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Assistive Technology Update: Summer 2005 Volume I, Issue 2

Rick FoxThe Windows Key:
A Keyboard Shortcut Powerhouse

By Rick Fox, Director of Sales and Marketing

Used by itself and with other keys, the WINDOWS Key provides a host of powerful Keyboard Shortcuts. Some are commonly known, but there are several that most of us are not aware of. Here are some tips that will help you save time, streamline your keyboarding techniques, and eliminate unnecessary steps:

Most computer keyboarding enthusiasts know that a tap of the WINDOWS Key will bring up the Start Menu; but did you know that by pressing the WINDOWS Key a second time, you will be toggled back to your original application?

The WINDOWS Key + M minimizes all your running applications, bringing up the Desktop. However, are you aware that the WINDOWS Key + SHIFT + M will restore your minimized applications? And that the WINDOWS Key + D also brings up your Desktop?

My favorite WINDOWS Key command is WINDOWS Key + TAB, which will bring your focus to the Task Bar. Here, you can select any running application with the LEFT or RIGHT ARROW Keys, or by typing the first letter of the application name such as U for Untitled + Notepad. Once selected, you can return to that application by pressing ENTER, or close it by pressing the APPLICATION Key, and C. I find this method easier to use and more powerful than ALT + TAB, another common way of cycling through running applications.

All these key commands help you work smarter and faster! For more information on additional Keyboard Shortcuts available in Windows, open the Windows Help File by pressing WINDOWS + F1. A woman pointing at a screen of computer monitor

SURVEY CONDUCTED AT CSUN CONFERENCE OFFER INSIGHT INTO TRAINING NEEDS AND PURCHASING HABITS

This year’s CSUN conference provided De Witt & Associates with an opportunity to learn more about the training needs and purchasing habits of organizations that work with the blind and visually impaired. By conducting a survey at our booth, we were able to interact with attendees and garnered some valuable information that will help us to provide better services and meet the needs of our clients as well as the end user.

More than 200 conference attendees participated in the survey and were placed in one of two groups – people who were responsible for training organizations and people who were either end-users or individual trainers. The following is a synopsis of the findings:

78 individuals filled out the provider version of the survey. Of those 78:

  • All use a personal computer
  • The majority were either Teachers of the Blind and Visually Impaired or Assistive Technology Instructors
  • 27 identified themselves as visually impaired

60 of the respondents said their agencies were responsible for assistive technology training. Of those 60:

  • 41 said training was provided by Assistive Technology Specialists
  • 19 said training was provided by staff members who had other duties in addition to Assistive Technology
  • 22 said that their agency paid outside trainers to provide service

Respondents had used a variety of means to obtain training over the past year, but the majority had received some training either at conference workshops or on the job:

  • 59 of the respondents had either intermediate or advanced level knowledge of Microsoft Word, although 30 said they would be interested in even more advanced training. Respondents also expressed an interest in intermediate or advanced Excel and PowerPoint training
  • Most respondents (40) would be willing to try online training and most would be willing to pay for it. Almost all of the respondents in this category (61) had high speed internet access.

124 individuals filled out our user version of the survey. Of that 124:

  • 122 used a personal computer regularly
  • Slightly less than half were also either Teachers of the Blind and Visually Impaired or Assistive Technology Instructors
  • 24 identified themselves as visually impaired
  • 82 of the respondents said they provided some type of training to visually impaired individuals in the use of assistive technology

Respondents had used a variety of means to obtain training over the past year, but the majority had received some training either at conference workshops or on the job. However, relatively few (24) had tried online training.

84 of the respondents had either intermediate or advanced level knowledge of Microsoft Word, although 50 said they would be interested in even more advanced training. Respondents also expressed an interest in intermediate or advanced Excel and PowerPoint training.

85 respondents would be willing to try online training.

  • 43 would be willing to pay up to $50 for the three hours of online training
  • 31 would be willing to pay up to $100 for three hours of training
  • A majority of the respondents of this category (87) had high speed internet access, however, 26 still had dial-up and one had no Internet Access at all

fingers on a braillenoteThe results of the survey clearly confirms that many assistive technology trainers have a good base of skills. However, many would like to have additional training in intermediate or advanced level skills, and would be open to taking courses online. Based on these findings, De Witt & Associates is in the process of outlining intermediate level online courses and hopes to offer them this fall.

For further information about our online classes, or a copy of the survey results, call Rick Fox at De Witt & Associates, 1-877-447-6500 or e-mail your request to info@4dewitt.com Teaching Math to visually impaired students icon

DE WITT & ASSOCIATES COMMITTED TO ENHANCING EMPLOYEE SKILLS THROUGH ON-SITE TRAINING WORKSHOPS

Training Associates at De Witt recently participated in a two-day workshop to enhance their skills in the use of both low and high-tech tools for teaching math to students with visual impairments. The workshop, facilitated by Susan A. Osterhaus, M. Ed., placed special emphasis on how to recommend technologies that provide support to sighted mainstream math teachers, who may or may not have any knowledge of how to work with students with visual impairments. An additional focus was an overview of the technologies students can use to prepare graphical representations of their work, and to make their work understandable to teachers who can’t read Braille.Susan Osterhaus teaching a class to her students

Osterhaus, who has been a teacher of secondary mathematics for 26 years at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Austin, Texas, has also been innovative in developing adaptive material for blind and visually impaired students. She has served the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills Committee, which developed guidelines for adapting and transcribing (TAAS), and has won awards.

Workshops such as these are a part of the ongoing commitment De Witt & Associates has made to their staff to offer training in a wide variety of technologies, by bringing in well-known experts in the field who can share the benefit of their experience.

Icon of NJ Cart

Earlier this year, De Witt & Associates hosted a two-day training in Dolphin’s Supernova product. Training was provided by the Arizona Foundation for the Blind Children. We also hosted and provided speakers for a meeting of NJ CART (New Jersey Coalition for the Advancement of Assistive Technology), titled “Technology Supports for People with Visual Impairments”. Topics included: “How to Assess Visual Functioning and Appropriate Computer Monitor Accommodations for a Person with Low Vision.” Presented by Associate David Feinhals; “Best Practices for Assistive Technology Trainers and Facilitators,” presented by Stephanie Bassler; and An Overview of De Witt & Associates, presented by John De Witt.

In addition to this type of training, the firm also provides in-service training on a regular basis, where staff members will prepare a workshop in there area of expertise for fellow associates. Regular demonstrations of new technology by industry representatives are also hosted so our Associates receive an opportunity to sample the latest technology.

In addition to hosting classes internally for our Associates, De Witt offers full and half-day classes in various areas of assistive technology, which may be customized to a client’s needs. For further information, contact Rick Fox at De Witt & Associates at 1-877-447-6500 or e-mail him at rick@4dewitt.com.

Meet the Staff at De Witt & Associates
Rick Fox, Director of Sales and Marketing
A head shot of Rick Fox

Rick Fox joined De Witt & Associates in 1998, and spent three years as an Associate teaching blind and visually impaired Vocational Rehabilitation clients how to use assistive technology so they could compete, more effectively in the job market. Currently he serves as the Director of Sales and Marketing, a position he has held since January of 2001. Rick began his career at IBM and spent 21 years as a Marketing Representative, Programmer, and Help Desk Specialist.

“It’s an enjoyable challenge to work with people who need accessibility training or support services, and to create a plan to help meet those needs,” Rick says. “I’m fortunate to have had a long and varied career, both with people and technology, and that has prepared me well for my current work”.

When not working with clients at De Witt, Rick is actively involved with the Beth Saida Team, a committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark, whose mission is to encourage congregations to make their program and facilities more accessible to people with disabilities. Earlier, he served as President of the Connecticut Affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind, an advocacy and self-help organization, from 1993 to 1996.

Rick is a graduate of Brown University with a BA in religious studies, and claims “The reason he was hired at IBM was that they needed someone to pray when their computers went down!"
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