[laptop-accessibility] neophyte with an interest in accessibilityfor old folks

[Paula Gordon]

Thank you, Peter,
I am open to the possibility of attaching a USB keyboard or preferably
something smaller, like a joystick, to the XO, if my father is not able to
manipulate the keyboard and screen-side controls. But I am hoping that he'll
be able to maneuver it as-is, since his vision is fine, and he can work the
small buttons on the TV remote. I read somewhere that an attempt was being
made to design program controls that didn't necessitate holding down two or
more keys at a time. Also, one of the factors I considered when springing
for the XO was the self-contained nature of the XO and its shock-, water-
and dust-resistant case, and adding peripherals would compromise that. And
too many controller-type objects around could get confusing. Since he spends
most of the day in a recliner, reclined, I think something he can hold in
his lap or on his chest with one hand while the other works the keyboard
would work well. But we'll see. Having just ordered it, I don't expect to
receive my XO until late January or February.

>>If you are seeking a computer for him in the very short term, <<
To be honest, my father is just an excuse for me to get one! I think he
would enjoy exploring the Web and that it would be a nice
alternative/adjunct to the TV, but it's not like he's been agitating for a
computer. I don't want to bring in more equipment that I have to research
and learn how to use first, and then switch that out for the XO. I need to
keep it simple -- for my sake most of all. If my father doesn't show
interest in it, then I'll pass it over to my mother, who loves to play
computer games. She presents a different set of 'abilities.' If she doesn't
fall in love with it (or break it), then I'll get to play with it more
often. It will be interesting to compare our learning processes as all three
of us get acquainted with the machine.

Thank you very much for the information about the alternative systems,
though. Although I am not at all familiar with the systems you mention
(aside from UNIX and Linux), I will look into them out of curiousity.

Many regards,
Paula

Paula Gordon
Wilmington, DE
www.dbaPlanB.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Peter.Korn at sun.com [mailto:Peter.Korn at sun.com]
Sent: Sunday, December 16, 2007 1:50 PM
To: paula at dbaPlanB.com; Discussion of accessibility on the OLPC
Subject: Re: [laptop-accessibility] neophyte with an interest in
accessibilityfor old folks


Hi Paula,

I very much hope to see the XO become a good option for this use
(speaking as a non-OLPC employee).  Depending upon your father's needs,
this may take a shorter or longer amount of time.  In particular, with
the keyboard designed for a child's hands, his decreased manual
dexterity will at a minimum likely benefit greatly from an
external/additional input device - whether it is a full keyboard, or a
specialized keyboard like the IntelliKeys family, or a single switch
interface, or a head tracker.

If you are seeking a computer for him in the very short term, you may
want to look at other options, including open source UNIX options (using
many similar underlying components to the XO - namely X Windows & GNOME
& Linux).  There are a number of relatively inexpensive laptops (<$400)
which will run things like Ubuntu 7.10 which might be a very interesting
option for him - and on which AT tools for folks with physical
impairments like GOK and Dasher work very nicely.  GOK can be driven
from a single switch device (essentially a USB mouse button, but costing
significantly more and coming in a wide range of sizes and styles - see
http://www.enablemart.com/Catalog/Switches for a catalog of them; and
get one either with USB built in, or a USB converter box).  Dasher is
optimally used from an (x,y) tracking device (e.g. a head mouse, though
a standard mouse will also work).  GOK can also be driven by [head]
mouse (and Dasher also by switch).  GOK & Dasher are core parts of
GNOME; have been for several years now...


Regards,


Peter Korn
Accessibility Architect,
Sun Microsystems, Inc.


> Greetings,
> I just ordered an XO this evening (G1G1), and started looking around this
> site and the support wiki. I'm a layman in terms of computers and
> networking, and have no formal education or experience with the disabled.
My
> informal experience is that I care for my elderly parents and have been
> educating myself online about mental decline and physical accessibility
> issues and have subsequently done quite a few adaptations in their home.
>
> My big idea for the XO is to give my father access to the Internet. He's
81,
> mobility impaired, has decreased manual dexterity and some short-term
memory
> loss. His cognitive function is still good, though, so I am hoping that he
> will be able to operate a laptop that has intuitive controls even if he's
> not able to remember how it works. Essentially, he'll have to figure out
how
> to use it each time, until the knowledge seeps into his long-term memory.
He
> has been using computers for years, at work and at home since the early
> 1980s, but he hasn't been able to sit at a desk or follow multistep
command
> paths for about 10 years.
>
> Is this an area of interest for developers and users here? Using the XO
> laptop to improve quality of life for the elderly population? If so, and
if
> there's anything specific you'd like me to keep track of, please let me
> know. I'll be learning how to use the laptop along with him.
>
> Now I'll go back to lurking.
> Regards,
> Paula
>
> Paula Gordon
> Wilmington, DE
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> accessibility mailing list
> accessibility at lists.laptop.org
> http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/accessibility

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