IPad Opens World to a Disabled Boy
nytimes.com
nytimes.com
This is just another example: We in the technology sector spend a lot of time arguing and debating about total bullshit. We deride iPads as underpowered, or over controlled while I think we miss the fact that something well designed, simple and accessible can do the thing none of our editors, frameworks or other baloney can do:
Change People's Lives.
Maybe I've just grown cynical at the cyclical nature of technology debate and discussions, at the fact that we seem hellbent on painting bike sheds more frequently then making something amazing and at the constant retreading in a lot of startups of the same old technology. Of course, things like this should inspire all of us, as entrepreneurs and developers to consider something more.
It's a challenge to us to overcome and create something amazing.
Although it seemed odd to me at first, she performs far better with the iPad than the iMac that I bought her years ago. Typing, clearly a chore for her with a physical keyboard, is somehow simpler on the iPad in landscape.
A clear benefit of the iPad: it is relatively simple to constrain what can and can't be done. The base set of apps are simplistic.
The only downside: I can't hide apps that she doesn't want to use or that I would rather insulate her from. I'm looking at you, Settings.app.
But between E-mail, bookmarks as desktop icons, Friendly, Proloquo2go, Safari, and the iPod app, my wife's quality of life suddenly improved dramatically.
So here is a free product idea that would scratch our itch: build an iPad case that is friendly to autistic/motor-skills-impaired individuals. The OtterBox Defender is a step in the right direction but it lacks:
* a transparent screen protection layer
* optional carry/grab handles
* a detachable carry strap (I may hack one out of duct tape -- I did this for my wife's Kindle case ages ago. Oh, and did I mention how the adjustable font size is totally awesome for my wife?)
* more padding so that my wife could possibly drop the iPad from ~4' and not have to be terrified that she just destroyed $500 of iPad?
He's not disabled in any way, he's the most active senior citizen I've ever seen, but computers or the net have not been in his portfolio before. Now he writes mails on a regular basis, manages his digital photo albums, surfs the net on soccer news and even plays games!
It's an incredible machine for non-hackers.
Many people don't need/want full-screen magnification/zoom all the time, just the ability to enlarge some text and tiny UI components. For things like that, I find linux far more accessible.
All of that said, most of my accessibility problems with Apple center around OS X.
Though you also can't enlarge text in iTunes/app store on the iPod/iPhone, the iPad has a much more usable 3-finger zoom, as well as a screen reader. The iOS touch interface is, as a whole, very intuitive and easy to use.
It is a bit too sensitive in some instances, but also rather forgiving in others. I'm guessing that has more to do with the app itself than iOS or the touch screen technology.