mini" Advanced Technology (AT) Lab for
>accessibility issues. There's great info on different browsing alternatives
>on the W3C site: http://www.w3.org/WAI/References/Browsing
>
>Is there anyone out there who has set up an AT lab for accessibility issues?
>What software(s) do you recommend? JAWS seems like a necessity - any other
>suggestions would be a great help!
>
>Thanks!!
>
>Gina