best practices in assistive technology training instruction for … · 2020. 6. 25. · the carroll...
TRANSCRIPT
Presenter(s):
Best Practices in Assistive
Technology Training Instruction for
Blind and Visually Impaired Adults
Assistive Technology Instructor
David Kingsbury
The Carroll Center| FOR THE BLIND
Brief History of the Carroll Center for the Blind
Founded in 1936 as the Catholic Guild for the Blind.
First major focus–blinded World War II veterans.
Eventual major focus–independent living skills
training for blind adults.
Led by Father Thomas Carroll from 1946 to 1971.
In 1961, wrote Blindness: What It Is, What It Does,
And How To Live With It.
Renamed for him after his death in 1971.
The Carroll Center| FOR THE BLIND
The Carroll Center Today
Located in Newton, Massachusetts.
Provides a variety of services on-campus
and in the community.
Reaches 3,000 children, adults, and seniors
annually.
Residential rehabilitation program is one of
just a few in the USA.
Services funded through contracts with
Massachusetts Commission for the Blind
and agencies in other states.
Other funding sources – private payers,
fundraising events, donations, bequests.
The Carroll Center| FOR THE BLIND
Seven Service Areas
Rehabilitation/Independent Living
Education
Technology
Community Outreach
Low Vision
Carroll Store
Web Accessibility Consulting
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The Carroll Center| FOR THE BLIND
Assistive Technology Training Areas
JAWS, ZoomText, Fusion
Windows 10
Microsoft Office
Web Browsing
Reading PDFs with Acrobat Reader
OCR with Open Book and Kurzweil
iPhone/iPad, sometimes Android
The Carroll Center| FOR THE BLIND
Short Programs: Several Hours to Several Days
iPhone/iPad with VoiceOver
Zoom Cloud Meeting
Dropbox
The Google Suite (Drive, Docs and Sheets)
Bluetooth Keyboarding with the iPhone
Braille Devices
Worksite Training
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The Carroll Center| FOR THE BLIND
Longer Programs
Basic Computing – two weeks
Intensive Computing – four weeks
Computing for Employment – six weeks
Computing for College – three weeks
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The Carroll Center| FOR THE BLIND
Hands-On Training
Individual or small groups
Appropriate pacing and flexibility
Trainee keyboarding on their own laptops
Informal with lots of Q & A
The Carroll Center| FOR THE BLIND
Core Skills in the Windows Environment
JAWS or NVDA – basic settings, changing voice rate, text editing and navigation.
ZoomText/Fusion – color contrast and zoom levels.
Windows 10 – file management, folder structure, different types of menus, dialog box
elements.
Word – ribbon menus, font and paragraph formatting, spell check, saving documents.
Outlook – preparing messages, folder structure, attaching files.
Excel – constructing simple spreadsheets, editing, basic formulas, cell formatting,
sorting data.
Web Browsing – keystrokes for navigation, forms and tables, familiarity with at least
two browsers, desktop shortcuts and bookmarks/favorites.
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The Carroll Center| FOR THE BLIND
Core Smart Phone Skills
VoiceOver Gestures
Using Siri
Home Screen Organization
Native Apps – Phone, Messages, Mail, Calendar, Clock
Popular Third-Party Apps – accessing news and information, GPS, file
sharing, etc.
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The Carroll Center| FOR THE BLIND
Reference Materials
Short audio files
Students often supplement by
making their own recordings or
large print notes
Training files and exercises
Carroll Center books on formatting
Word Documents, Zoom Cloud
Meetings and Web Browsing
(coming in July)
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The Carroll Center| FOR THE BLIND
Post-Training Tech Resources
Alumni Technology Discussion – eList with over 120 members
Visually Impaired and Blind User Group (VIBUG)
JAWS Help
Conducting searches on tech questions
Microsoft Disability Help Desk
Top Tech Tidbits Weekly newsletter
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The Carroll Center| FOR THE BLIND
Prerequisites for Effective Training During the Pandemic
Stable Wi-Fi connection
Computer and microphone
Zoom account
Or alternately, a speaker phone
Quiet environment
A minimum level of computer skills
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The Carroll Center| FOR THE BLIND
Remote Training Functions During the Pandemic
Hearing audio of the trainee
computer with Screen Share
File sharing – Dropbox, OneDrive or
Google Drive
Ability to “take over” the trainee
computer – JAWS Tandem
Remote support for handling
complex problems – Microsoft
Disability Help Desk
The Carroll Center| FOR THE BLIND
Summary of Best Practices
Provide an array of training options of varying duration.
Individual or small group training tailored to the specific needs and capacities
of participants.
Remain flexible and informal with room for Q & A.
Focus on core techniques and skills.
Provide reference materials in both audio and text format.
Prepare trainees to explore post-training resources for continued learning.
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The Carroll Center| FOR THE BLIND
Future Challenges and Opportunities
Reach more people more cost-effectively.
Systematic development of text-based reference materials.
Identify and capitalize on remote learning lessons from the pandemic.
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The Carroll Center| FOR THE BLIND
THANK YOU
CONTACT US
(800) 852-3131
www.carroll.org
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