Technology Tuesday

Today’s Technology Tuesday comes from Erika Schroeder, a Communications Teacher for Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source department. As Erika notes, when we talk about using technology to increase self-reliance among the individuals we serve at Imagine!, we don’t always mean the absolute newest, latest, and most complex gadget or systems. Sometimes, it just means knowing what adjustments can be made to current and easily accessible technologies to meet the needs of individuals with a variety of intellectual and developmental disabilities. Read more below. 

When thinking of modern technology the first things that come to mind are the newest phones, the smallest computers, and the quickest processing speeds. These advancements are impressive but sometimes we forget about the already available and adaptable technology that surrounds us.

Many of the individuals we serve have challenges with their vision. Whether it’s being farsighted or nearsighted, adjustments must be made. In Microsoft Word, there is a drop down box in the “Font” toolbar with numbers in it. This allows the font to be adjusted to any size suitable for the user. One of our clients writes with a large font and then shrinks it down to a smaller font for printing in the Imagine!ws newsletter. At CORE/Labor Source’s technology lab, we also have access to keyboards with enlarged font and buttons. One keyboard has enlarged letters in the QWERTY format; another has enlarged letters in ABC order.

Some individuals experience challenges with their motor skills. Adapting the mouse is the simplest solution. In our technology lab we have a mouse with a rollerball that works similar to a laptop mouse pad. Using one finger or the palm of your hand, you can roll the bright yellow ball in any direction to move the mouse on the screen.

More than one client we work with is left handed. This poses a problem when attempting to click and make choices using the mouse, which is formatted to a right handed person. Windows makes it possible to reverse the primary and secondary buttons:

• Click the start button on the left of the taskbar. 
• On the right panel click “Control Panel” 
• Under Control Panel options click on “Hardware and Sound” 
• Under Hardware and Sound find the section “Devices and Printers” 
• Click on “Mouse” 
• A separate box will open up. The box will be labeled “Mouse Properties” 
• Click on the tab “Buttons” 
• The first box will be labeled “Button configuration” 
• Click on the box labeled “Switch primary and secondary buttons” 

Now the mouse will have reversed right and left click buttons.

In our Creative Writing class, we use these simpler technologies on a regular basis. Adaptations such for challenges in vision and motor skills create opportunity for those who may have felt that using a computer was impossible before.

Pictured below is Gabe in the CORE/Labor Source Writing Class, demonstrating simple technology adaptations including an enlarged font, a roller mouse, and an enlarged keyboard.