Links to Multimedia
Effective Interaction: Communicating With and About People With Disabilities in the Workplace
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
ADA Information Line Provides information and free publications about the requirements of the ADA including the ADA Standards for Accessible Design. 800-514-0301 (voice) 800-514-0383 (TTY)
Assistive Technology
The term Assistive Technology (AT) encompasses all products and services able to compensate for functional limitations, facilitating independence, and improving the quality of life of elderly people and people with disabilities.
ABLEDATA Provides information on assistive technology and rehabilitation equipment available from domestic and international sources. Its database contains:
- information on more than 25,000 assistive technology products (17,000 of which are currently available), from white canes to voice output programs.
- detailed descriptions of each product including price and company information.
- information on non-commercial prototypes, customized and one-of-a-kind products, and do-it-yourself designs.
AbilityNet a national charity helping disabled adults and children use computers and the internet by adapting and adjusting their technology.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center Improves technologies that furthers the development of communication, language, natural speech, discourse skills, and literacy of people with significant communication disorders.
California Assistive Technology Systems (CATS) A statewide project which promotes access to assistive technologies, related services, and information that enable people with disabilities to be successful, independent and productive.
Center for Applied Rehabilitation Technology (CART) Addresses the technology needs of people with disabilities from a team approach.
Community Technology Centers’ Network (CTCNet) A network of more than 300 community technology centers where people get access to computers and computer-related technology, such as the Internet.
Equal Access to Software and Information (EASI) A resource to the education community by providing information and guidance in the area of access-to-information technologies by individuals with disabilities.
EUSTAT Empowering Users Through Assistive Technology. EUSTAT, a study carried out in the period 1997-99 within the Telematics Application Programme of the European Commission, addressed the educational needs of end-users of AT. It produced educational material for people with disabilities, members of their family and personal assistants, as well as guidelines for those who organize or carry out educational initiatives that facilitate empowerment of end-users, helping them to make informed, appropriate and responsible AT choices. All the material produced within EUSTAT is contained in the set of four manuals available at this site.
High Tech Center Training Unit of the California Community Colleges A state-of-the-art training and support facility for community college faculty wishing to acquire or improve teaching skills, methodologies, and pedagogy in Assistive and Instructional Computer Technology. The Center supports Assistive Computer Technology programs at 114 California community colleges. More than 7,000 students with disabilities are currently enrolled in High Tech Center programs statewide. This training unit carries out extensive research, testing and evaluation of new and emerging technologies of potential benefit to persons with disabilities.
RESNA An interdisciplinary association for the advancement of rehabilitation and assistive technologies.
Trace Research & Development Center A research, development and resource center on technology and disability.
For more resources related to disability and health policy, go to the Online Resources page
Use this section to link to websites of outside organizations that provide useful information for students with disabilities. If, for some reason, a link doesn’t work, type the name of the organization into a search engine, such as Google or Yahoo, to find the Web site for the organization.
- AffordableCollegesOnline – Resources to help students with disabilities succeed. Topics include: ADHD, Asperger’s and autism, bipolar disorder, cerebral palsy, deaf and hard of hearing, depression, intellectual disabilities, multiple sclerosis, and visually impaired students.
- BeeLine Reader – makes reading faster and easier by using a color gradient that guides your eyes from the end of one line to the beginning of the next. You can read websites, books, email and other documents with BeeLine Reader! Many readers, especially those with dyslexia, attention deficits, or ELL challenges, find that BeeLine allows them to read with unprecedented fluency and ease.
- Bookshare
- California Department of Vocational Rehabilitation (click on the links near the top of the home page to apply for services using the online application and to find the local office nearest you)
- Cerebral Palsy Guidance – assistance to parents of a child with cerebral palsy, including information about transitioning to adulthood and vocational counseling
- Cerebral Palsy Guide Raising awareness about cerebral palsy and the children who it affects, with free educational information, financial options and emotional support for those affected by cerebral palsy
- College Accessibility for Students with Disabilities Scholarships and Financial Aid information, from the Best Colleges website. Provides information to help students with disabilities find the help that can take them through graduation, including scholarship opportunities for students with disabilities.
- College Guide for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students This guide, from BestColleges.com, includes information about transitioning to higher education, accommodations for deaf and hard of hearing students, assistive technology, wellness strategies, and scholarships for deaf and hard of hearing students
- College Resources for Students with Disabilities A guidebook that provides support, advocacy and assistive technology to facilitate the transition to higher education. The guide also details financial aid available by disability.
- Disabled American Veterans (www.dav.org)
- Disability Language Style Guide – developed by the National Center on Disability and Journalism. Defines appropriate and accurate language to use when writing or talking about people living with disabilities and terms to avoid when writing about disability.
- Disability Sensitivity Training Video
- iPad Apps for Students with Disabilities. List is courtesy of the University of Buffalo, the State University of New York
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Learning Ally (formerly Recordings for the Blind & Dyslexic) – click on the Membership tab to get a membership and gain access to the extensive audiobook library)
- Mental Health First Aid Teaching people how to help others who are developing a mental illness or who are in crisis. Its November 5, 2014 First Aider Newsletter provides useful information about panic attacks.
- National AIDS Clearinghouse (www.cdcnpin.org)
- National Center for LD (www.ncld.org)
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National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability (NCWD) for Youth. Information about employment for youth with disabilities, including resource materials for and about youth with both diagnosed and undiagnosed mental health needs who are transitioning into young adulthood, to the world of work, and to postsecondary education.
- National Depressive Association (www.ndmda.org)
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Oregon Department of Human Services: Office of Rehabilitation Services. A federal program administered by states that helps people with disabilities find and keep employment.
- Scholarships and Financial Aid for Students with Disabilities. A list of current scholarships for students with disabilities offered by various foundations and organizations, posted by AffordableColleges.com.
- Spinal Cord Resource Center (www.spinalinjury.net)
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Stethoscopes Comparison Table – An analysis of stethoscopes designed for deaf and hard-of-hearing healthcare professionals.
- Study Tips for College Students with Dyslexia and Dysgraphia. This guide defines and explores three of the most common learning disabilities among college students: dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia. Additionally, it provides actionable strategies, expert tips and resources for sharing disabilities with instructors, learning in the classroom as well as preparing for and taking exams.
Are you thinking about applying to and attending medical school?
Read these articles:
Helpful Articles about Technology, written by Andrew Leibs – An Ongoing Series
- An Introduction to Nuance Dragon Naturally Speaking and Dragon Dictate
- Assistive Technology That’s Free
- Read & Write Gold
- Make Text Bigger
- How Persons Who Are Deaf and Blind Have Conversations
- Free and Low-Cost Telecommunication Programs for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons
- Five Technologies Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons Use to Communicate
- Technology to Generate Speech
- Central Access Reader (CAR) – Free Screen Reader for Math
- Technology for Managing Medications
- High-tech Note Taking
- Ten Ways to Fund Assistive Technology Purchases
- Reading Healthcare Content using Text-to-Speech Applications