In the fall of 2006, students could purchase an entry-level notebook computer with a 15-inch LCD for $500. This price crossed an important threshold, moving notebooks into the range of consumer electronics--the category of phenomena that fuels mass consumer trends such as cell phones, digital cameras, and iPods. Most colleges and universities…

The Canadian population is aging and becoming more ethnically diverse. This paper focuses on South Asian immigrant seniors and examines differences in housing and living arrangements among seniors who immigrated at different life stages. We interviewed a convenience sample of 161 immigrant seniors of South Asian descent in Edmonton, Alberta, to…

The spatial knowledge of 18 children with spina bifida and 18 healthy control children (matched according to sex, age, and verbal IQ) was investigated in a computer-simulated environment. All children had to learn a route through a virtual floor system containing 18 landmarks. Controlling for cognitive abilities, the results revealed that children…

This guide is intended to assist people with physical disabilities who are wheelchair users and their families in the construction of a barrier-free home. Introductory information notes the importance of specific planning for individual needs and full participation by the homeowner as well as the architect and contractor. Briefly addressed are:…

Two brief fact sheets for people with disabilities provide information on: (1) modifying a trailer to make it accessible for persons with mobility impairments, especially those in wheelchairs, and (2) accessibility considerations for home buyers or home owners with mobility impairments. The first fact sheet identifies inherent problems in…

The document presents uniform standards for facility accessibility by physically handicapped persons for Federal and federally funded facilities. The standards are to be applied during the design, construction, and alteration of buildings and facilities to the extent required by the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968, as amended. Technical…

Skiing is a rewarding form of exercise for the disabled, including amputees, the blind and deaf, parapalegics, and those with neuromuscular disorders and spinal cord injuries. The article discusses equipment adaptation for the disabled, as well as training techniques for and special considerations in instructing handicapped skiers. (JL)

Illustrates and describes new guidelines, issued by the U.S. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board, for the design of telephone enclosures for persons in wheelchairs. (MLF)

When older siblings were present with infants and their mothers in the backyard of a private home, the infants went further from their mothers, traversed a larger area of the yard, left their mothers more quickly, and stayed away longer. (RH)

Discusses how to create or refocus a transition plan for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Steps include documenting needs, documenting solutions, prioritizing needs, and creating a schedule. Also briefly addresses accessibility requirements, the concept of undue burden, finding help, and summarized Title II requirements.…

Describes requirements for existing educational facilities under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act and addresses issues such as guidelines for children, wheelchair-accessible and ambulatory stalls, areas without their own section in the standards, assistive listening devices in auditoriums, ramp slope, emergency evacuation planning,…

A study attempted to assess preferences between a task arrangement involving mobility and a task arrangement involving sedentariness with three women with severe disabilities and visual impairments or blindness. Results found that participants' preferences about task arrangements could be successfully assessed. (Author/CR)

Some aspects of assistive technology can be enhanced by the application of virtual reality. Although virtual simulation offers a range of new possibilities, learning to navigate in a virtual environment is not equivalent to learning to navigate in the real world. Therefore, virtual reality simulation is advocated as a useful preparation for…

When Texas' Technology Immersion Project began in the spring of 2004, a grant from the US Department of Education allowed a parallel project to launch--eTxTIP--to evaluate and measure the success of the program, which equips middle school students in high-risk, high-need areas with laptops. Data is beginning to come in on several of the first…

It is generally acknowledged that a child's primary caregiver acts as a spring board to independence. By encouraging the child to explore their world, parents and guardians are instrumental in developing the child's sense of self-esteem, self-worth and sociability. Less fortunate, however, are the increasing numbers of young children born with a…