Computers And The Disabled The Computer Age example essay topic

Computers and The Disabled The computer age has changed many things for many people, but for the disabled the computer has ultimately changed their entire life. Not only has it made life exceedingly easier for all disabled age groups, it has also made the mable to be more employable in the work force. Previously unemployable people can now gain the self esteem from fully supporting themselves. Computers have given them the advantages of motion were it had not previously existed. Disabled children now have the advantage to grow up knowing that they can one day be a competent adult, that won't have to rely on someone else for their every need. Windows 95 has made many interesting developments toward making life easier for the nearly blind and for the deaf, including on screen text to synthesize speech or Braille, and adaptive hardware that transforms a computers audible cues into a visual format.

Computers have given the limited back their freedom to be an active part of the human race. According to the Americans with Disabilities Acts, any office that has a staff of more than fifteen people now has to provide adaptive hardware and software on their computers, so that workers with disabilities can accomplish many tasks independently. Before this Act was passed the disabled were normally passed over for jobs because of their handicap, now however employers can be assured that people with disabilities can work in the work place just like people without disabilities. The self esteem disabled individuals have gained from the experience to work and be self supporting, is immeasurable. Computerized wheelchairs have given disabled people a whole new perception on life.

It has given them the mobility to go just about anywhere they want togo. It has given them the ability to explore an unknown world, and progress intellectually as well as spiritually. Computerized vans allow many disabled people to drive, by having on board computerized lifts to place the disabled in the driver's seat. Movement sensitive hardware, as well as computerized shifting devices allows the disable to control the van with very little physical movement. Children with disabilities now have access to many computerized devices that enable them to move freely in their home as well as outside. The battery operated bigfoot truck, much like the ones that we buy for our own children to play on have been adapted and computerized for children with special needs.

These trucks have been designed for even some of the most limited children to operate with ease. With the newest technology these children can now go to public schools with their peers, and have an active social life. They also a relearning that there is a place in this fast paced world for them, and a reteaching the rest of us that with strength and the will to succeed, all things are possible. The Windows 95 help system was designed to help users with hearing, motor and some visual disabilities, they include information on the built-in access features. The controls of these features are centralized in the Accessibility Options Control Panel. This specialized control panel lets the user activate and deactivate certain access features and customize timing and feedback for a limited individual.

A program for the disabled called Sticky Key helps a person who doesn't have much control over hand movement to use a computers delete command, or any other command that normally uses both hands. Sticky Keys allows a disabled person to hit one key at a time so that they can access a multi-command without pressing multiple keys simultaneously, it also allows for mistakes by deleting any accidentally hit key that isn't held down for the set amount of time. To use a mouse a person needs complete control of hand movement. Mouse Keys assist the disabled with the use of the arrow keys on the keyboards numeric keypad to move the mouse around the screen. Toggle Keys is another program that aids the disabled, it provides audio feedback for certain keystrokes by providing high and low pitched beeps that tell the current status of Caps Lock, Number Lock, and Scroll Lock keys. Windows 95 offers several features for those with limited sight.

They make a high contrast layout that can be scaled to multiple sizes for easy reading. Their program Show sounds lets you seta global flag that shows sounds in a visual format. In an age when computers seem to be used in just about every aspect in life, the disabled have found something that makes their lives more endurable. Considering the limitations that they have overcome in their everyday lives the disabled should be commended for the strength and will, that has let them overcome, at least somewhat, the difficulties the world provides. The computer age has brought them many changes and they have adapted and excelled in them. With Windows 95 and programs like it, the computer world has been brought to almost everyone, even people born with limited abilities.