Technology for Disabilities

Arun will lead a discussion about how to deal with disabilities in technology and discuss his project SKID (http://skid.org.in/).

Notes

Disabilities and Accessibility with Arun

Interests of People

• Alternate interfaces. Musical.
• Web Development

Arun's Work

• Stephen Hawking came to India. The software that he uses, the hardware is not being made. X company decided to create software for Stephen Hawking (open source).
• Why would Stephen Hawking need software from India?
  • They did go to Microsoft and M$ werent interested.
• Stepen can only press one button.
  • Cna hold down buton
• Go to his website:
  • What do you think about your disabilitit?
• His computer is just like anyone elses.
• Book: Beautiful Code (chapter about Stephen Hawking)

Special Kids

• skid.org.in
• very simple modules (ruby on rails)
  • very simple task
  • Very easy to write modules
    • script to set up skeleton of modules
  • combine modules
    • Typing and Email modules combined
  • Had kids write modules in one summer
    • high school kids, college kids
• Ruby on Rails was used because of its modular natures
  • easy for novices to program like experts
• Can navigate with just an x-y joystick
• 4 button design
• FireWater (ruby) module controls firefox
• speech enable (can speak for)
  • Find matching sentences with regular expression to easily find things to say
  • Can change via text files
  • Parent can put in words and pictures based on what is being learned
  • Festival
• Hardware
  • Cheap solid state laptop
• YouTube
  • ??
• Images
  • select 3 modules in order to pick pictures and crop
  • Works really well with autistic
• Site Administration
  • There are modules for parents/teachers/admins to clean up data and manage site
• Bulletin Board
• Promotion
  • Mailing list
  • Arun works at schools

Disability Issues

• Kinds of disabilities
• Many degrees (like blindness)
• Disabled from Birth
  • Size of person will dictate technoogy for disabled
• In many area in the world, education is not available to the disabled
• Speaking is really hard to learn
• Communication problems mean that it is difficult to communicate the disbality to technology

Define Disablity

• Absences of an abiltiy
• It's a dynamic thing. Like not knowing about computers

Challenges in Designing

• Like connecting pipes as a plumber
• how to have authentication? (accounts for email)
  • maybe image based

Questions (What can we do?)

• If you see any things that are sensory exciting?
  • Send to Arun
• Do you know kids that could use this software?
  • takes patience on both sides
  • in India, it is foreign to buy a computer for a disabled
• Anyone with experience with installing software on SD card?
• Ruby on Rails training?
• Students who are seeking meaningful small projects (create some modules)?
  • Easy for resume.
• Conversion of Joystick client to JS?
  • ATM: Festival needs to be installed. Driver only on Linux.
  • USB joystick

Other Solutions

• Wireless cards can determine resistance, so waving a hand in front of card can snese action.
• WiiMote
• Sense Blue/Red blocks
• cameras are in all (cheap) laptops

Ruby on Rails

• good for this application
• makes writing good code really easy
• Framkwork, not language or CMS (but allows making a CMS easy)

Other Points

• creating opportunities for kids to program modules along side disabled kids
• second life
• communities
• each feature adds complexity
• waycom tables, pressure sensitivity
• bulb aand liquid tube to have different levels to determine state
• create credit opportuninties for college students to volunteer at elementary

Future of Skid

• two-button design