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Roger Focus use of radio microphones and receivers to highlight the voice you want to listen to amid the background.

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Scrivener (also as an app)
Particularly for long pieces of writing to use outlining alongside paragraph text to aid with structure. Works with Scapple (from the same developer) for mind-mapping.

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Voice Dream

(also for changing the colours and fonts of text in web articles, documents, epubs and PDFs for easier reading)

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Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) classroom observation checklist

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Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) classroom observation checklist

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Please click here.

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Please click here.

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Please click here.

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BLITAB

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Asda colleagues creates child friendly shopping list game

An Asda colleague, who came up with the idea of the Happy Little Helpers initiative, has seen the scheme rolled out to more than 300 stores nationwide following a huge success in the store she works in up in Middlesbrough.

Jenny Barnett, who has a four-year-old autistic son, Charlie, knows how difficult it can be trying to complete the weekly shop as a family. So in March this year she designed and created a child friendly shopping list using symbols of groceries such as fruit, vegetables and biscuits.

Charlie and other children visiting the store can use the Velcro-backed symbols to help their parents shop, making it easier for children to ignore distractions and ensure a calmer, stress free shopping trip.

The rollout came following an Asda Facebook post about Jenny's idea, with many other families commenting they'd love to see this in their local store. Following the success of the initiative in Middlesbrough, Asda bosses decided to roll out the Happy Little Helpers initiative to more than 300 stores nationwide, much to the delight of Jenny.

Asda colleague, Jenny Barnett, 31, said: "I know how hard it is to go into a shop and be a Mum with a child who is throwing a tantrum and throwing themselves on the floor.
"By creating the shopping list it takes the pressure away and helps children concentrate on a task which in turn reduces stress. "I'm absolutely delighted that the Happy Little Helpers initiative is being rolled out to more than 300 stores, it makes me very proud and if it can help just one Mum, Dad or child then the whole thing will be worth it."
From the 11-17 September, community champions in Asda stores will be holding in store awareness events featuring information boards for parents on the initiative as well as 'Happy Little Helper' packs which are now available for parents who feel they might need some help to get round the store with their children.
How the Happy Littler Helpers Shopping List works:
The Happy Little Helpers game is designed to get the kids involved with the weekly shop, by encouraging them to find shopping list items and pop them in the trolley. The shopping lists are designed using durable Foamex material and Velcro backed counters. There is also a handy clip so that customers can hang them from their trolley. Though the activity was originally designed for children with autism, the activity is available to all children.

Parents select items needed from the products available on the shopping list and add them to the blank white squares. The children find the items in store and add them to the basket. Once the items been added to the basket, the child gets a smiley face next to that product. If the item isn't available the parent puts in a cross. The Star counter is for a product of the parents / child's choice.

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Asda Rollout 'Happy Little Helpers' Initiative To Support Autistic Children During Their Shopping Trips - ASDA Corporate

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Asda colleagues creates child friendly shopping list game An Asda colleague, who came up with the idea of the Happy Little Helpers initiative, has seen the scheme rolled out to more than 300 stores nationwide following a huge success in the store she works in up in Middlesbrough.

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Google expeditions

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Xbox have launched a controller that can be adapted for different needs of the individual user...

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Microsoft is launching a new Xbox controller, developed to meet the needs of people with disabilities.

Set for release later this year, the Xbox adaptive controller is a customisable device intended to support a wide range of needs and disabilities, making video games more accessible. It will retail for $99 (£73.50) and will be sold worldwide via Microsoft digital stores.

"We think the traditional Xbox controller is an industry-leading design, but it's not accessible to gamers with limited mobility," said Gabi Michel, the senior Xbox hardware programme manager. "They usually require custom solutions which can cost thousands of dollars and a lot of technical expertise to set up; you often have to go to a non-profit organisation to get them made and there are waiting lists. We wanted to solve all those problems; we created the Xbox adaptive controller to be accessible and affordable."

The controller features two large buttons on the face, which can be operated with hands, elbows or feet. It is designed to be placed on the player's lap, on a table, or on the floor, allowing for a number of control options.

The main feature is the row of 3.5mm ports along the rear of the pad, representing each of the inputs and buttons on the standard controller. Using these 19 ports, players can plug in a range of add-on devices such as bite switches, foot pedals, touch-sensitive pads and other accessibility products that are either already available or have been developed specifically for the controller by third-party manufacturers. These will also be on sale via Microsoft stores. In this way, control setups can be highly personalised: players use a dedicated app to create controller configurations, and can quickly switch between three preconfigured profiles using a button on the face of the controller.

The device is wireless and powered by an internal battery, charged via USB-C connection. However, it also comes with its own optional power supply so that devices that draw a lot of power - such as mouth-operated quadsticks, controllers designed for quadriplegic players that use a "sip and puff" tube for inputs - can be supported more easily. There is a headphone socket and, on the base, a set of mounting ports, allowing players to fix the controller to a tripod.

During a demo event at Microsoft's campus in Redmond, Washington, learning specialist Solomon Romney showed how he could control the racing simulation Forza Motorsport with one hand, utilising a specially designed joystick add-on developed by peripherals firm PDP, resembling a Nintendo Wii nunchuck. Plugging the nunchuck, which will retail at $20, into the Xbox adaptive controller's left USB port, he used the analogue stick and two buttons to steer, brake and accelerate.

According to Microsoft, the adaptive controller, which is also compatible with Windows 10 PCs, is completely plug and play - users are able to repeatedly swap out add-on components while playing.

"As I'm going through various games, I'm trying different configurations, testing how it feels without ever having to quit out and start again," said Romney. "It makes it much easier to iterate and find the ideal setup very quickly. I can now play whatever game I want, however I want to play it."

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Microsoft learning specialist Solomon Romney using the Xbox adaptive controller

The device originated with a small group of staff from the company's accessibility team, who developed an early prototype for a Microsoft hackathon event in 2015. They worked closely with Warfighter Engaged, a charity seeking to rehabilitate injured military veterans, to design a customisable controller that met a range of needs but still had the build quality and look of a traditional controller.

The following year, the team was back at the hackathon, this time with the support of Leo Del Castillo, Microsoft's general manager of Xbox hardware, who committed a group of electrical and mechanical engineers to the project to help improve the design. A year - and several prototypes - later it was officially greenlit.

Within five minutes she was playing Call of Duty, co-piloting with her brother. Her mother was crying because it was such a powerful moment

Erin Muston-Firsch

"The traditional Xbox controller makes a lot of assumptions," said Bryce Johnson, Microsoft's senior inclusive designer, who was part of the original development team. "It assumes I have two hands to hold it, two thumbs to hit the analogue sticks, and the fine motor control to get at all the buttons. It also assumes I have the endurance to hold it for a long gaming session. That's a barrier. Throughout the design process of this device, we spoke to charities like the Cerebral Palsy Foundation, AbleGamers and SpecialEffect and to countless gamers with disabilities. We've designed a device that we think will empower them."

The design team has also worked with occupational therapists including Erin Muston-Firsch, an assistive technology specialist at Craig hospital, Denver, which treats people who've had spinal cord or traumatic brain injuries. Muston-Firsch and her patients tested and fed back on prototypes as they were developed. "I have a patient named Reece. She has 15 brothers and sisters, and she used to teach her younger siblings how to play - it was the way they related to each other," said Muston-Firsch.

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'Empowering' ... the Xbox adaptive controller.

"Then she had a spinal injury, a major trauma, and she couldn't do that anymore. She came to me for rehab and I sat her up with the Xbox adaptive controller and within five minutes she was playing Call of Duty, co-piloting with her brother - he was controlling the right analogue stick but she was doing everything else. It was awesome. Her mother was crying because it was such a powerful moment."

The prices of add-ons for the adaptive controller range from $65 for an AbleNet Big Red Switch to $399 for a QuadStick. It's likely some users will require several to build a workable control setup. However, the device also supports the Xbox One co-pilot feature, which allows two controllers to be used as one input. Consequently, many players will be able to create a useable setup with just the adaptive controller and a traditional pad.

Evelyn Thomas, Microsoft's accessibility programme manager for Xbox, said the new controller is a major hardware launch, and the company will support it with further updates in the future. "There are millions of gamers out there with a wide variety of disabilities. That's why we feel this device is so important," said Thomas. "This is not a niche product."
Topics

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Microsoft to launch disability-friendly Xbox controller

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Microsoft is launching a new Xbox controller, developed to meet the needs of people with disabilities. Set for release later this year, the Xbox adaptive controller is a customisable device intended to support a wide range of needs and disabilities, making video games more accessible.

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Since 1997, my computer-based communication system has been sponsored and provided by Intel® Corporation. A tablet computer mounted on the arm of my wheelchair is powered by my wheelchair batteries,...

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MagnaReady | Magnetic Adaptive Clothing for Seniors, Disabilities

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Shop MagnaReady's magnetic adaptive clothing - perfect for seniors, wounded warriors and our disabled communities. Living with disabilities is hard enough & getting dressed should be easy.

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Clothes designed for children with disabilities

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Clothes designed for children with disabilities

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Marks & Spencer has been praised by thousands online after launching a clothing range specifically designed for children with disabilities.

The supermarket and fashion retailer has achieved what is said to be a "high street first" with the launch of its " easy dressing " range.

Designed to make getting dressed less stressful for children and their parents, the line is made with special needs in mind, and includes clothes made with extra space for casts as well as ones with discreet pockets for feeding tubes.

The garments are also made using the softest materials with as few seams as possible and hidden care labels so that they won't irritate sensitive skin.

"We've absolutely loved working on this project and are proud that every product started from listening to mums and dads," said Rebecca Garner, kidswear designer at Marks & Spencer.

"Parents passionately told us that disabilities don't define their children, so the adaptations shouldn't define their clothes, it's why all the products are inclusively designed and modelled closely on our main collection.

"So whilst big sister might wear a dress with sequins, the little one who wants to match but has sensory needs will have a softer glitter. Offering great value has been a key consideration and parents purchasing Easy Dressing products will never pay more."

Dr John Chang, consultant paediatrician at Croydon Health Services NHS Trust who advised on the range added: "As a doctor you can help parents with a range of complex issues, but sometimes it's the little things - like finding a jumper your child will actually wear - that can make the biggest difference.

" It was a brilliant experience to consult on the range and help explain the physical requirements for the products, I know for some parents this will be lifechanging and I look forward to seeing how it develops."

To show just how many people will benefit from the new launch, Marks & Spencer enlisted the help of a diverse range of young models with disabilities like Down's Syndrome, cerebral palsy and hip dysplasia.

The easy dressing range is also affordable, ranging from £3 for a baby's bodysuit to £36 for a child's winter jacket.

Currently, the line caters to children from newborn to age 16.

After unveiling the range on its Facebook page, Marks & Spencer has received thousands of positive comments from parents.

"Hats off to you M&S at last some recognition that there is a huge market out there. I shall definitely be purchasing from you and support this range!" one person wrote.

Another said: "Brilliant idea. Well done Marks and Spencer. Let's hope more stores decide to do the same. These parents have enough to deal with, without struggling to find clothes for their gorgeous children."

A third added: "My daughter was born in 1990. What I would have done for this special range of products back then!!! I am so happy for parents now that you are helping them to make any disability a little bit easier."

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M&S launches 'easy dressing' range for children with disabilities

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Marks & Spencer has been praised by thousands online after launching a clothing range specifically designed for children with disabilities. The supermarket and fashion retailer has achieved what is said to be a "high street first" with the launch of its "easy dressing" range.

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Buying clothes that make us look and feel good is something we all have a right to do, disabled or not. But how many fashion brands actually take disabled people and their needs into consideration when designing or promoting their clothes? Not many. But US website Healthline and its writer Imani Barbarin have found five big-name adaptive clothing lines for people with disabilities that we can all be proud to wear.
The state of fashion is changing. In the past, inclusive, durable, and stylish apparel was nothing more than a wish and a list of brands that wouldn't interfere with your prosthetics that your doctor gave you. And that's if you were lucky.

I spent much of my teen years jealous of the heels I was unable to wear and patching up the elbows on sleeves where they'd worn thin because of my crutches.

Though I was fortunate enough to wear a uniform during school hours, it was still difficult to put on certain clothes, such as tights and knee-high socks.

In recent years, however, more designers have begun to take notice of the limitations of mainstream fashion. They're now creating clothing for the one-fifth of the consuming public not often represented by the industry.

Fashion events, including the Cerebral Palsy Foundation's third annual Design for Disability Gala and Parsons - an annual 10-week course for rising designers to learn the latest techniques for creating inclusive garments - points to how the industry is altering its view of adaptive clothing.

People with disabilities deserve the choice of self-expression using fashion. But for that to happen, we need all the snaps, zippers, and functionality possible to work with the mobility devices we use every day. Here are some of the brands that are currently making this possible.

Tommy Hilfiger

Style: Classic staples

Price point: ££/$$

When a mainstream fashion brand gears an entire line toward customers with disabilities, you know you're onto something good - which is exactly what Tommy Hilfiger did.

As for the clothes, the designers for the collection relied heavily upon the feedback from people with disabilities, and the innovations reflected detailed attention to those comments.

True to its heritage, the line is classic Americana, coupled with accessible features for easy dressing. It includes magnetic and Velcro closures, adjustable waistlines, and one-hand zippers. Prices are reasonable, too. Items are only currently available in the United States - but I suspect people with disabilities from across the globe will begin to clamor for access to this collection.

Bezgraniz Couture

Style: Polished and on-trend

Price point: N/A

Since 2008, the Russian brand Bezgraniz Couture ("bezgraniz" means "without borders" in Russian) has sought to "rebrand disability" by using fashion to change the way audiences see disability and bodies.

The brand facilitates forums and classes in accessible design, and hosts contests for the most innovative in adaptive designs. In 2017, it hosted a show at Moscow's Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. It's since made its way to Los Angeles' fashion week.

The fashion house is internationally acclaimed, and the brand features local influencers with disabilities in each of its shows. It's not simply that Bezgraniz Couture wants to make more designers think about accessibility. Instead, it looks to facilitate a surge in artists for whom inclusivity is their calling.

As it stands, the brand functions as more of an outlet for advocacy and awareness. Despite its well-known status, little can be found about their distribution. For now, its sleek moto jacket and easy pull-on jeans will have to exist solely in my dreams.

Rebirth Garments

Style: Gender non-conforming and experimental

Price point: ££-£££/$$-$$$

Full disclosure: I modelled for Rebirth Garments in 2017 at Sarah Weis' installment of Minimalist Bedroom during Paris Fashion Week. Its work focuses on creating a "QueerCrip" fashion culture through clothing that represents the wearer, regardless of gender, size, or ability.

The brand's creator, Sky Cubacub, who identifies as a Spoonie (a type of person with chronic illness), noticed that there was a gap in what people with disabilities could wear and what the industry was willing to make. So, Cubacub created a line that represented all bodies.

Rebirth Garments' shows are like living artistic installations. The shows often feature queer and plus-size people with disabilities as models. As a plus-sized, disabled "qween" myself, I found its clothing fit me well without losing the integrity of the design.

The clothes are a mix of bright colors and non-traditional hemlines and cuts. All pieces are handmade and can be custom ordered.

Target

Style: Basics

Price point: £/$

In 2017, Target announced its intent to delve into the accessible fashion arena. Part of this initiative included input from designer Stacey Monsen, whose daughter, Elinor, has autism. Monsen realised that all the garments she was buying for Elinor were either too big or just about function with no style.

After talking with internal design colleagues, Monsen decided to address the problem head on. The line - part of the Cat & Jack collection - later expanded even further to adaptive apparel for children living with other disabilities. The end result was pieces that address needs for both those with physical disabilities and neurodiversity.

Tops feature a flat seam to avoid skin irritation. Pants and bottoms have easy closures for those with limited dexterity. This particular line features nearly 40 pieces. Prices average at about $20 a piece (£15), making this the most affordable accessible brand so far.

Zappos

Style: Functional and on-trend

Price point: £-££/$-$$

Only clothing giant Zappos has an entire line of accessible fashion dedicated to diverse body types. While managing to create several garments with easy closures and adjustable waistlines, Zappos has ventured into hospital wear as well. The brand has created clothing that can be opened at the collar for treatment, and active lounge wear for recovery.

Most impressive, though, is their line of adaptive footwear. As someone who wears combat boots out of necessity to events that call for heels, this is an exciting development. Shoes can be opened via zippers, making it easier to slip your foot in and out. Pricing is reasonable too, with many clothing items under $50 (around £40) and shoes under $100 (£80).

Zappos still functions as a catch-all for several different brands, but this is what makes it such a wonderful resource. I was shocked that so many options existed all in one place. It's worth the time to investigate for your own fashion needs.

For years, my closet has been haunted by sneakers and combat boots for every occasion. But, with Zappos, I feel like I can blend in other styles when I want to, and even experiment a bit more.

The takeaway

Finding your style as a person with disabilities can feel like trying to catch a butterfly with your bare hands. I'm hopeful for the future though as I watch more of the fashion world beginning to include us. A rise in accessible fashion educational programs at design schools also offers hope for fashionistas with disabilities in the near future.

I implore everyone to find the style and personality that they've always wanted to show the world. Use every sidewalk, ramp, and elevator as your runway.
By Imani Barbarin You can read more of Imani's articles on her website and follow her on Twitter. More on Disability Horizons...

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5 adaptive clothing lines we love | Disability Horizons

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Access to fashion and adaptive clothes should be easy for everyone. But much of the fashion world still doesn't cater for disabled people. Here, we look at five adaptive clothing brands putting disabled people at the heart of their designs.

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Corner Chairs | Pediatric Corner Chairs | Special Needs Chairs

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A pediatric corner chair is made to fit into a corner to aid children who need head, trunk, and pelvis support in attaining proper sitting posture and alignment.

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Developing existing gaming software to make it more accessible.

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Becky has severe quadriplegic cerebral palsy, which means she can't control the muscles in her body.

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Early stage online coaching/counselling on a subscription basis with peers. Targeted at businesses wanting to help employees

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Some people with dyslexia find it helpful to write words with their finger on a surface like carpet. Research evidence?

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My Choice Pad

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RNIB and www.doorwayonline.org.uk

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Xodo

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MindMeister

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Mindview 7

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Dragon

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Read&Write

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Sonocent

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Dance Mat Typing

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here 1
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here 3
here 4

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www.typing.com

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Please click here.