Country: Greece

Department: Informatics and Telecommunications, University of Athens

Student: Motor disability. Interacting with computers is a basic skill needed for Informatics students. This student cannot use the typical keyboard and mouse effectively due to his disability. He is a wheelchair user with not good control of his hands. He also needs a system to help him communicate because his speech is not intelligible.

Challenges: The complex needs of the student for computer access solutions in combination with the need for a communication aid. Assessing the most effective solutions was challenging due to this students need to use a computer as quickly as possible.

Skills and Strategies: The staff of the Accessibility Unit, University of Athens, evaluated the needs of the student, proposed and tested various Assistive Technologies to help him use the computer, and finally the University bought the appropriate devices and software for him. That was a portable computer (laptop) with an external touchpad and virtual keyboard software with word prediction. The computer could be mounted to his wheelchair with special mounting equipment and after some time of training he could use it effectively as any other student. Moreover, it was equipped with a Greek Text-to-Speech System that facilitated his communication. This student managed to overcome important obstacles using high technology and finished his studies with success.