Introduction

Over the past few weeks, I have been able to watch on TV a fairly large number of stories and television programs dedicated to people with disabilities due to health reasons.

I'm impressed! Blind or visually impaired children show their skills in group dances! Yes, they dance so well that many of their peers, with good health and one hundred percent vision, can only envy them. It turns out that the life of people with disabilities can be filled with a variety of interesting and useful things. You can engage in art, sports, creativity, fill your life with what will make this very life more meaningful and meaningful.

Is it possible for everyone to improve their lives?

Do all people with disabilities have access to opportunities for real communication with people like themselves, with the rest of the world?

As sad as it sounds, no! Our beautiful, but also cruel world has not yet learned how to create equal conditions for people, not only with disabilities, but for all of humanity as a whole.

Let's admit to ourselves: can any of them afford to have a personal teacher, a coach? Can any wheelchair user independently get to the place of classes, trainings, performances, without outside help? And in every city there are centers for the rehabilitation of people with disabilities? It's not worth talking about rural areas and small towns. There, such people have the hardest time in terms of realizing their abilities and talents, and they need help, perhaps even more than residents of megacities.

What is left for such people to do? Sitting at home and looking out the window, looking at the same landscape? Staring all day at the "zomboyaschik"?

Will the Internet help?

Here, in part, a computer and the Internet can come to the rescue. With their help, you can not only look at the world in a new way, find new friends, but also gain useful knowledge on various issues, including advice on improving your own health.

Fig.1.

But will all people, by virtue of their capabilities, be able to use a PC and the Internet? How to use them if vision does not allow, they do not obey, or there are no hands?

Defects in vision, hearing, speech, or the inability to move limit many people's ability to communicate, learn, work, and influence their environment.

Personal computers supplemented with special devices; and having appropriate programs can reduce the impact of these defects.

Technologies for people with visual impairment

For handicapped people, computers provide a good substitute for lost abilities; allow for more effective training; open access to information that is not available to them in any other way; provide new opportunities for education, work, communication with people and leisure activities.

Blind people can use computers with programs and devices that allow speech to be produced. With the help of a speech synthesizer, the computer pronounces any words that appear on the screen. This opens access to the blind to use most of the capabilities of computers.

In addition, pattern recognition devices and programs, in combination with special output devices, allow computers to convert printed text into tactile form, Braille, or speech.

Outwardly, a computer for the blind is no different from an ordinary one. The only special device is the Braille display. Tiny plastic pins protrude from the box, with the help of which you can translate ordinary words into the “language of the blind” (according to the rules of the Braille alphabet). Feeling or pressing them, a person can read what is written, give a command. This is where the difference in hardware ends. The rest of the tricks are hidden in the software on the computer's hard drive.

By the way, well-trained blind people can work faster than a sighted person. Those who know how to type texts “blindly” know that typing with ten fingers is much more convenient than two. In addition, you do not need to be distracted by working with the mouse - the same commands can be typed from the keyboard.

Modern technologies, as it were, open our full-color world to people deprived of sight. For example, the JAWS screen reader reads all keyboard actions. Press the letter "A" - the computer pronounces this sound. Clicked on PAUSE - in response: "Pause". So blind people can do any job without outside help: for example, write letters, create databases, and even program. For visually impaired people, another program is designed - ZoomText. With its help, you can zoom in on any “incomprehensible” object on the screen with the mouse and work with the selected fragment.

Alas, there are no other devices that allow the blind to master a computer in Russia. The All-Russian Society of the Blind has no money to translate foreign programs into Russian. And various "pieces of iron" that make life easier for the disabled are often detained by customs officers at the border. Their catalogs do not list such products, and they do not know how to classify them.

A computer has been created in the USA that allows the blind to see. The goggle-shaped television camera is connected to a mini-computer that can be worn on a belt or in a bag. The computer processes the video signal from the camera and, using 68 implanted platinum electrodes, transmits it directly to the brain.

In Israel, the production of computer mice has been established, allowing blind people to use a computer. On the back of such a mouse there are three panels with protruding movable rods that translate text from the monitor screen into raised Braille. In addition, the mouse can tell in a synthesized voice where the cursor is located on the screen, what object it is pointing at. The system allows the blind to read from the screen, engage in computer graphics, and play.

But the specialists of the Japan Space Agency have developed a monitor with 3072 retractable pins, which allows you to perceive images by touch, touching the screen with your hands. True, the clarity of images is reduced compared to a conventional monitor by a hundred times.

People with disabilities have always experienced many difficulties that prevent them from leading an independent and fulfilling life. Crossing the road, preparing food, driving a car, reading a book or getting information from the Internet - this is not the whole list of problems that people with disabilities have to face. Rapidly updated modern technologies help them get rid of many restrictions and find their place in society.

In this article, we will tell you about 7 amazing and useful devices that can help people with disabilities who are facing various problems. This information will be useful to you, and perhaps the gadgets described in this article will help you or your loved ones.

Device #1 - A high-tech cane for the blind

Blindness can be congenital or acquired. The loss of this sensory function of our body can make significant difficulties in the daily life of every person. Now, thanks to The Aid's cane gadget - with a built-in health sensor and a connected GPS navigation system - many obstacles can be overcome.

This interactive cane-navigator from the Japanese company Fujitsu can not only serve as a support for a person who has difficulty walking. A person leaning on it can use the 3G wireless interface, Wi-Fi and a GPS module. These modern technologies allow you to navigate in space, and that is why The Aid was created. It will help a blind person who has difficulty moving due to problems with the musculoskeletal system.

In addition, the cane-gadget is able to monitor such vital health indicators:

blood pressure;
heart rate;
temperature.

If any changes occur in the above parameters, the cane will send a message to relatives, indicating the reason for concern about your loved one and his location. Using this function of the gadget, they will be able to take the necessary measures to provide assistance.

The cane is also equipped with an SOS button, which can be pressed by the person using it in case of a sharp deterioration in well-being. The receipt of this signal in the ambulance dispatch service will allow you to respond to the call in time, and a medical team will leave for the place fixed by the navigator.

The Aid cane can help many people with disabilities. The ability to implement all its functions depends on the location of the consumer, but with a successful combination of all the parameters of its technical capabilities and access to 3G, Wi-Fi and an ambulance dispatch service, such a gadget can become a guarantee of safety and health.

Device #2 - TOYOTA I-REAL wheelchair

The impossibility of movement of people with paralyzed or missing legs can turn life into a full of difficulties and obstacles (literally at every step), a danger and a source of emotional distress. The TOYOTA I-REAL luxury wheelchair opens up completely new horizons of convenience and mobility for people with disabilities.

This vehicle for the disabled was created by TOYOTA in the best Japanese tradition of quality and functionality. Thanks to the technical capabilities of this wheelchair, a person may not feel embarrassed in front of the people with whom he greets, work and communicate, and practically stand in front of them, despite the interlocutor “from the bottom up”.

In addition, the I-REAL chair is mobile and allows you to move smoothly, bypassing various obstacles. It is completely safe for a person moving in it, because he cannot fall out of it, making even the most unimaginable turns and maneuvers. With all these characteristics, the stroller can move at speeds up to 32 km / h.

Device #3 - Bluetooth Braille Interpreter

Not all visually impaired people are familiar with Braille. For example, in 2014, only 10% of the blind mastered it, because not everyone is able to learn dot-relief font. Thanks to the Bluetooth font interpreter, a person, wearing a special glove with a touch analyzer on the index finger, can "read" Braille text. The result is sent to a special interpreter located at the base of the palm of the glove, and transferred to a Bluetooth device, which is located nearby. From this device, the result enters the headset and is converted into sound.

Using this device, a blind person can read books and receive training without having to spend time learning Braille. In addition, the interpreter is compact and easy to use. It can be used in any position of the human body and where it is convenient for him.

Device #4 - Braille tablet for reading books with paper pages

Previously, a blind or visually impaired person could not independently read books with paper pages. Thanks to the advent of a tablet that converts letters to Braille, people with severe vision problems can overlay this device on a paper page and read it.

Such a gadget helps visually impaired people choose the literature they would like to master, because the range of books in Braille is not able to satisfy all the desires of people with poor vision or blindness.

Device No. 5 - an electric wheelchair car with a back door

The movement of people with limited ability to move normally due to various diseases or injuries has always been a difficult task. Such people experience many restrictions in freedom of movement outside the home, and the ability to use a car can solve many of the problems that arise. An independent trip to a medical institution, to meet friends, a walk outside the city can not only provide an opportunity to achieve the necessary or desired result, but also saves a person from feeling dependent on the people around him.

For these purposes, an electric car is equipped with a rear door that opens upwards, through which a disabled person can drive into it. He will not need to think about where to attach the stroller for the duration of the trip and how to cope without it, having reached the place he needs. The speed of movement of such a car is 45 km / h.

Device #6 - Eye Controlled Computers

Many people with disabilities find it difficult or impossible to operate a computer with their hands. To do this, several variants of special systems have been created, but many of them are inaccessible to users due to their high cost. The solution to this problem was made possible thanks to a device that can be attached to anyone or a laptop. After that, a person will be able to use the look like a computer mouse.

The settings of such a device are selected individually for each person in such a way that it is convenient for him to use it. The eye tracking system emits an invisible, structured beam of infrared light that reflects off the eyes. The system built into the camera analyzes it and converts it into certain commands. The computer can then be used for information or games.

Unit #7 - Managed Kitchen

People with disabilities often have difficulty preparing food. It is possible to minimize their efforts with the help of specially designed controlled kitchens, the surfaces of which move to the required level.

Moscow Pedagogical State University

Faculty of Technology and Entrepreneurship

IT for people with special needs

Completed by a student

5 courses 3 groups

Bespalova M.A.

Moscow 2012

Using the Internet to educate people with disabilities

The issue of using modern Internet technologies and network resources for the education of people with disabilities (people with disabilities) seems to be very multifaceted. For people with different categories of physical limitations, different technologies are used, different teaching methods.

When creating a computer and computer technologies, the task was not to adapt them for use by the disabled. But people with physical disabilities are actively involved in the development of these technologies, seeing them as a means for their integration into society, an opportunity to improve their professional, educational and cultural level. For example, according to many blind users, "a computer is more necessary for a blind person than a cane." And this is quite fair, since with the advent of the Internet, opportunities for communication, education, etc. are expanding.

Rice. Scheme of user interaction with a computer when using adaptive technologies

But, if an ordinary user without health restrictions communicates with a computer and uses its capabilities directly, then any user with disabilities needs special adaptive technologies. A user with a disability ends up using the same technologies as an ordinary user, but indirectly - adaptive technology is an intermediate link.

Computer and information technologies developed, the Internet developed. Today we can say that the computer and the Internet are firmly entrenched in our lives, including in the educational process. Following common technologies, software and hardware tools have also been developed that allow people with disabilities to use computer and information technologies more effectively. But, unfortunately, it must be said that today adaptive technologies lag behind common technologies, which imposes certain restrictions on the use of the necessary resources for people with disabilities. However, there are huge results in the development of adaptive technologies, and there are positive trends in the development of both adaptive technologies and specialized resources for people with disabilities.

The development of education using the Internet can be facilitated by technical means, technologies and resources. Special technical means include tactile displays for blind users, various modifications of keyboards and manipulators for people with impaired functions of the musculoskeletal system, “mittens” manipulators for people with hearing and speech impairments, and others. Their purpose is to provide a user with disabilities with the most effective independent work on a computer. Their development and implementation depend mainly on the level of scientific and technological progress, while their availability for the mass user depends on the level of prices for these special technical means.

As for technologies and resources, the question is not so clear-cut. First of all, it must be said that it is impossible to create a technology or resource that is equally suitable for use by people with different types of physical limitations.

Many organizations in the education system are moving towards facilitating access to educational resources for people with disabilities.

Operating in the structure of the Regional Center for Education of the Disabled at the Chelyabinsk State University, the laboratory of technical teaching aids, teaching technologies and distance methods is equipped with modern multimedia computers connected to a local network and has access to the global Internet. To date, the laboratory has a large number of educational multimedia (combining text, graphic illustrations, computer animation, audio and video recordings) programs for applicants. The most popular, of course, are programs in the Russian language. Working with computer "tutors", the applicant can test his knowledge of the rules, fill in the gaps, perform exercises under the dictation of the computer, and work on the mistakes. Practice shows that even a few such exercises help to reduce the number of errors.

The laboratory has training programs in geography, biology, physics, chemistry, foreign languages. In general, every applicant with a disability, turning to us, will definitely find what he needs. Thus, working with computer training programs, he gets the opportunity to master the material in a calm environment, at a pace that is convenient for him. Disabled students studying at various faculties of the university actively use computers in the educational process. They work with text editors, spreadsheets, graphics, computer translators and, of course, the global Internet.

The laboratory is engaged in the accumulation of special software for persons with disabilities. To date, she has speech synthesis programs with which you can voice any text, and programs for increasing characters. It is planned to purchase more advanced programs that voice all the actions performed by the user.

At the Academy of Management "Tatar Institute for Business Assistance" (TISBI), Kazan ( http://dao.tisbi.ru/), in 2000, based on the latest achievements of information technologies, using domestic and foreign experience of educational projects of distance learning, an Internet system for distance asynchronous learning (DAO) was developed (Certificates of Rospatent No. 2002610131, No. 2002620069).

It should be noted that all the methods given as an example are not specialized adaptive technologies. Undoubtedly, these developments are socially useful, as they facilitate access to educational resources for vulnerable groups of the population, and people with disabilities are allowed to study remotely and in any mode convenient for them. But the same DAO system turns out to be completely unsuitable for blind users.

If we talk about foreign experience, then in the United States, for example, organizations are actively operating that are not directly involved in the development of special technical means and information technologies, but collect all existing adaptive technologies, as well as general technologies in order to develop opportunities for their application for teaching disabled people. These organizations include the Library of Congress National Service for the Blind and the Handicapped, the National Federation of the Blind, organizations for the disabled of various categories, and research and rehabilitation centers. These organizations contact developers and manufacturers of specialized and conventional software and equipment, develop recommendations for them, and look for new opportunities for applying special developments. Thanks to the tremendous work done by organizations like this, the major developers of conventional software are envisioning the possibility of using adaptive technologies. For example, Microsoft has developed its own speech synthesizer and provided for its use in new versions of the Windows operating system.

A feature of Russia is that the direction of adapting computer technologies specifically for the visually impaired was determined as a priority. This is caused, first of all, by the activity and organization of this category of disabled people, the importance (weight) of their public organizations, the existence and state support of special libraries for the blind. They are looking for opportunities for the practical application of special developments.

The history of the use of Internet resources by users with severe visual impairments in Russia goes back almost as long as the Internet itself has existed. The adaptation of software and hardware to the needs of blind and visually impaired users has paralleled the development of the global Web.

Widespread use of the Internet by the visually impaired in Russia begins in the mid-1990s. There was not and still is not a unified strategy in the development of this area, therefore, the initiators of collective access to the resources of the global network are in Moscow - computer centers of the All-Russian Society of the Blind (VOS), in other regions of the country - libraries for the blind, boarding schools for the blind and visually impaired children, sometimes - public employment services.

Libraries for the blind play a special role in the development of the use of Internet resources by the visually impaired in the Russian Federation. They not only create on their basis computer centers that train users and provide them with free access to the Internet, but supervise similar centers at universities, for example, in Novosibirsk and Vladivostok.

Thus, in the Primorsky Territory, the computer center in the Primorsky Regional Library for the Blind has been purposefully working since 1997, which has gone through several stages in its development: from a computer class to the Center for Open Access to the Internet for People with Disabilities. In the absence of a mandatory computer science course in the programs of correctional schools, the Center for Open Access to the Internet at the library took on the following functions:

basic training of high school students with disabilities to work with adaptive computer technologies and Internet resources to achieve independent learning at a university;

basic training of specialists, especially those who are late blind, to continue their full life and professional activities;

professional support of the work of users with disabilities with Internet resources and adaptive computer technologies;

conducting courses and seminars on certain types of work on the Internet;

fulfillment of the tasks of the interuniversity computer center for students with disabilities;

providing free access to the Internet for users with disabilities, including distance learning resources;

approbation of new adaptive technologies for people with disabilities;

generalization and dissemination of the experience of users with disabilities on the Internet;

providing methodological assistance in organizing similar centers in other regions and cities, conducting internships for specialists.

Of the adaptive technologies, the JAWS and Virgo voice screen access programs are most widely used, since the representative offices of the developer firms operate in Russia, and there are also Russian-language versions of these programs. These programs work great with text and hypertext, but do not recognize graphic objects at all.

Braille tactile displays should also be mentioned, but, unfortunately, they are not widely used due to their high cost. Visually impaired users use the standard magnifying glass included with Windows, as well as the ZoomText screen magnification program.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to talk about wide free access to the Internet for users with disabilities in Russia, since at the moment there are the following unresolved problems:

Software that allows the visually impaired to work on the Internet is very expensive, and therefore little available not only to individual, but also to many collective users.

Technically, this software is not perfect, as it still leaves graphics and a number of sites inaccessible to blind users.

Due to the lack of the concept of informatization of special education and providing access to the Internet for people with disabilities, a unified system has not developed in Russia, but there are scattered centers in various organizational forms that do not have a connection with each other, duplicating each other and "reinventing the wheel".

Weak development of individual use of Internet technologies by home users. This is hindered by the high cost of licensed software and expensive traffic.

Distance learning is especially suitable for people with disabilities who, in addition to blindness, have other impairments, such as motor impairments, but most of the courses are not available to the blind, as they are not adapted to work with speech synthesis programs.

It should be noted that distance learning is convenient for people with disabilities of all categories, since it allows people with disabilities to receive courses of educational materials on their chosen topic without leaving their homes. At the same time, students may well take advantage of existing distance learning technologies without adapting training courses. The exception in this case is people with visual impairments.

People with visual impairments, in relation to learning at distance courses, can be differentiated by the presence of residual vision: 1) visually impaired with a significant residual vision, who use programs to enlarge the image on the screen, 2) and people with a slight residual vision and total the blind, that is, those who can only use screen-to-speech programs.

An adaptation of distance learning courses for the visually impaired may be that course materials should be typed in large print. There are also a number of design solutions that make it easier to work with the course using screen magnification programs. Theoretically, it is easy to adapt any educational material on any topic for use by the visually impaired using a conventional electronic magnifier.

The situation is somewhat different for the totally blind and people with little vision left, who can use a computer using only screen-to-speech programs. The fact is that these programs are able to fully work only with text and hypertext links. Two important points follow from this.

First, all electronic shells used in distance education that have graphical navigation are unsuitable for use with speech synthesizers. If it is supposed to teach people with visual impairments on the course, then you need to choose or develop an electronic shell with text navigation. However, it is quite possible to successfully replace training using an electronic shell with training by e-mail. You can send learning materials and test assignments, and accept completed assignments using e-mails and attachments. The performance of tasks is recorded in the journal, which is also kept in electronic format MS Word or MS Excel. For students to communicate with each other and collectively discuss debatable issues, you can create an electronic mailing list.

Second. Even theoretically, not all educational materials can be adapted for use with speech synthesizers. For example, courses in any kind of design or photography cannot be described solely in text format. For many technical and humanitarian disciplines, a textual description of tables and diagrams is possible

Within the framework of the Program "Education and Internet Access", supported by the American non-profit organization Project Harmony Inc., a distance learning course "Development of a non-profit project (for students with disabilities)" is being conducted. The course trains disabled people of various categories, including the visually impaired and the blind. Students are offered a choice of learning using the electronic shell "Virtual Learning Environment" (VLE) or learning by e-mail. At the same time, there is a higher activity among students using e-mail.

The course is designed exclusively in text format, even the tables are described using text. For those who choose e-mail as their learning option, materials are sent in HTML format. For the visually impaired, the texts are typed in large type (14th size). The absence of graphical objects allows screen-to-speech programs to correctly read texts. The course materials are structured so that they can be burned to CD if needed and also easily distributed via e-mail.

In the near future, it is possible to adapt existing and develop new courses for teaching blind and visually impaired students. The choice of subject matter and course profile matters here. Courses in the humanities, some technical courses that do not involve the use of graphics, can definitely be adapted. It also seems necessary to create a text version of the site for entering the course, since often existing versions of sites make it difficult for users with visual impairments to access the main course resources.

In addition to the named course, there are also resources for teaching disabled people. But, in general, these are resources that contribute to learning, but are not aimed at learning directly. For example, the website of the Regional Public Organization of the Disabled "Perspektiva" contains resources on the legislative framework that allows disabled people to study on preferential terms, useful tips, links to educational institutions that teach disabled people, etc. The site of the blind computer users of the club "Integration" also helps blind and visually impaired users to improve their skills in working with adaptive technologies.

Internet communities have played an important role in raising the level of education of disabled people in Russia and the CIS countries. So, on electronic mailing lists there is often information that is useful for people with disabilities who want to study. Such mailing lists as the "Integration" club mailing list and the "Tifloresurs" mailing list contain almost daily information about new adaptive technologies, about improving existing ones, about educational institutions and training opportunities in them, about grants and scholarships for education.

Despite the fact that there are certain difficulties in using Internet technologies and resources of the Network to educate people with disabilities, it can still be said with confidence that the Internet is a very flexible environment, and a friendly environment that allows you to blur the lines between ordinary people and people. with poor health. Technologies are developing, both conventional and special adaptive. And today we can say with confidence: the use of the Internet to educate people with disabilities has great prospects

Computer for people with disabilities. Senkevich G.E.

Computer for people with disabilities. Senkevich G.E. The first book in Russia dedicated to the use of computers by people with disabilities. Input means for people with limited mobility, system and program settings that facilitate the work of people with visual and hearing impairments are considered. Examples and tips for self-adaptation of computers and mobile devices in various situations are given. The technical, legal and practical aspects of distance learning and remote work in Russian conditions are discussed. The book contains useful tips on the use of Internet technologies for shopping, settlements and payments, a selection of links to thematic resources of the Internet. Particular attention is paid to devices, gadgets and programs that are suitable for Russian-speaking users.
For people with disabilities, parents of children with special needs, teachers, defectologists, social workers.

Chapter 1. Digital technologies and human capabilities
1.1. The computer as a tool and prosthesis
1.1.1. Accessibility, inclusion and quality of life
1.1.2. Modern digital technologies for people with disabilities
1.1.3. Computer literacy
1.1.4. Suitable computers and mobile phones
1.1.5. Special software
1.1.6. Special devices and components
1.2. Legal issues
1.2.1. Equality of rights
1.2.2. Social support
1.3. Conclusion
Chapter 2
2.1. Mouse and keyboard settings
2.1.1. Mouse setup
2.1.2. Ease of Access Center Windows 7
2.1.3. Screen keyboard
2.2. Customizing the Desktop and Programs
2.2.1. Keyboard shortcuts and keyboard shortcuts
2.2.2. Launching programs using desktop icons
2.2.3. Customizable keys
2.2.4. Keyboard and Internet Explorer
2.2.5. Mouse control
2.3. Alternative data entry
2.3.1. trackballs
2.3.2. Touchpads and tablets
2.3.3. Joysticks
2.3.4. Special keyboards and mice
2.3.5. Buttons and sensors
2.3.6. Manipulators IntegraSwitch® and IntegraMouse®
2.3.7. "Who is guilty?" and "What to do?"
2.3.8. Mice and keyboard upgrades
2.3.9. Accessories
2.3.10. Webcam as a mouse
2.4. Speech recognition and voice control in Windows
2.4.1. Windows 7 built-in tools
2.4.2. Speech recognition software
2.4.3. Voice control in the Opera browser
2.4.4. Voice search in Google Chrome browser
2.5. Conclusion
Chapter 3
3.1. Computer adaptation
3.1.1. Selecting a monitor (TV) and keyboard
3.1.2. Ease of Access Center in Windows 7
3.1.3. Customizing the mouse pointer
3.1.4. Embedded Linux Tools
3.1.5. Screen magnifiers
3.1.6. Setting up application programs
3.2. Screen readers
3.2.1. e-book files
3.2.2. General Purpose Applications
Microsoft Word Editor
Adobe Reader
3.2.3. Reader programs
CoolReader
Text-Reader BookShelf Program
AlReader program
ICE Book Reader Professional
3.3. Electronic books
3.3.1. Selecting an e-book (E-book)
3.3.2. Setting up an e-book
3.3.3. Support for various formats
3.3.4. Scanning and OCR
3.3.5. Audiobooks
MortPlayer Audio Book
Ambling Bookplayer
AIMP
Angel's Vox
3.4. Magnifiers and image intensifiers
3.4.1. Standalone devices
3.4.2. USB cameras
3.5. Conclusion
Chapter 4
4.1. Tactile input/output devices
4.1.1. Tactile strings and braille displays
4.1.2. Braille printers
4.1.3. Braille and voice
4.2. Tiflocomputers
4.3. Screen readers for Windows
4.3.1. Narrator
4.3.2. JAWS for Windows
4.3.3. Cobra
4.3.4. Window Eyes
4.3.5. NVDA project
4.4. Speech synthesis in application programs
4.4.1. Speech synthesis in Microsoft Windows
4.4.2. Reading e-books aloud
4.4.3. Browser adaptation
SAToGO program
Online translator ImTranslator
4.4.4. Balabolka program
4.5. Talking Linux
4.5.1. ALT Linux Homeros
4.5.2. Vinux
4.6. Mobile phones and gadgets
4.6.1. Text-to-Speech Synthesizers for Google Android
4.6.2. Software for Symbian
4.6.3. Availability on iPhone and iPad
4.6.4. slepsung.com project (adaptation of Samsung phones)
4.7. Conclusion
Chapter 5. Computer use for hearing and speech impairments
5.1. Computer adaptation
5.1.1. Headphones
5.1.2. Pairing your hearing aids with your computer
5.1.3. Setting up computer sound
5.1.4. Setting players to display subtitles
5.1.5. Using text or visuals instead of Windows sounds
5.2. Mastering Sign Language
5.2.1. ABC dactyl
5.2.2. Internet sign language
Site "Surdoserver"
Site "Gestures No?"
Site "Ligmir"
5.2.3. lip reading
5.3. Synthesis and correction of speech
5.3.1. Portable speech synthesizers
GoTalk device
Software solutions
5.3.2. Deaf and speech therapy simulators
Visible Speech Program
Trainers from "Delph M"
Video Voice Speech Training System
5.3.3. Programs for correcting stuttering
DAF/FAF Assistant
Stuttering.NET website and Stuttering.Pro program
axSoft Speech corrector
BreathMaker Program
5.4. Conclusion
Chapter 6
6.1. Educational computer games
6.1.1. Goals and objectives
6.1.2. Logic games
6.1.3. Drawing games and coloring games
6.2. 3D games
6.2.1. Computer requirements
6.2.2. Game controllers
6.3. Games for the visually impaired and the blind
6.3.1. Logic and card games
Game "Cities"
The game "Master of words"
Bulls and cows game
6.3.2. Arcade, racing and shooters
Lockpick game
Super Egg Hunt Game
Game Duck Hunt
Dark Destroyer game
Mortal maze game
Game "Technoshock"
Top Speed Game
Ru Racing and Mach 1 Games
6.3.3. Sports simulators
Games from Vipgameszone
Win Pong game
6.3.4. Strategy and Multiplayer Worlds (MUD)
SoundRTS game
Game Lords of the Galaxy
6.4. Conclusion
Chapter 7. Tutorials
7.1. Flash games
7.1.1. Counting and Calculation Practice
7.1.2. Reading and writing practice
Games from the Sun portal
Games about Babu Yaga from MediaHouse
Educational program "Excellent student"
7.2. Collections of tutorials
7.2.1. Educational programs "1C"
7.2.2. Collection "Cyril and Methodius"
7.2.3. Virtual Laboratories
VirtuLab laboratory
Nuclear Physics Laboratory
Emulator of physical experiments in the BARSIC environment
Workshops MarSTU
Chemical laboratory IrYdium Chemistry Lab
Physical Laboratory Interactive Physics ("Live Physics")
Electrotechnical laboratory "Beginnings of electronics"
7.3. Conclusion
Chapter 8
8.1. Organization of distance learning
8.1.1. Computer as part of the accessible environment
8.1.2. Support for preschoolers
8.1.3. Distance learning for schoolchildren
8.1.4. Projects of higher and additional education
8.2. Technical means of distance learning
8.2.1. Internet connection
8.2.2. Email, ICQ, Skype
Email
Instant messaging services
Using Skype
8.2.3. Teleconferences
Webinars according to the "web server - browser" scheme
Webinars using dedicated apps
8.3. Conclusion
Chapter 9 Work, Payments, and Online Safety
9.1. Work organization
9.1.1. Availability of the workplace
9.1.2. Relationship with the employer
9.1.3. Work searches
9.2. Freelance
9.2.1. Portals and exchanges of remote work
9.2.2. Things to do?
Copywriting and rewriting, content management
Translations
Web design
Programming
Work on the phone
Other features
9.3. Online payments and purchases
9.3.1. Internet payment systems
WebMoney Transfer System
Yandex money
QIWI Wallet
PayPal
9.3.2. Bank account management
9.3.3. Online shopping
9.4. Internet Security and Fraud
9.4.1. Viruses, worms and trojans
9.4.2. Antivirus programs and passwords
9.4.3. social engineering
9.5. Conclusion

Official sites
Internet portals
Education
Online shopping
Social networks and forums
Miscellaneous
Subject index

Defects in vision, hearing, speech, or the inability to move limit many people's ability to communicate, learn, work, and influence their environment.

Personal computers, supplemented with special devices and having the appropriate programs, can reduce the impact of these defects.

In addition, pattern recognition devices and programs, in combination with special output devices, allow computers to convert printed text into tactile form, Braille, or speech. Thanks to such systems, the blind can read any book, magazine or newspaper on their own, without resorting to outside help.

People with speech impairments can also use synthesized computer speech. By typing messages to be spoken into a computer, a mute person can communicate on the phone with a person who is unable to read.

In addition, computerized messaging systems are a means of rapid communication over long distances, especially valuable for people with speech or hearing impairments who cannot use conventional telephones.
Computers also greatly help people with limited mobility.

Information systems provide people who cannot go to the library with access to large banks of information.

Computer-controlled manipulators (i.e., robot “arms”) can be programmed to move according to predetermined programs and feel when they come into contact with objects. This allows people with impaired motor skills to manipulate objects to perform activities such as eating, turning pages in books, and changing disks in a computer's drive.

Many people, although they have not lost the mobility of their hands or arms, cannot work on a standard computer keyboard. Special keyboards with large touch keys provide these people with all the features of a computer.

And people who are not able to work at all, with no keyboard, can control the computer with their voice using a speech recognition device. For people with severe voice and motor impairments, special input devices have been developed that allow them to use a computer for communication and other purposes.

Other systems, both in development and under development and testing, include portable terminals that allow deaf people to send and receive messages from any phone.

Portable and flexible communication devices for people who cannot speak; systems that control the environment, using which physically handicapped people can control a TV, lighting and other devices using a computer; computer-controlled robots and input systems that determine which object the human eye is focused on, allowing selection of certain fields on the screen by simply focusing on them for a few seconds.
Copies of all these computerized systems already exist, but in many cases they are very expensive and not widely available. I hope that within a few years there will be more powerful, reliable, portable and affordable versions of these systems, as well as powerful new tools to help people with physical disabilities.

Advances in technology greatly influence our understanding of what constitutes a handicap. For example, many people who can't see or hear well can work normally only with glasses or hearing aids to compensate for their sensory deficiencies.

As computerized systems for handicapped people improve and become widely available, other physical handicaps, now quite serious, may be considered minor inconveniences rather than major handicaps. Computers as a means of education.

The wide possibilities of a computer for information processing make them, in principle, suitable for a variety of uses in the field of education.

They can facilitate teaching and learning at all levels, from preschoolers learning the alphabet to doctors learning new diagnostic techniques. Computers are suitable for use in areas such as language and mathematics, history and science, vocational training, music and visual arts, and reading and writing. Computers open up new avenues for developing thinking skills and problem-solving skills, and provide new opportunities for active learning.

With the help of computers, it is possible to make the conduct of lessons, exercises, tests, as well as performance records more efficient.

This relieves teachers and allows them to devote more time to individual lessons. Computers can make many lessons more interesting and compelling, and a vast amount of information easily accessible. Computers can be programmed to create various images, play music, perform calculations, act as typewriters, look through a class magazine, convert a written test into speech, measure student reaction times, control tape recorders and video disc players, and generally create an environment for creative and fun learning.

The possibilities of using computers for learning are endless. Their general accessibility could lead to fundamental changes in the school curriculum, to a more complete solution of the problems of education, to new means of teaching handicapped people, to expanding the possibilities of self-education and home schooling. In addition to their potential as teaching aids, computers should themselves become an important object of study. Understanding their capabilities and limitations is necessary for every educated person.

A computer is a tool, but it differs from all other tools in that it processes information and can be programmed to perform a variety of jobs. But just like other tools, it is capable of serving good and bad purposes. The computer can be used to create original stories, music, paintings, to explore complex relationships, in the natural sciences, or for mostly mindless games. The extent to which computers affect students depends on how students use them.