Winter 2003
Volume XII, Issue 1
A.T. Life Reporter
A Newsletter about Assistive Technology for People with
Disabilities
NM - S.W.A.T.T.
Assistive Technology Trainings Off to a Rousing Start!
Glowing reviews are coming in from the Northeast and Southwest corners
of New Mexico about NMTAP's training initiative called NM-SWATT (Statewide
Assistive Technology Training). Folks from the Farmington and Las Cruces
regions were treated this fall to free, comprehensive workshops with local
experts on a variety of AT topics courtesy of NMTAP.
If you missed out on our first two sessions, please call (800) 866-2253
today to register for our 2003 trainings to be held in Albuquerque on
January 22-23 (featuring National AT expert Caroline Musselwhite), in
Roswell on February 19 and in Las Vegas on April 10. Full story on page
3. See the sidebar for just a few of the comments we received in the conference
and session evaluation forms.
NM-SWATT in Farmington attracted about 75 people who were treated to
a full day of AT workshops such as: The Quest to Assess, AT and Visual
Impairments, Choosing Augmentative Communication Devices, and AT for Students
with Learning Disabilities.
CEU's were available for participants. Special thanks go to our presenters
who provided stimulating and thought-provoking information to the attendees.
Las Cruces was the site of a two-day conference in early November. Over
120 participants attended Keynote Speaker Joy Zabala's dynamic presentation
on the SETT Theory - a practical way to assess a person's need for assistive
technology. Her engaging day-long program was filled with case studies,
useful advice, and step-by-step instructions on assessment techniques.
The room was packed and few people left early as Joy kept everyone enthralled
with her lively and informative seminar.
The next day followed with ten different concurrent workshops, including
all of those presented in Farmington, along with a session on Seating
and Positioning.
We'd like to acknowledge NMTAP's Julie Martinez and Caroll Cadena who
staffed the trainings and helped keep everything running smoothly in the
absence of NM-SWATT organizer Lorie Gulley who is home on maternity leave
with newborn son, Ryan. NMTAP contractors Lonnie Juarez assisted with
computer set-up in Farmington while Katie Norton helped with the implementation
of both events.
Contractor Patricia Corley, Ed.D was not only responsible for all of
the speakers, but she also presented several very popular workshop sessions
herself. We're looking forward to welcoming AT expert Caroline Musselwhite,
Ph.D as our keynote speaker and having Lorie Gulley back for the Albuquerque
conference in January!
NM - S.W.A.T.T.
Adiestramiento para tecnología auxiliary
¡Con comienzo fuerte!
Hemos recibido buenos comentarios de las regiones Noreste y Sudeste de
Nuevo México de la iniciativa de entrenamiento de NMTAP'S llamada
NM-SWATT (Adiestra-miento para tecnología auxiliar por todo el
Estado). Personas de las regiones de Farmington y las Cruces recibieron
este otoño talleres gratuitos y de amplio enfoque con expertos
locales sobre una variedad de temas de tecnología auxiliar por
cortesía de NMTAP.
Si se perdieron las primeras dos sesiones, favor de comuni-carse al (800)
866-2253 hoy para apuntarse para sesiones de adiestramiento del 2003 en
Albuquerque en enero 22-23 (con la experta, reconocida por todo el país,
de tecnología auxiliar Caroline Musselwhite), en Roswell el 19
de febrero y en Las Vegas el 10 de abril. Redacción completa en
la página 3.
En Farmington NM-Swatt se celebró ante la presencia de 75 participantes
quienes recibieron talleres de tecnología auxiliar con duración
del día hábil, como lo fueron: Buscando acceso, Impedimentos
de visión y tecnología auxiliar, Seleccionando aparatos
de mejora de comunicación, y Tecnología auxiliar para alumnos
con discapacidades con la enseñanza.
Proveemos unidades de crédito educacional (CEU) para todo participante.
Nuestras muy agradecidas gracias a todo prestador por la informativa y
provocativa información para los participantes.
En Las Cruces se realizó una conferencia con dos días de
duración esto durante los primeros días de noviembre. Participaron
más de 120 personas y el orador magistral fue Joy Zabalá
con dinámica prestación sobre la teoría SETT una
forma practica para asesorar las necesidades de una persona para tecnología
auxiliar. Su programa fue muy interesante y tuvo duración del día
hábil contenía muchos ejemplos de casos estudiados, consejos
aplicables e instrucción con cada paso sobre tácticas de
ases-oramiento. La sala muy llena de público y algunas personas
salieron temprano al Joy mantenernos a todos engan-chados con su clase
informativa y animada.
El día siguiente se desarrollaron deis talleres simultáneos,
incluyendo todos aquellos presentados en Farmington, así como una
sección sobre buenos hábitos al sentarse y otras posiciones
corporales.
Queremos reconocer a Julie Martínez de NMTAP'S y a Caroll Cadena
quienes formaron el personal durante los adiestramientos y se aseguraron
de que todo funcionara correctamente durante la ausencia de la organizadora
de NM-SWATT Lorie Gulley quien se encuentra en casa en descanso por causa
del recién parto de su hijo, Ryan. Contratista de NMTAP Lonnie
Juárez auxilió con conexión de computadoras en Farmington
mientras Katie Norton ayudó con la implementación de los
dos eventos.
La contratista Patricia Corley, ed.D. no sólo se responsabilizó
de todos las prestaciones, también presentó varios talleres
muy bien atendidos. ¡Esperamos con animó dar la bienvenida
a la experta Caroline Musselwhite, prestadora magistral y el regreso de
Lorie Gulley para la conferencia en Albuquerque en enero!
NM-SWATT To Hold Three More Trainings
Across the State in 2003
Even if you missed the trainings in Farmington or Las Cruces, you're
still in luck as three more are scheduled in the upcoming months.
On January 22-23 NM-SWATT will be offering a two-day training in Albuquerque
at the Albuquerque Convention Center. The first day will feature nationally
known speaker Caroline Musselwhite, Ph.D., who will be presenting a full-day
session on Wednesday, January 22, 2003 on augmentative communication (AAC)
strategies, access opportunities for students with severe disabilities,
and engineering the classroom for students with disabilities. Dr. Musselwhite
is a specialist in techniques for integrating severely disabled students
into mainstream classrooms. She is also known for her creative approach
to serving children with special needs and her workshops are always informative
and entertaining. On Thursday, concurrent training workshops will be held
with local AT experts. See the chart below for topics.
The Roswell Convention Center will be the site of the February 19, 2003
training and NM-SWATT will be in Las Vegas, NM on April 10, 2003. Both
concurrent AT workshops of these one-day sessions will feature workshops
mentioned below.
To register for any of these free 2003 NM-SWATT trainings, please contact
Lorie Gulley at (800) 866-2253 or via e-mail at lgulley@state.nm.us.
Or for even faster processing, download a registration form from our website
at nmtap.com. Go to the "Projects" section of the website and
click on NM-SWATT where you can download the application in "pdf"
format, and then simply fill it out and either fax it or mail it in. Confirmations
will be sent a few weeks before each training. Remember, CEU's will also
be available at all the trainings.
Director Alan Klaus Retires
NMTAP Director Alan Klaus retired from the agency in September 2002 after
9 years with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. Alan began his
career with the State of New Mexico working in the Health and Environment
Department in 1978 and came to DVR in 1993. After first working as the
Grants Manager for DVR, he was appointed Director of NMTAP in 1996 and
served in that position until this past fall. The staff of NMTAP wishes
him the happiest of times during his retirement, and especially on long
walks with his dog!
Using Accessibility Features In Windows Operating Systems
Persons with disabilities are accustomed to obtaining adaptive software
for personal computers for functional limitations. Unbeknownst to many
of us, Microsoft's Windows 95, 98, 2000 & XP operating systems have
the same features and functions already built-in as the software. These
accessibility features can assist with mouse, keyboard, sound and screen
display adaptations for our visual, hearing, speech, learning and motor
control preferences. For example, in Windows XP you can obtain a speech
recognition system (in Language Options) along with a screen reader (Narrator)
and Windows Magnifier (in Accessibility Accessories) without having to
spend hundreds of dollars on additional software.
Bill Newroe and Julie Roybal with the CASA (The Computer-Based Accessibility
Services Assistance) Network, have been compiling and developing accessible
information technology (IT) diverse ability tools for school districts,
colleges and universities. One tool assists in using the accessibility
features built into the Windows Operating Systems.
"Many schools may buy additional software for their computers which
is costly and may be unnecessary", said Bill. "One of our goals
at CASA, as we assist schools with the development of their IT plans,
is to point out lower cost solutions for making their IT Services accessible
to all students."
The CASA Network assists educational institutions in the six states of
Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas with an expert
resource network for universally accessible IT in K-12 and post secondary
schools. The CASA network is affiliated with the Disability Law Resource
Project of the Independent Living Research and Utilization Program, and
is funded through the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation
Research, U.S. Department of Education.
The IT diverse ability tool for using the Windows operating system accessibility
features is available for free. For further information, please contact:
Bill Newroe, wnewroe@state.nm.us
or Julie Roybal, Technology Specialist, jroybal@state.nm.us;
or call 877-533-3204 (toll free).
Whatever It Takes
The Whatever It Takes (WIT) program provides transportation services
to individuals with disabilities who are employed or seeking employment.
According to WIT Director Yvonne Hart, some of its recent accomplishments
include: the development of 47 individualized transportation access plans
for persons with disabilities 34 people with disabilities receiving transportation
from WIT contractors (15 for job retention and 19 for pre-employment activity
such as training or job seeking); 8 people with disabilities or family
members of people with disabilities employed as drivers for the vans;
13 resource referral inquiries; and 3 loan applications in last quarter
of the year.
If you are in need assistance with transportation services, please contact
Caroll Cadena at (800) 866-2253 for transportation referrals or if you
would like to apply to be a driver for WIT.
NMONE
The NMONE Program provides and assists New Mexico Workforce Development
Center Operators and Workforce Investment Boards to have statewide local
one-stop career center resources physically, technologically and programmatically
accessible to increase employment opportunities and outcomes for persons
with disabilities.
At local workforce development centers or one-stop career centers, the
public can use free faxing, copying, long distance phone calls, and unlimited
use with computers, printers and the Internet. Along with these resources,
anyone can also get assistance with job searching, resume writing and
connections to employers.
To ensure access for persons with disabilities regarding these resources
and services, the NMONE Project assists One-Stop Centers in your city
with accessible electronic/information technology, accommodation, job
club and training resources.
These resources are funded to June 30, 2003 by the Employment and Training
Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor with the New Mexico Division
of Vocational Rehabilitation. For further information, please contact:
Bill Newroe, wnewroe@state.nm.us
or Julie Roybal, Technology Specialist, jroybal@state.nm.us;
or call 877-533-3204 (toll free).
If at First You Don't Succeed. . .
Jerry Espino is no stranger to voice recognition. In fact, he was first
introduced to Dragon Dictate software in the 6th grade. Yet, in the past
seven years, Jerry has tried voice recognition more times than he wants
to think about-and each time, the program just wouldn't consistently recognize
his voice, despite extensive training.
Jerry is a 20-year-old man with cerebral palsy and mild dysarthria. Last
spring he graduated from West Mesa High where he excelled academically
with the help of scribes-instructional aides who wrote or typed as he
dictated his written assignments to them. While Jerry was always grateful
for the availability and support of scribes, he was also frustrated that
he couldn't write independently and complete his assignments on his own
timeline.
In the fall, Jerry enrolled at Albuquerque's Technical Vocational Institute
(TVI) and decided to give voice recognition one more try. He had heard
that the latest versions of Dragon Naturally Speaking were much better
at recognizing a broader range of voices, but he was skeptical. Jerry's
DVR counselor helped arrange for an assistive technology equipment loan
through NMTAP's ABLE program. NMTAP loaned Jerry a laptop computer with
Dragon Naturally Speaking (DNS), version 5.0 installed. In October, NMTAP
consultant Patricia Corley began voice recognition training yet again
with Jerry. Given his history with this technology, Jerry was skeptical,
but to his great surprise the program seemed more responsive this time.
Over three sessions, Jerry has worked hard to teach the computer to recognize
his voice-work that is actually paying off. DNS is now recognizing the
majority of Jerry's phrases and sentences correctly and Jerry acknowledges
that the technology has come a long way. Jerry is a quick learner and
very computer savvy, so learning commands and correction strategies has
been a cinch.
He knows that he has to speak as strongly and clearly as he can in order
for the program to correctly recognize his voice and sometimes this can
be exhausting. However, the effort is worth it when Jerry sees the lengthy
letter that he just dictated to a high school buddy on the computer screen
ready to be emailed. The next step for Jerry is utilizing voice recognition
to complete his written assignments, a challenge that he plans to take
on next term at TVI.
The Road Ahead
NMTAP has provided New Mexico with a variety of service delivery options
since 1990. The NMTAP started with a statewide toll free number and a
mobile van operated by Scott Segner ATP of Adelante's TechWorks. Kathy
McWhorter managed the most recent mobile service, which attempting to
address the vast educational needs of children on the Navajo Nation and
the Acoma and Laguna Pueblos.
We were involved in the development of one of the first knowledge based
software benefits programs (FIESTAS) still in use in the RIATT distant
AT special education training program. Through the groundbreaking work
of Gene Rodgers, New Mexico was the first State to include electronic
accessibility standards in its Information Technology State Plan. Bill
Newroe, as Director expanded the program into the technology transfer
and now is involved in the development of universal electronic accessibility
in education and workforce.
Alan Klaus, as Director worked with our Coordinating Council members
and the State Independent Living Council to obtain funding for technology
purchases through Independent Living Centers, a one-time appropriation
for transitioning students without resources and a strong AT Lemon Law.
The staff and program consultants have answered questions, provided expert
advice, addressed consumer needs, met in schools, state offices, and in
consumer homes. We are still receiving hundreds of calls from folks who
need assistance with technology to increase their independence and access
to their communities. So what about the future? If the United States Congress
decides not to extend the Act we will still be enough funds to offer services
through March 31, 2004. We intend to continue to offer trainings, loans,
direct assistance and advice till the bitter end. So give us a call if
you need us.
2002 Annual Statistics From NMTAP
Over 600 persons have contacted Caroll Cadena at NMTAP's Information
& Referral desk thus far this year and she expects that number to
exceed 800 by the end of the grant year. AT equipment and devices -along
with required support from AT professionals - have been provided to 83
students and DVR consumers through our ABLE loan bank, and with our newest
member, Central Regional #5, we have 27 cooperative agreements in place
in the ABLE program. Six persons received low interest, guaranteed loans
through our Financial Loan Program with Wells Fargo Bank with many more
making inquiries about the loan program. Matching funds were provided
for 14 persons with disabilities in dire need of technology assistance:
people who were without access to any other resources. We expect that
over 500 people will have attended our NM-SWATT trainings by the end of
March 2003. Seventy-five children at Acoma and Laguna Pueblos and 125
children on Navajo received AT evaluations and/or training in the last
year and over 200 teachers, service providers and parents attended the
RezTech conference held last spring on the Navajo Nation. Equipment loan
programs in 5 areas on the Navajo Nation and Acoma and Laguna Pueblos
remain with continued funding of the Native American Loan Bank Programs
through the Navajo Children's Fund and Special Education funding of the
Native American schools.
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