Access technologies are tools for people with vision impairments to access the school curriculum, the workforce and participate in the community.  There are now many products on the market to assist people with vision impairments to access their environment independently. Keeping abreast of current technology and how to use it, will enable you to provide your clients with the best possible information.  Technology should always be used in conjunction with professional functional vision and technology assessments.

The ‘eye tea’ review team has evaluates some key access technology items to assist professionals working with people with vision impairment.  

 

 The ‘eye tea’ review panel have used Bouck, Shurr, Kinsey, Jasper, Bassette,  Miller & Flanagan’s (2012)suggest the acronym TAPE (Transportable, Available, Practical and Engaging) as a tool for evaluating the effectiveness of a piece of access technology. Whist  many current evaluations of technology are based on the items affordability, accessibility and useability (Hong,2012). We believe tranportability is an important consideration to a person who is blind or vision impaired, as they have many orientation and mobility considerations and carrying around heavy equipment. We also felt that products that are engaging to the user are also highly valued. Please do not use the ‘eye tea’ review in place of advice from a professional.  Before you recommend any products, it is extremely important to have a Technology Assessment for each individual.  

Technology assessments can be done by the following services. Click on the service to access their website.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References:

Bouck, E., Shurr, J., Kinsey, T., Jasper, A., Bassette, L., Miller, B., & Flanagan, S. M. (2012). Fix It With TAPE: Repurposing Technology to Be Assistive Technology for Students With High-Incidence Disabilities. Preventing School Failure, 56(2), 121.

Hong, S. (2012). An Alternative Option to Dedicated Braille Notetakers for People with Visual Impairments: Universal Technology for Better Access. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 106(10), 650-655.