wtm@bunker.UUCP (Bill McGarry) (08/02/86)
The following article appeared in the Handicapped Digest mailing list
and was received from Frank Belvin (security!fb) who got it from the
info-apple mailing list. For further information, please respond
to the addresses listed at the end of the article.
Bill McGarry
Moderator Handicapped Digest
Bunker Ramo, Trumbull, CT
{decvax, philabs, ittatc, fortune}!bunker!wtm
(203) 386-2749
P.S. The Handicapped Digest is a mailing list for and about the
handicapped/disabled not only in computer related issues but also
in such areas as employment, education, medical, legal, etc. For
more information on the Digest or to be added to the mailing list,
please contact me directly at:
{decvax, philabs, ittatc, fortune}!bunker!wtm
*********************************************************************
Subject: beta sites wanted
I saw this on the mailing list info-apple; I don't know if you've
already received a similar posting, but thought this might be
appropriate for the HC Digest.
Frank
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Received: from umass-cs by csnet-relay.csnet id ax12285; 23 Jul 86 1:18 EDT
Date: Tue, 22 Jul 86 13:25 EST
From: STANKULI%cs.umass.edu@csnet-relay.arpa
To: info-apple%brl.arpa@brl-smoke.arpa
Subject: betatest sites needed
i am interested in establishing a number of beta-testing sites for some
software concerning the handicapped. these programs have been written by some
of my students and myself, and i want some people to test and report back on
the software. we will send self-addressed postage-paid envelopes and
questionaires with the diskettes to any interesting site.
the major entry requirement is access to an Apple II (+,e,c (no gs yet)) and
an interest in programming for handicapped people. if you have these and will
send me your USmail address (yes, USSnail), i will put you in a database for
mailing betatest diskettes.
the software concerns communication prosthesis for profound physical
disability. (this software can be evaluated by anyone who can read a monitor
screen and depress any key or gameio button.) the prime description of the
disabled population is the ability to close a single switch (or more) which is
taken as an input response to a microcomputer. i am primarily interested in
people who can field test single-switch software with physically disabled
people, but will send beta-test diskettes to a lot of sites who have only the
Apple II to run the tests. many of the tests involve only reading and the
response to the the test item.
the immediate software to be tested are two programs concerning scanning use
of simple cognitive (elementary school level) graphics information. one of the
programs only moves cubical blocks in a 3-dimensional space to form towers,
arches and other blocks-world structures. the other composes simple melodies
after scanning pitch and duration and then produces standard european notation
into monitor, file, or printer. another betatest will concern the writing and
executing of Applesoft BASIC programs by single-switch scanning without
firmware support. later betatests include scanning in icon systems and
alphabet scanning to produce text with word guessing and phrase selection (for
use in any (even nonEnglish) language).
if you can get an Apple II to test our software, send me anwsers to the
following questions:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
UMASS/COINS questionaire:
1. US Mail adress: (* so we can mail you diskettes *)
2. ARPANET address: (* for immediate questions *)
(* (other e-mail nets, let me know) *)
3. Apple II model: (* II+ IIe or IIc, 64K minimum desired *)
(* include hardware configuration of cards *)
4. disabled user(s): (* how many available at your site *)
a. type disability: (* prefer profund physical impairment; *)
(* we expect cerebral palsy, *)
(* spinal cord injury, *)
(* brain damage, *)
(* ALS syndrome, etc. *)
(* if you have disabled people available *)
b. other software used
by disabled user(s): (* optimal users or staff are familiar with *)
(* WORDS+ *)
(* HANDICAPPED TYPEWRITER *)
(* THE COMMUNICATOR *)
(* MESSAGE MAKER *)
(* MESSAGE WRITER *)
(* EXPRESS II or III *)
(* LIGHT TALKER *)
(* ADAPTIVE FIRMWARE CARD *)
(* MINSPEAK *)
(* or other single-switch method *)
5. interest in beta-test: (* if you have no disabled users tell us why *)
(* you are interested in software test *)
(* if you have disabled user(s) tell us what *)
(* you can about them *)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
please search for ANYONE in your area who could participate in our betatest
with your help. we will correspond through USmail with any interesting site if
you will help establish initial e-mail contact. i do not want to send
exploratory snailmail messages to sites that haven't first responded through
e-mail.
i am particularly interested in any site that knows of a person with near
maximum physical impairment... someone who has a physical impairment
interfering with the normal communication methods (speaking, writing, and
gesturing). if you don't know know a physically disabled person, all of our
programs can be tested by yourself or children with simple communication
abilities. if you have any doubt that you may qualify or have an interest in a
beta-test, write me. in the next couple years my research will involve
fundamental physical communication in any rommance language (output specifiable
in a standard character set). this computer application includes many of the
primary questions in psychology, education, artificial intelligence, knowledge
bases, and natural languages.
reply to:
ARPANET : STANKULI@UMASS-CS.CSNET
USmail : Stan Kulikowski II
Computer & Information Science
A305 Graduate Research Center
University of Massachusetts
Amherst, MA 01003
please post this announcement on any BBS or e-mail list with interest in
handicapped people or Apple II software.
stan