HIGH TECH
'1he Creative best of
The Herman Frankel Organization
Family Homes and
WOODCLIFF
Detached Condominiums
Sales Office: 683-3502
Main Office: 683-3500
Located 1 mile West of Orchard Lake Rd. on
Pontiac Trail left on Mirror Lake Drive to Woodcliff
66
HOME
use a Membrane Keyboard. Other
alternatives are expanded keyboards
(with larger keys for those who can
target only large areas) and miniature
keyboards (for those with an ex-
tremely limited range of movement of
their limbs).
Augmented Phone Services is an
application program for IBM PC
users with hearing and/or speech im-
pairments. Using the voice commu-
nications adapter, augmented phone
services users may communicate
with hearing persons who use touch-
tone phones.
The IBM Offering for Persons with
Disabilities also provides special
prices on its personal computer prod-
ucts to individuals with a disability.
IBM-selected community service
organizations assist eligible users in
acquiring appropriate equipment.
Lists of devices and manufacturers,
in addition to IBM, are available from
ABLEDATA, the largest source of
information on disability-related con-
sumer products with over 15,000
commercially available products list-
ed from over 1,800 manufacturers.
ABLEDATA provides product lists in
printed form or via the computer. If
they have a computer and modem
and subscribe to a particular data-
base vendor, individual customers
may reach ABLEDATA directly.
Recently, in cooperation with the
Adaptive Equipment Center at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison,
copies of the entire database are now
available to individuals or programs
that want to install ABLEDATA in
personal computers.
AT&T also has special services for
handicapped people, such as a tele-
communication device for the deaf
(TDD).
Home automation will offer a vari-
ety of electronic support to help peo-
ple maintain their independence,
communicate comfortably and live
safely. Some of the devices are in use
today: digital alarm clocks, micro-
wave ovens, telephone answering
machines and fax machines.
With the advent of advances in
computer science, medical, diag-
nostic and treatment technology plus
other applied sciences, the Technol-
ogy-Related Assistance for Individ-
uals with Disabilities Act of 1988
should encourage the implementa-
tion of new technologies. I I