Charissa's+autism

= Accessibility and Autism =

==== Imagine walking into a room and having the sound in the background be deafnfing, or the light is so bright that if feels like it is stabbing your eyes, You might say that this is a bit extreme. However, if you are a person with Autism, this occurs all the time, Light, touch and sound intensify. Autism is a neurological disorder that causes sensory issues. Imagine trying to navigate through some of the websites that they have out there. At times, I can be sensory overload on these. To a person who suffers from Autism, this can be completely unbearable. It can be just the idea of typing on the keyboard, clicking with the mouse, and looking at the screen, with all the websites to look at that can be overwhelming for them as well. ====

==== Luckily there are some tools out there for them to use. One of the tools they suggested, and I thought was incredible was Zac Browser, this site is zoned for children with Autism, and it eliminates the task bar. They did away with the right click option. To make this site even more autism friendly, they pre-linked the games, and such to help eliminate frustration. This is a great site! I am defiantly going to keep it in mind when I am working with any of my students that have Autism. ====

==== They listed some other tools such as a touch window; this eliminates the mouse and the screen. This could come in handy, especially for those that would get easily stressed, with the idea of the keyboard, mouse and screen. ====

==== Intellikeys was also mentioned as a tool for those with Autism. Intellikeys are overlays that go over the keyboard reducing the amount of keys on the keyboard. There are many different types of overlays to accommodate different types of programs. I have seen these and have used them with some of my students before. It is not only helpful for students with Autism but for those with limited mobility issues, or those that are cognitively delayed that need to have the keyboard modified. ====

==== This is a great article that had wonderful ideas. I knew of some tools mentioned, and had a brush up course on some of the others. I really think Zac Browser is an awesome tool. And Intellikeys are wonderful, if you ever get a chance to use them do. ====

sources http://web4alllearners.wikispaces.com/Accessibility+and+Autism

For many people with autism, the web can be very empowering. The web can be an empowering communication medium for people living with autism. The ability to review words before sending them can limit mistakes. As well as the ability to Google phrases and look in the dictionary can be very helpful on many occasions. Based on an interview from [| “Introduction to Web Accessibility” from WebAim] with Jamie Knight, a web designer who has autism.

Knight cited obstacles that he has faced when using the web as well as a few resources that he uses to help him navigate the web. Knight stated that some of the problems that he has encountered when using the web include understanding video and sound content. He has not found many sites that allow videos and sound to be slowed down, so that the content can be more understandable.

Knight also stated that he likes to use fliudapps.com. Fluidapps is a site that turns your favorite web apps into desktop apps. Knight has used fluid to set up site specific browsers. He has created browsers for online banking as well as frequently visited sites. Knight finds the individual browsers to be less stressful when using the web.

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