Nonvocal alert patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting often struggle to communicate due to inaccessible or unavailable tools for augmentative and alternative communication. Innovation of a hand-operated non-touchscreen communication system for nonvocal ICU patients was guided by design concepts including speech output, simplicity, and…

Communication among adolescents with cerebral palsy can be restricted with traditional Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) device coupled with environmental and social barriers. The advance of communication technology offer solutions to reduce such barriers. Given that there is limited research in communication behaviours of…

Despite enormous improvements in AT devices and services in American classrooms, the number of students with special needs, and the complexity of needs that they and their families experience continues to be sky rocketed nationwide. In response to these urgent needs, more advanced and specialized assistive technologies have been developed that…

A phonics-based reading curriculum in which students used an iPad to respond was created for students with developmental disabilities not able to verbally participate in traditional phonics instruction due to their use of augmentative and assistive communication. Time delay and a system of least prompts used in conjunction with text-to-speech…

The author shares the story of Megan Fry of The Woodlands, Texas, a pioneer among young artists with disabilities. Megan wanted to enter the Montgomery County Beatification Association's (MCBA) 2010 Arbor Day poster contest, but the rules prohibited computer-based art. That posed a dilemma because cerebral palsy prevents Megan from speaking and…

This study evaluated whether two persons with developmental disabilities would be able to improve their pointing performance through a Dual Cursor Automatic Pointing Assistive Program (DCAPAP) with a newly developed mouse driver (i.e., a new mouse driver replaces standard mouse driver, and is able to intercept/detect mouse movement action). First,…

Teachers' integration of computer-based assistive technology has been linked to positive educational outcomes for students with disabilities. This study was conducted to identify factors that are predictive of integrating assistive technology into teaching practices among general and special education teachers of students with severe disabilities.…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate an idea of producing an assistive and augmentative communication (AAC) tool that uses natural human computer interfacing to accommodate the disabilities of children with cerebral palsy (CP) and assist them in their daily communication. Design/methodology/approach: The authors developed a…

Purpose: Directed scanning and group-item scanning both represent options for increased scanning efficiency. This investigation compared accuracy and speed of selection with preschoolers using each scanning method. The study's purpose was to describe performance characteristics of typically developing children and to provide a reliable assessment…

The study employed a single-subject multiple baseline design to examine the ability of 9 individuals with severe Broca's aphasia or global aphasia to produce graphic symbol sentences of varying syntactical complexity using a software program that turns a computer into a speech output communication device. The sentences ranged in complexity from…

These three issues of "TECH-NJ" from 2000 to 2002 focus on technology and children with disabilities in New Jersey. The issues address how technology can support language development and people with learning disabilities, and technology tools that support reading. Featured articles include: (1) "Adaptive Technology Center for New…