Information Technologies and Disabilities Table of Contents v1n03 (July 1994) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/itd/itd-v1n03-contents (ITDV01N3 CONTENTS) INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND DISABILITIES ISSN 1073-5127 Volume I, No. 3 July, 1994 Individual _ITD_ articles and departments are archived on the St. John's University gopher. To access the journal via gopher, locate the St. John's University (New York) gopher. Select "Disability and Rehabilitation Resources" and from the next menu, select "EASI: Equal Access to Software and Information." _Information Technology and Disabilities_ is an item on the EASI menu. To retrieve individual articles and departments by e-mail from the listserv: address an e-mail message to: listserv@sjuvm.stjohns.edu leave subject line blank The message text should include the word "get" followed by the two word file name; for example: get ITDV01N3 contents Each article and department has a unique filename; that name is listed below the article or department in parentheses. Do NOT include the parentheses with the filename when sending the "get" command to listserv. NOTE: ONLY ONE ITEM MAY BE RETRIEVED PER MESSAGE; DO NOT SEND MULTIPLE GET COMMANDS IN A SINGLE E-MAIL MESSAGE TO LISTSERV. To receive the journal regularly, send e-mail to listserv@sjuvm.stjohns.edu with no subject and either of the following lines for text: subscribe ITD-TOC "Firstname Lastname" subscribe ITD-JNL "Firstname Lastname" (ITD-JNL is the entire journal in one or more e-mail messages while ITD-TOC sends the contents with information on how to obtain specific articles.) ARTICLES WHAT'S NEXT IN ADAPTIVE TECHNOLOGY: MAGNUM - A DIGITAL RECORDING PERSONAL ASSISTANT (ITDV01N3 BANKS) Dick Banks University of Wisconsin, Stout rbanks@uwstout.edu ABSTRACT The MagNum, a device which utilizes digitized recording technology, takes the technology of the recorder one step further by providing the user with an efficient means of accessing notes, books, and other recorded information. This article describes MagNum, a digital recording device which offers many valuable features to the user of recording technology. The present state and future possibilities of digital recording technology are described. While the author is very impressed with the MagNum, this is not a scientific review of this product, and this article should not be taken in and of itself as an endorsement of this or any other product. TEN YEARS OF COMPUTER USE BY VISUALLY IMPAIRED PEOPLE IN HUNGARY (ITDV01N3 ARATO) Terez Vaspori and Andras Arato Internet: arato@iif.kfki.hu ABSTRACT This survey is written by the developers of BraiLab, a talking computer family. The authors present an overview of computers and aids based on micro-processing systems used by blind people in Hungary in the past decade. The paper discusses various devices in use in Hungary in the past decade, and the impact of these devices on the education, work and everyday life of visually impaired individuals. Finally, the authors identify some of the tasks looming on the horizon. REHABILITATION AND REMEDIATION IN EDUCATIONAL DISABILITY: THE USE OF THE DIRECT ACCESS READING TECHNIQUE (ITDV01N3 ROSEN) Sheila Rosenberg and Robert Zenhausern St. John's University Jamaica, NY ABSTRACT Educational disabilities are treated very differently from sensory and physical disabilities in at least two distinct ways. The first centers around the way the individual is typically held responsible for the disability. The child is told, "Try harder!" or "Don't be lazy!" No one would think to tell a child with a visual, hearing or mobility impairment to try harder to see, hear or move; rather these children are given support and encouragement. Individuals with physical disabilities are given rehabilitation; that is, they are taught alternative ways to approach the tasks that are affected by the disability. Individuals with educational disabilities are given remediation; that is, more and more practice in precisely what they cannot do. The need to "cure" is given more emphasis in educational disability than physical disability where the stress is on adaptation. The purpose of this paper is to isolate two specific disabilities that are the primary cause of reading disability and to show how a rehabilitation approach can have a profoundly positive effect on this ubiquitous problem. ITD TECHNOTES: BRAILLE DISPLAYS (ITDV01N3 WEBER) Gerhard Weber weber@informatik.uni-stuttgart.de ABSTRACT Transitory Braille displays provide access to PCs but the displays are different from speech output. Braille is a notation tracking a cursor, and reading the screen and routing are accomplished by the fingers moving across raised dots. This article describes the technology utilized by transitory, or refreshable, braille computer displays. REVIEW:_FINANCING ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY_ A Bimonthly Newsletter (ITDV01N3 REVIEW) Yolanda Thompson New Mexico Commission for the Blind DEPARTMENTS JOB ACCOMMODATIONS (ITDV01N3 JOBS) Editor: Joe Lazzaro lazzaro@bix.com K - 12 EDUCATION (ITDV01N3 K12) Editor: Bob Zenhausern zenhausern@sjuvm.stjohns.edu LIBRARIES (ITDV01N3 LIBRARY) Editor: Ann Neville neville@emx.cc.utexas.edu ONLINE INFORMATION AND NETWORKING (ITDV01N3 ONLINE) Editor: Steve Noble slnobl01@ulkyvm.louisville.edu CAMPUS COMPUTING (ITDV01N3 CAMPUS) Editor: Daniel Hilton-Chalfen, Ph.D., hilton-chalfen@mic.ucla.edu Copyright (c 1994) by (_ITD_) _Information Technology and Disabilities_. Authors of individual articles retain all copyrights to said articles, and their permission is needed to reproduce any individual article. The rights to the journal as a collection belong to (_ITD_) _Information Technology and Disabilities_. _ITD_ encourages any and all electronic distribution of the journal and permission for such copying is expressly permitted here so long as it bears no charge beyond possible handling fees. To reproduce the journal in non- electronic format requires permission of its board of directors. To do this, contact the editor. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Tom McNulty, New York University (mcnulty@acfcluster.nyu.edu) EDITORS Dick Banks, University of Wisconsin, Stout Carmela Castorina, UCLA Daniel Hilton-Chalfen, PhD, UCLA Norman Coombs, PhD, Rochester Institute of Technology Lois Elman Michael Holtzman, St. John's University Joe Lazzaro, Massachusetts Commission for the Blind Mohamad Neilforoshan, Wentworth Institute of Technology Ann Neville, University of Texas, Austin Steve Noble, Recording for the Blind Anne L. Pemberton, Nottoway High School, Nottoway, VA Sheila Rosenberg Linda Scott Bob Zenhausern, PhD, St. John's University EDITORIAL BOARD Melissa Anderson Dick Banks, University of Wisconsin, Stout Carmela Castorina, UCLA Danny Hilton-Chalfen, PhD, UCLA Norman Coombs, PhD, Rochester Institute of Technology Alistair D. N. Edwards, PhD, University of York, UK Joe Lazzaro, Massachusetts Commission for the Blind Mohamad Neilforoshan, Wentworth Institute of Technology Ann Neville, University of Texas, Austin Steve Noble, Recording for the Blind Anne L. Pemberton, Nottoway High School, Nottoway, VA Lawrence A. Scadden, PhD, National Science Foundation Yolanda L. Thompson, New Mexico Commission for the Blind Bob Zenhausern, PhD, St. John's University ABOUT EASI (EQUAL ACCESS TO SOFTWARE AND INFORMATION) Since its founding in 1988 under the EDUCOM umbrella, EASI has worked to increase access to information technology by persons with disabilities. EASI affiliated with AAHE (the American Association for Higher Education) in 1994. Volunteers from EASI have been instrumental in the establishment of _Information Technology and Disabilities_ as still another step in this process. Our mission has been to serve as a resource primarily to the education community by providing information and guidance in the area of access to information technologies. We seek to spread this information to schools, colleges, universities and into the workplace. EASI makes extensive use of the Internet to disseminate this information, including three discussion lists: EASI@SJUVM.STJOHNS.EDU (a general discussion on computer access), AXSLIB-L@SJUVM.STJOHNS.EDU (a discussion on library access issues) and ABLE-JOB (a discussion on disabilities and employment). To join any of these lists, send a "subscribe" command to LISTSERV@SJUVM.STJOHNS.EDU including the name of the discussion you want to join plus your own first and last name. EASI also maintains several items on the St. John's (New York) University gopher under the menu heading "Disability and Rehabilitation Resources." For further information, contact the EASI Chair: Norman Coombs, Ph.D. NRCGSH@RITVAX.ISC.RIT.EDU or the EASI office: EASI, c/o American Association for Higher Education One Dupont Circle, Suite 360 Washington, D.C. 20036-1110 Phone: (310) 640-3193 (Pacific Time) E-Mail: EASI@EDUCOM.BITNET or Internet: EASI@EDUCOM.EDU EASI GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES THE SUPPORT OF: American Association for Higher Education Arkenstone Bell Atlantic Trust EDUCOM NEC Foundation Rochester Institute of Technology St. John's University