Universal access to information for people with disabilities: The future
exists today at the Archimedes Project 

From: The Catalyst: The Newsletter of Western Center for Microcomputers in
    Special Education - Spring 2002 
http://home.earthlink.net/~thecatalyst
By: Sue Swezey


What if the brightest college students and the most innovative thinkers in
technology joined forces to solve accessibility issues? The results might be
nothing short of revolutionary for people with disabilities. 

In fact, tremendously exciting ideas are being generated at this moment
through the Archimedes Project at Stanford University. Archimedes is an
offshoot of Stanford's Center for the Study of Language and Information
(CSLI), an independent collaborative effort since 1983 between researchers
from Stanford, SRI International, and Xerox PARC. The genius of CSLI is that
it includes individuals from many disciplines: communication, computer
science, education, linguistics, mathematics and logic, philosophy, and
psychology. No stone is unturned seeking creative solutions. In this rarefied
atmosphere, Archimedes' mission is to provide equal access to information for
people with disabilities by influencing the design of technology to come. 

But brilliant ideas do not automatically become available products. First
there must be working prototypes, which to the untrained eye may appear
unfinished and homespun. So, at first glance, the casual observer may not
realize that in a cubicle on the Stanford campus, crammed with makeshift
shelving and odds and ends of computers and adaptive devices of various ages
and states of disrepair, can be found some of the most intriguing solutions
to accessibility issues  just waiting to be developed commercially. A single
device for many uses 

To be truly accessible, adaptive devices must be durable, bombproof, and not
too expensive. If the user makes progress, devices must adjust easily to
accommodate a higher level of functioning. If the user's capability varies
between good and bad days, the device must be flexible. 

A universally acceptable device must overcome problems all too familiar to
people with disabffities. At present, for example, most blind users must rely
upon Windows; but system upgrades can limit or shut out access, increasing
frustration and decreasing employability. Students need flexible, inexpensive
devices; but the approval process for costly systems can become mired in
paperwork, and all too often such systems are outgrown by the time they are
finally installed. Installation of some adaptive devices may exceed the
technical expertise of classroom teachers; yet many teachers lack the tech
support necessary for students with disabilities to succeed in inclusive
classes. 

All of these concerns are addressed by an ingenious Archimedes project, the
Total Access System (TAS), a patented concept designed to provide access to
technology for the greatest number of people. No matter what your needs, the
TAS allows you to control a computer with your own access technology, without
altering the inner workings of the computer. The TAS concept offers many
advantages: you remain mobile, since your access tools can travel with you
and talk to any computer; further, you can mix and match access technology as
needed. The computer, or "target machine" does not become unstable from the
addition of software, and costs are kept down by "componentizing" everything,
enabling you to add modules as needed to create a total interactive system.
System designer is affable New Zealander Neil Scott, whom many will remember
for his accomplishments at CSUN's Center for Disabilities. 

The Total Access System operates through the Total Access Port (TAP), a small
device about the size and shape of a cigarette package, which solves a host
of big problems. The TAP itself houses all the connections between access
tools and computer; through its use, any adaptive device can communicate with
any computer without memory-consuming software installation. Input from the
user's accessing method, through the TAP, emulates a keyboard and mouse.
Input devices, or accessors, can be as varied as head trackers, haptic
(force-feedback) mice, eye trackers, speech recognition devices, regular
mice, and keyboards. 

The TAP is the intermediary between computers and adaptive devices.
Connection is simple; standard power cords and cables plug in both sides of
the TAP. The chip inside does all the work, making software installation
unnecessary. 

Since computers often have difficulty communicating with each other, with or
without adaptive devices, a number of TAPs are available for different
systems: PC TAP, Mac TAP, SGI TAP (Silicon Graphics), even a Palm TAP and X1O
TAP for home automation. Best of all, a "splitting TAP" can control various
computers at once, enabling the user to switch from one system to another by
commands as simple as voice: "Switch to Mac, switch to SGI," etc. 

Other Archimedes projects 

Other devices fromArchimedes will benefit not only those with vision
impairment but also the rapidly expanding elderly population. Another recent
project, funded by CAN (Cure Autism Now), hopes to address the communication
needs of the burgeoning number of students with autism. A prototype exists
using picture communication, similar to PECS (Picture Exchange Communication
System). More on this project in a future issue. 

People with disabilities are all too familiar with brilliant innovations
which never proceed beyond the research phase. So far, generation and testing
of concepts have relied on funding from such agencies as the National Science
Foundation (NSF). But Archimedes is determined to see its projects through to
fruition and commercial availability. This broader goal is the responsibility
of Archimedes Access Research Technology International (AARTI), which
provides a mechanism for seeking both funding and managing teams to develop
the ideas and turn them into salable products. AARTI lives up to its name,
involving researchers from Japan, Ireland, New Zealand, and the UK. With the
creativity, dedication, and enthusiasm of Archimedes staff, the odds are
favorable that great ideas will some day become great products, for the
benefit of people with disabilities and eventually for us all. 

For further information, contact:
Center for the Study of Language and Information (CSLI)
Stanford University
Cordura Hall
210 Panama St.
Stanford, CA  94305-4115

Dan Gillette
dangillette@mindspring.com
650/723-1710 lab
650/725-2166 fax

Neil Scott
ngscott@arch.stanford.edu
650/725-2774
650/725-2166 fax

http://www.csli.stanford.edu
http://www.archimedes.stanford.edu

